Two Presidents

Last Thursday I was at the meeting where my wife, Cathy, completed the last of many terms as our Parkview Homeowners Association President. Before that she'd been on this Association Board, and another before that.

She left the Board only because she’d done more than her fair share over many years. There was no competitor, and no one asked her to quit. She got some very nice applause and compliments.

I've done my time in such positions in past years in other places. It's not routine to be the President or Chair, anywhere, for most anything.

There are millions of Cathy’s out there, taking on responsibilities that no one else really wants. They all, whether good, bad or indifferent, deserve applause for what they do for all the rest of us.

Down in Texas, the same day, the George W. Bush Presidential Library was dedicated. All the living Presidents were there. Whoever the incumbent, whatever the position, however petty, being President is a tough job. Those who've "been there, done that" know.

Cathy did a great job all these years: she was a hands-on President. It wasn’t always easy. She knew our 96 units; she had to deal with the usual problems brought forth by the 96 homeowners.

You never know for sure what the problems will be in being an organization President or Chairperson. Thursday night, some had gripes about this or that. But they weren’t griping about her; they were griping about this issue or that for which, if they owned a free-standing home, they would have been solely accountable for solving – or not.

Meanwhile, down in Texas, Thursday was G. W. Bush’s day.

Somebody said that the word “Iraq” was not mentioned once; someone else that the public opening, May 1, ironically is the 10 year anniversary of “Mission Accomplished” — the day we supposedly “won” the Iraq War 43 days after it started….

The reality turned out to be just a tiny bit different.

Of course, the scale of problems the Bush Administration and the others have to deal with are more complex than those that Cathy and her small board had to contend with.

But the only real difference, in my opinion, is the certainty that the G.W. Bush reality between 2001-2009 will be massaged so much to be almost unrecognizable, set up against the reality of his eight years.

For the tiny most privileged few in our country, the eight Bush years were magnificent: he was probably the best President in History, according to them, and if they look at only the short term (which is all they really care about.)  The rest of us tend to have very short memories.)

A while back someone sent this pretty dramatic graphic on income equality in this country, from the San Jose Mercury News. It is worth watching it to the end.

The tiny minority has it all, money wise, in this country. They could easily fund the Bush Library. He deserves it, according to them.

What surprises me, constantly, is that the people who are being economically left behind tend to vote for the ones who create and massage the income inequality.

Do watch the video graphic about income.

The issue is not what Obama is going to do about it; it is what you and I are going to do about it.