Published: August 26, 2009 09:56 am      

RANDOM THOUGHTS: “We weren’t wealthy, but we lived wealthy.”

“We weren’t wealthy but we lived wealthy,” said a woman whose family was displaced when Oak Ridge became a secret city. During these days of an uncertain economy those are words to remember and to put in practice.

Citizens have concerns other than the economy. They are facing proposals that raise more questions than answers. Before any of those proposals were unveiled I was amused when a few presidential policy appointees were identified as czars. As the list grew my amusement changed to why the choice of the word czar. In October 1973 I joined a group of press women for a nine-day tour of Russia. In that mysterious nation’s early history the lone person with that title, czar/tzar, was the king/emperor. Most were remembered as feared tyrants or autocrats but definitely the only one in authority.

The count of appointed czars is now close to three dozen and as their numbers grow so do the questions. The Cabinet members have been confirmed by the Senate but the czars escape this uncomfortable scrutiny. Will their responsibilities duplicate those of the Cabinet members? How will they be funded and will they have a staff? Who is in charge is the question. There is little doubt that if bad decisions are made the blame will fall on the confirmed Cabinet member. It seems the stage is set for in-fighting.

Czars are of little concern to citizens when they are faced with the issue of health insurance. It is hard to remember when any topic has stirred such raw emotion. The revival of town hall meetings with overflow crowds seems to me a healthy sign. It will take historians many years to sort out fact from fiction as to why these meetings became the focus of those for and against the proposed changes. In towns large and small and even in Crossville it was the same. There were always more people than could be accommodated in the meeting place. For those who have held meetings on important issues where only a few attended it is astonishing.

These meetings must have served as a wake-up-call for the politicians brave (or foolish) enough to take part in one. Will they ignore their bruised egos and instead study the criticism hurled at them? Such an exercise should remind them that even if they have Representative or Senator before their name they are still ordinary human beings with the same shortcomings of the audiences they faced.

It is true our country is passing through a period of transition and the uncertainty raises people’s stress level. This column began with a wise quote, “We weren’t wealthy, but we lived wealthy.” For me, that thought is a stress reliever.

Recently home builders say there has been a rising demand for front porches. What better place than the front porch to relieve stress? Even though southerners probably have more front porches than the rest of the country those of us from the north enjoyed them too.

As our kids were growing up we lived in a house with a wonderful front porch. It was a place where neighbors could join in a game of scrabble and keep an eye on our children, At night it was the place to relax. One night darkness had just fallen when a neighbor man passed and called hello. I answered, “Hi, Harry,” but as he passed under a street light I realized it was not Harry. Instead it was a man who had just started covering his bald head with a toupee! That was a time my stress level rose.