This diary probably won't mean much to people who live outside of Kentucky, but here goes.
Lately, there has been a lot of talk about how corrupt the federal government has become.
These days, many politicians are more worried about serving the interests of the lobbying groups who fund their election campaigns than they are about the people living in their districts--and as a result, they have lost touch with their constituents, their needs, and their concerns.
But I remember one politician who, I believe, never lost sight of where he was from, or who he was supposed to serve, and that was
Carl D. Perkins. I won't go into his political accomplishments here--I will instead focus on how I remember him personally.
I was born in the same city Carl was, in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky, and I can remember the stories my father told about him--they went to grade school together in a little one room school house, and later on in life, they were big fishing and hunting buddies. According to my dad, he was always down to earth, and never thought he was above anyone else, no matter how poor they were. Despite the fact that Carl went on to become one of the longest serving congressmen in US history, he always considered my father a friend--never mind the fact that my dad was just a working class person, was never rich, and whose only claim to fame was that he helped to build Alice Lloyd College in Pippa Passes, KY. How many US congressmen these days would be caught dead associating with "poor white trash" like my dad?
But Carl knew, and kept in contact with, the families in his district--whenever there was a death in someone's family, more likely than not, he would send them a letter in condolence, give them a call, or pay them a visit when he was in town. I can only vaguely remember some of the times he came to our house to visit my dad, but the one that stands out most was when my aunt died in 1980--he came up the "holler" to our house so Carl could pay his respects. I remember sitting on the porch swing next to him during that visit, and before he left, he told me to "keep studying and doing well in school."
The people serving in congress these days would do well to remember Carl, and follow his example.
(A brief note, since someone is going to ask about my age--my dad didn't start a family until he was in his 50's.)