POLITICS - Truman shootin straight

41_Marlin · Post by **41_Marlin** » Thu May 08, 2008 5:48 pm

Well...you can't help but long for this kind of honesty in politicians again.....

When President Truman retired from office in 1952, his income was substantially 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.

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 the Clintons 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. Political offices are now for sale.

Was good old Harry Truman 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."

buckeyeshooter · Post by **buckeyeshooter** » Thu May 08, 2008 5:53 pm

a very honest and excellent post. Too bad people of this quality refuse to run for office today.

Old Time Hunter · Post by **Old Time Hunter** » Thu May 08, 2008 5:56 pm

He must have been some one that "served" his country and NOT his pocket book.

tman · Post by **tman** » Thu May 08, 2008 5:58 pm

GREAT AMERICAN LEADERS of the last 100yrs, both president rooselvelts, truman, eisenhiowher and jfk. all the rest that came after were more corrupt than their predicessor.

Post by **Ysabel Kid** » Thu May 08, 2008 10:17 pm

tman wrote:GREAT AMERICAN LEADERS of the last 100yrs, both president rooselvelts, truman, eisenhiowher and jfk. all the rest that came after were more corrupt than their predicessor.

I beg to differ. A couple Presidents early in the 20th century we very good leaders. FDR was a socialist, and it is his fault we are in the mess we are in today. He took trashing the Constitution to an art form. Reagan was one of the best Presidents ever, and certainly a contender for the best of the 20th century.

No man is perfect - we crucified the last perfect one a couple thousand years ago. This includes Presidents. Still, the 20th century saw some highs (Reagan) and lows (Carter) that tend to frame the extremes.

Just my humble opinion - I don't expect anyone to agree with me...

20cows · Post by **20cows** » Fri May 09, 2008 4:55 am

Truman wasn't very popular while in office, but history has taken a better look at him since.

I wonder how the current POTUS will look in 50 years.

oldmax · Post by **oldmax** » Fri May 09, 2008 5:44 am

The President Bush's are 2 for 2.

President Bush Senior destroyed the Regan conservative movement.

President Bush Junior destroyed the Congressional conservative movement.

And JFK was not so pure, I'm sure you remember who his attonery general was...but at least he chose classier Bimbos.
And, For you younger guys, It was the closest the world ever came to
nuclear conflagration. This I remember well.

Carter, well, next year, he may be eclipsed as the worst Modern president in History

Yes, Truman was a good president , but the veterans of Korea may
not agree.

winchester1886 · Post by **winchester1886** » Fri May 09, 2008 6:33 am

Harry S Truman always one of my favourite American Presidents.

"I DID IT FOR YOU"

tman · Post by **tman** » Fri May 09, 2008 5:50 pm

i tend to look at what these men did for the good of the country, as opposed to moral, religious, or party affiliation, philosophy, or lolallity. i'm pretty much lower middle class, working poor, so itend to view what they did, or under what conditions i lived, worked, raised a family under. reagan, to me, began what destroyed the middle class and and the manufactoring base of this country. bush 1 and clinton helped it along with nafta. along with other tax and labor law changes. it seems that after jfk, the presidents were too controlled by corporate, military complex influences. eisenhoher warned us against this , but we didn,t listen, just my humble opinion. fdr did what he did because there was a strong push to go communist in this country at that time. perhaps we lost alittle a little under his regime, but it was better than going totally commmunist. we've lost freedoms under bush 2, yet patriot americans defend his actions and totally ignore the words of benjamin franklin. just the observation from an uneducated american who loves his country and wants whats best for it.