About millionaires

Yes, I went to Washington as a “Kennedy New Frontiersman” and worked on the staff of a liberal U.S. Senator, Lee Metcalf, while working hand in hand with another liberal Senator, Mike Mansfield. Mike was more flexible in his politics than Lee, but he was a Democrat. I actively campaigned for all three.

There were reasons and results for which I’m very proud; however, I do not consider myself a liberal or conservative, Democrat or Republican. I’ve voted for candidates from both parties. For example, I voted for fellow serviceman, Republican Dwight Eisenhower, but not Richard Nixon. If the founder of the Republican Party, Abe Lincoln, had run this year, I’d have voted for him. The above statement is the answer to, “What the heck are you?”

That settled, let’s talk about a word repeatedly bantered about in an unfair manner during this last campaign. Ads by many candidates have implied being a millionaire is a kind of evil, but I feel nobody should be discouraged from trying to be one.

There are many ways to become wealthy, some good, some bad. The two easiest routes are: 1) inherit from family and 2) marry a wealthy spouse. Number two is the least desirable of those two options because it may produce more suffering than it’s worth. Many’s the man or woman who found that plan a rocky road. Exceptions could include the show girl who wed a Rockefeller boy and then received $4 million to get lost, or the well constructed young blonde who married an elderly man who owned a pro football team, etc.

Becoming a “millionaire” the hard way offers several options also: 1) get a great concept for providing new goods or services, i.e., Bill Gates in electronics, 2) make radical changes to improve an existing product or service, i.e. Charles Goodyear vulcanizing rubber, or 3) my Scottish ancestor John L MacAdam, making road pavement 200 years ago.

A lot of reading has me convinced very few such as these took on the challenges that made them rich because they wanted to be millionaires. They were motivated by the challenge of solving a complex problem. I understand this well (at a lower level) because I am excited by solving crossword puzzles.

The point of defending millionaires is simply that most who attain that station are responsible for unmeasurable public good and we don’t have to look far to see examples. That new medical education building going up at Flathead Valley Community College because of a gift from Rebecca Broussard’s family. Kalispell and hundreds of other towns across America were given money last century to build libraries through a trust from Andrew Carnegie, the steelmaker. Our Carnegie building is now the Hockaday Museum of Art.

One of the best-known millionaires in American history was smug after gaining control of the oil industry in the 1800s. When questioned about high prices for kerosene, John D. Rockefeller replied he could charge what he wanted because he controlled the market. He soon changed and started a charitable dynasty that still survives. Think of Rockefeller Plaza in New York City, or Grand Teton National Park, ad infinitum.

Today we have charitable trusts not only supporting thousands of national programs in medical research, nutrition and education, but many reaching around the world to aid needy people, i.e., Gates, Bono and yes, Ted Turner. Such people are saints to millions with their billions in gifts.

Becoming a millionaire usually requires hard work and devotion not many want to put out. That’s why I’m going to do another crossword puzzle.

G. George Ostrom is a national award-winning Hungry Horse News columnist. He lives in Kalispell.