Hope Springs

The year I was born, there were no flying cars. You may find this hard to believe but it is true. Since then, only getting the mail to and from Europe by rocket hasn’t worked out. And those submarine cruises to Antarctica…I remember some magazine assuring me those were just around the corner.

Everything else has pretty much arrived as predicted, from television in color (National Geographic) to the rise of nationalism (George Orwell). In fact – screwy as this sounds – some Republican commentators are trying to return “Communism” to its previous position as bugaboo-in-chief, forgetting that we’ve all been there and done that.

If I had to pass along anything to you on my birthday, it’s that [1] people are generally a lot more solid, and less capable of being frightened, than the politicians believe; and [2] politicians on virtually every level of government have to be continually reminded that they work for us and not the other way ‘round.

No one – a district attorney, a governor, a presidential candidate, a CEO – has an automatic right to my respect. It deserves to be earned by good acts and right actions.

I expect a company to stand behind its product or service 100%, but I recognize that breakage may occur and I may be the one doing the breaking. I expect the president of a major corporation to take responsibility for the actions of his (or her) company. Although I have been frequently disappointed in my expectations, I continue to live in hope.

I hope Doug delivers my flying car today.