WHY WE LOVED OL' HARRY

"The Buck Stops Here."
"It doesn't matter how big a ranch ya' own,
or how many cows ya' brand, the size of your
funeral is still gonna depend on the
weather." - Harry Truman. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After President Truman retired from office in
1953, he was left with an income consisting of
basically just a U.S. Army pension,reported
to have been only $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.
When offered corporate positions at large
salaries, he declined, stating,
"You don't want me. You want the office
of the President, and that doesn't belong
to me. It belongs to the American people
and it's 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 don't consider that I
have done anything which should be the
reason for any award, Congressional or
otherwise."
We now see that other past presidents,
have found a new level of success in
cashing in on the presidency, resulting in
untold wealth. Today, many in Congress
also have found a way to become quite
wealthy while enjoying the fruits of their
offices. Obviously, political offices are now
for sale.
Good old Harry Truman could have been
correct when he observed, "My choice early
in life was either to be a piano player in a
whorehouse or a politician. And to tell the
truth, there's hardly any difference.
I, for one, believe the piano player job to
be much more honorable than current
politicians."
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