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HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
To my grandsons: Work hard, have passion
To Zachary and
Nicholas Wansley,
Brian and Thomas
Yarbrough:
Thinking about what I
i wanted
jpN* • v to share
; with you
Dick Yarbrough changed
Columnist since we
yarb24oo@bellsouth.net this
annual
correspondence back at the
beginning of the new mil
lennium. Zack was a newly
minted teenager, and the
rest of you guys were barely
double-digit. Now before this
year is over three of you will
be in your 20s and Thomas
will be a ripe old 18 years
The flawed but useful lowa caucuses
This much is cer
tain on the day
after the lowa cau
cuses: There will be plenty
of kvetching and moaning
about the system. The win
ners will praise the Hawkeye
State’s
voters as
the wisest
voters in
America
and cel
ebrate the
process as
a shining
example
of democ
racy in
action.
S *•»
Michelle Malkin
Columnist
malkin@comcast.net
The losers will assail it as
unfair, exclusive, convolut
ed, unrepresentative, archa
ic and in screaming need of
reform.
One Hillary Clinton sup
porter - much to the cam
paign’s chagrin - couldn’t
keep his lips buttoned before
the votes were cast. Ohio
Gov. Ted Strickland com
plained to the Columbus
Dispatch that it “makes no
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of age. There is no question
that every year that passes,
you guys become smarter
and more sophisticated. Me?
I just get older.
As I reflect back on my life,
nothing turned out as I had
expected. Never in my wild
est day did I think I would
end up as an officer in one
of the largest corporations
in America. Nor did I ever
imagine that I would have
the privilege of working with
such an extraordinary indi
vidual as Billy Payne and to
be a part of a unique event
the 1996 Centennial Olympic
Games. When those exciting
and stressful days were over,
I swore to your grandmother
I would finally retire, only to
start writing a statewide syn
dicated newspaper column
now in its 10th year.
By all measures, it has been
a successful career, and as
difficult as it was at times, I
sense” to give lowa the right
to hold the first presidential
contest and lambasted the
caucuses as “hugely undem
ocratic” because the process
“excludes so many people.”
USA Today spotlighted the
“goofy,” “eccentric” ritual
- quoting Sen. Carl Levin
attacking the system as
“cockamamie.” The New
York Times chimed in the
day before the lowa cau
cuses with a piece bemoan
ing the plight of lowa voters
who won’t be able to cast
votes because work and fam
ily conditions will prevent
them from attending the
lengthy nighttime meetings.
Yes, the rules are bizarre -
particularly the Democrats’
arcane setup eschewing
paper ballots and forcing
nonviable candidates with
less than 15 percent of the
vote from caucusgoers to
throw their votes to one of
the frontrunners. Yes, the
pandering to farmers and
ethanol interests is noxious.
And yes, the spectacle of
Hillary Clinton lining up
wouldn’t redo a day of it. But
my perception of success has
changed greatly since I first
set out on my journey. I have
discovered that success is not
defined by the possessions
you accumulate, how much
money you make or what
kind of car you drive. Success
is being able to look yourself
in the mirror at night and
know that you lived that day
with absolute integrity, that
you didn’t besmirch your
good name. At the end of the
day, your integrity is all you
have. Don’t ever compromise
it.
No matter how smart you
are, somebody close by is
smarter. I have had a lot
of good mentors in my life
I still do and I learned
something from each of them
that has helped shape my life.
Seek out men and women you
admire. Ask them questions.
Learn all you can about how
baby-sitters and Barack
Obama scheduling rides for
lowa caucusgoers smacks of
a Nanny State gone wild.
Still, the process does
have its benefits. Retail poli
tics is a demanding busi
ness. It punishes candidates
who would rather sit back
in their East Coast comfort
zones, tape slick ads and
campaign on autopilot. It
requires discipline, focus
and drive. It requires a thick
skin, stamina and an abil
ity to withstand enormous
voter and media scrutiny.
But there’s more:
Mitt Romney’s managerial
prowess and large campaign
chest should have guaran
teed a huge, easy win. But
Mike Huckabee’s surprise
rise over the past several
weeks showed that money
alone isn’t everything. The
grassroots matter.
Celebrity appeal helps. But
except for a botched cam
paign event in which staffers
dissed a local supporter who
had organized a campaign
event at his farm because
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OPINION
they got to where they are
today, personally and profes
sionally. I guarantee you they
had a mentor or two along
the way and would be flat
tered to serve in that role
for you.
Have goals and aim high,
but don’t be afraid to change
those goals as you move
throifgh life. Don’t be some
thing someone else wants
you to be. That is a recipe for
unhappiness. Discover what
makes you passionate. You
may not know what that is
today, but it will come. One of
my mentors, Jasper Dorsey,
once said, “Find something
you love to do so much you
would pay someone for the
privilege of doing it. Then get
them to pay you. That is the
perfect job.” Amen.
Whatever you choose to do
with your life, do it to the
best of your ability. When you
don’t do your best, you are
he didn’t meet the death tax
threshold, nationally promi
nent Rudy Giuliani was a
nonentity in lowa. And Fred
Thompson’s failure to catch
fire showed that star power
and Internet buzz aren’t
enough to cut it, either.
The toss-up on the
Democrat side under
scored those points. Neither
the Clinton machine
See MALKIN, page 8A
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cheating yourself and those
who depend on you. There is
no place for apathy or lazi
ness in this world. You are
the product of hard-working
grandparents and parents.
We are depending on you to
work hard, too.
Finally, keep life in perspec
tive. As I have told you many
times, I didn’t always do that.
I have come to understand
that a strong faith and a lov
ing family are more important
than any plaque or platitude
or paycheck. For that, I give
you the credit. Your parents
" are no doubt amazed that
their sometimes overbearing,
always career-focused father
has turned out to be such a
doting and devoted grandfa
ther. Grandchildren do that.
I am too old and see too
much of my life in the rear
view mirror to presume there
will be other letters in other
years. So just in case: Never
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SATURDAY, JANUARY 5, 2008
forget that I love you very
much and pray that you will
make as much difference in
this world as you have made
in my life. Happy New Year,
boys.
Love,
PA
You can reach
Dick Yarbrough at
yarb24oo@bellsouth.net, PO.
Box 725373, Atlanta, Georgia
31139, or website: www.dick
yarbrough.com.
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