Of course, from time to time, outgoing
presidents have packed a few things that don’t belong to them and somehow have
ended up under glass in their presidential libraries.
James Madison may have slipped out the
door with one of those fancy Argan Lamps which burned much brighter than the
customary candles and oil lamps of his day. But we must remember that
Adams had to buy his own furniture, so there’s evidence he walked out with
tables and chairs he’d brought in.
Nixon may have had a few official
trinkets in his pockets when he quit and ran.
Bill Clinton took his gifts when he left
but had to return some of them because they were meant by their donors to remain
in federal custody.
We want to think of our presidents as
meeting a higher standard of ethics. At least that’s the inference we
read in traditional history books.
Some presidents, though, were
kleptomaniacs of a different order. They stole things not from the
physical White House but from the American People.
Hoover stole economic reality.
Nixon stole confidence in the office.
Dolley Madison’s oil lamp and Bill
Clinton’s swag bag and furniture pale when measured against Hoover and Nixon.
Just to be sure everything is as and
where it should be, someone inventory the knives, forks and spoons. Count the
silverware. And maybe keep an eye on the plates, bowls and bath towels.
SHRAPNEL:
--With trump out of office, it’s time
for the Republican Party to get on the couch for some good 50-minute hours of
the talking cure. It could be a good time to be in the cult-deprogramming
business. And you can set that up to work on Zoom.
--The National Association of Musical
Merchants, NAMM for short, is about to open its 2021 convention in
Anaheim. That’s when nervous factory owners parade the latest in their
endless array of planned obsolescence. It’s up to us to decide the difference between
innovation and gimmickry.
I’m Wes Richards. My opinions are my
own but you’re welcome to them. ®
Any Questions? wesrichards@gmail.com
© WIR 2021
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