Thank you Mr. President. Ive always been a Harry Truman fan. One of my prize possessions is a letter Harry Truman wrote to my mom years after his presidency thanking her personally for my brothers service during the Korean War. He was a president, not a rock star. Harry Truman was a different kind of President. He probably made as many or more important decisions regarding our nations history as any of the other 32 Presidents preceding him. However, a measure of his greatness may rest on what he did after he left the White House. The only asset he had when he died was the house he lived in which was in Independence, Missouri. His wife had inherited the house from her mother and father and other than their years in the White House, they lived their entire lives there. When he retired from office in 1952 his income was a U.S. Army pension reported to have been $13,507.72 a year. Congress, noting that he was paying for his stamps and personally licking them, granted him an allowance and later, a retroactive pension of $25,000 per year. After President Eisenhower was inaugurated Harry and Bess drove home to Missouri by themselves. There was no Secret Service following them. When offered corporate positions at large salaries he declined stating, You dont want me. You want the office of the President and that doesnt belong to me. It belongs to the American people and its not for sale. Even later, on May 6, 1971, when Congress was preparing to award him the Medal of Honor on his 87th birthday, he refused to accept it, writing, I dont consider that I have done anything which should be the reason for any award, Congressional or otherwise. As president he paid for all of his own travel expenses and food. Modern politicians have found a new level of success in cashing in on the Presidency, resulting in untold wealth. Today, too many in Congress also have found a way to become quite wealthy while enjoying the fruits of their offices. Good old Harry Truman was correct when he observed, My choices in life were either to be a piano player in a whore house or a politician. And to tell the truth, theres hardly any difference!
Posted on: Fri, 12 Dec 2014 14:45:11 +0000
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