Hello, Blogolanders. I meant to post this sooner but have spent the last several days researching the financial health of our presidents. This is probably an impossible task as land values have changed, and there is debate as to the value of slaves. Yes, many of our earlier presidents owned slaves. And I have neither the time nor the patience to check every bit of information. One site had a glaring boo boo. Jackie Kennedy was described as, "an oil heiress." She was no such thing; the only heiress was Ethel. Her family founded Great Lakes Carbon.
What does seem to be the case is that many of our presidents died broke. A prime case is Thomas Jefferson, one of our greater presidents. He was not only broke, but also in debt. Yet this guy brokered one of the greatest land deals in history - The Louisiana Purchase! He couldn't pay his own bills, but he left us a fortune.
As for George Washington, I'm sure he would have had a great credit profile/credit score. But when it came to the finances of the new government, he needed Alexander Hamilton to put the nation on a firm financial footing.
Of course, you've heard about Bernie Madoff. Ten years ago, a report from Equifax would have made him look golden - the man was a thief.
Now why is the Tony Mack mess such a surprise? Back in 2006 when he first ran for mayor, he paid his campaign workers with bad checks. That should have been a wake-up call.
The reason I found this requirement so distasteful is that based on Anglo-Saxon common law, one is innocent until proven guilty. We are trying to say to candidates, "You are guilty (you're a crook) until you prove otherwise.
If you want to snoop around the a candidate's finances, why not ask where donations are coming from? Doesn't anyone find it interesting that Walker Worthy has some $23,000 in his war chest I know I do.
And, in closing, you could have a candidate with a stellar financial history, but what about the folks around the candidate? Does anyone believe JoJo has an 800 credit score?
Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!!!!
Sunday, December 22, 2013
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