In 1960, my mother's cousin was the biggest donor to the Democratic Party in California. He was also a minor screen writer who named names to HUAC. His Christmas cards were pictures of his family and the Kennedy's. He spent $125,000 to remodel his back yard so that he could invite the whole delegation to his house. I would eat lunch with Senators and Governors, who were deferential because they thought that I was his son. I don't think that they really liked or even respected him, but they were deferential. It gave me a sense of how money worked. When Kennedy was shot, LA real estate tanked and his S&L chain went belly up.
-- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu michaelperelman.wordpress.com
