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Perspective

By Richard Kuritz
Sunday, September 20, 2009

One afternoon, when my oldest son was serving his first term as an intern for a US congressman, he called me in a panic. It seems that he was alone in the office and the State Department requested either the congressman or a capable staffer immediately at a briefing regarding issues with China. My son told me that the congressman was unavailable, the staff was out and unreachable and that the request was anything but casual. Since it was mid-afternoon on a sunny DC day, my later-educated-guess was that the congressman was on his 7th power-lunch drink and the staffers were off enjoying the sunshine, leaving the intern to answer the phone. I asked my son a question to which I already knew the answer:" Are you committed to your work?

"Look", I said, "you graduated near the top of your class and got into a top college, so you know how to take notes ... and you certainly know how to form and substantiate opinions, so go to the briefing. Bring a thick pad. Divide the pages into 3 columns 1. facts as presented, 2. opinions, and 3. suggestions. Fill the pad, label it clearly, include your name, and give it directly to your boss."

Armed with his ability, Dad's advice, and a fat yellow pad, a 19 year old intern ethically influenced the congressional vote on US-China foreign policy.

A prominent publisher of a major newspaper was quoted as saying that her paper's purpose was" to influence, not inform". That went far to explain my opinion of her paper as generally suitable for training pets. Influence is a natural consequence of the ingestion of the written word. Ethical influence is a natural consequence of reading accurate and objective writing; not to be confused with sensationalized bias, and checkstand hobunk. I consider it my responsibility to clearly delineate facts, opinions and suggestions. I consider it your responsibility keep me honest, correct facts, argue opinions and make suggestions.

I will be doing a weekly column and will publish several responses and rebuttals throughout the week. My publisher requests that you keep it printable, I ask that you keep it relevant. Prosaic perfection, syntactic symmetry, grammatic grace, spelling superiority and political correctness are optional, and far less important than your heartfelt and considered opinions.

So this is my perspective, what's yours?

This article was first published on Sunday, September 20, 2009 at 12:35 pm. This article has been viewed 956 times.

Rich Kuritz was born in NYC, grew up on Long Island where he met and married his High school steady in 1969. He has been a Californian for over 30 years, has 3 grown children, three grandchildren and a dog named Maggie. About 7 years ago, Rich and his older son discovered Arrowbear, where they rebuilt their adjoining homes. His academic training is in Political Science and Economics, and his business background includes finance, investment, business development and construction.

Rich presently serves as Chairman of the Economic Development Committee of the Running Springs Area Chamber of Commerce, and was recently elected as a Director to the Arrowbear Park Municipal Water District. His present interests include community development, consulting and writing.

The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of RIMOFTHEWORLD.net. This column is copyrighted by Richard Kuritz.