Harry Truman was a man of character

What a difference 50 years can make in the life of a former president. Harry Truman went from being the most powerful man in the world to basically being a pauper who had to borrow money to pay his bills.

He received no support from the federal government. He received no protection from the secret service, no free office space and he even had to raise money for the Truman Library.

His family was not financially secure until he was forced to sell the family farm five years after leaving office.

Mr. Truman could have had a much better financial retirement but his values and character kept him from accepting the freebies and endorsements that just kept coming. His name was not for sale!

Let us fast forward to Mr. Clinton’s retirement where the Clintons claimed to be financially destitute. “Slick Willies” character and values were basically absent when compared to Mr. Truman, as they were soon multi-millionaires.

I regret that Mr. Truman had to live such a retirement but history will show that he had something that the Clintons probably will never have.

Gerald W. Ray, Spokane