Many people are surprised to learn I wrote a book harshly criticizing our current society, including myself, for I never thought about writing a book. But after the last round of bank deregulation and its usual destruction, I couldn’t sit on the sidelines any longer. I needed to educate both us and the world what happened when we ignored history the last 35 years and took the unscrupulous path – again!
My family has historically been a rather well-to-do, independent, business oriented group of Republicans who acquired their upper middle class status through shrewd land acquisitions, independent businesses, hard work, and stock market investments with an emphasis on oil related industries. We were often upscale country farmers with a get-a-way house on the lake and hunting cabin reminiscent of President Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt’s western years. My grandmother was our county’s Chairman during the Eisenhower administration, and the whole family was staunch supporters of both his and the Nixon administrations. However, they were the last of the moderate, progressive Republicans and we all switched alliances to the majority Independent party.
Throughout my book I reveal my small town upbringing, morals, values and ethics. Like most old farmers, I hold little regard for money, status, titles and people in suit coats and ties. I believe more often than not they are rather crooked, selfish, moral less, poachers preying on society and that’s why we need an assembly line of Roosevelts to rein them in.
My greatest and proudest days were the day I got my pilots license on New Year’s Eve 1983 when I aced the flying portion of the test. That’s when I avoided a possible mid-air collision when my Vietnam fighter pilot FAA tester with 25 years experience miss-heard the number of planes in line from air traffic control and nearly convinced me to cut in front of the last one. But I didn’t brag, I played it cool, I waited until I got home before doing my victory dance.
The other was my little girl’s birth. Oh, then there was the day she first walked, and the time she got 7 A’s in school. And I almost forgot the day we went undefeated in soccer and . . . Well I guess I had a lot of great days. I never heard a kid say this is the best day of my life so many times.
Every day I live for my daughter and try teaching her the right values and support her at school and her career. I believe I’ve succeeded in that and hope she remembers the great times we’ve had all her life living a clean, honest one. I also like to smile and joke about my bumbling self and shortcomings, and hopefully enlighten peoples droll routines. As far as kids go… there a hoot. I love teaching them new things and seeing the trill they get learning them. My brother always said I never grew up, and he’s right. I should have worked in a toy factory and drove a great big wheat combine on the weekends. Hey, maybe I still can! Does anyone know if Howard Buffet needs a driver to help feed the world?