OPINION:
Nancy Pelosi will soon take her leave from the House of Representatives, where she has twice served as speaker. The first woman to ever hold the position, she is generally recognized as a master speaker, one who has held her Democratic caucus in line while supporting Democratic presidents and frustrating many of the initiatives hoped for by Republicans.
Mrs. Pelosi is one of the fortunate few who were born into wealth and a family with a political pedigree. She attended an all-girls Catholic high school, then graduated from a prestigious university. She married “well,” moved to California with her wealthy husband and gained favor and sponsorship from senior, entrenched Democratic politicians. Pelosi and her husband now have an estate with an estimated value of several hundred million dollars.
How well Mrs. Pelosi has done for the American people, however, is a different matter. Regrettably, there is no quantitative, empirical record of the consequences of her legislative acts. Like most politicians in D.C., she has thrived on a public image intended to demonstrate that she is always working for the good of the common person. Whatever actually happens to the intended targets of her largesse (spending other people’s money) is and will forever be unknown.
Then, too, there are her victims. When Mrs. Pelosi picks a group to be favored, whether individuals or companies, the “many others” are frequently diminished or disenfranchised. Mrs. Pelosi believes she is one of the select few who have inherited the pipeline to truth and are thus eager to draw up the blueprints for running other people’s lives. The only measurable, certain takeaway from her “service” in Washington is that she has done exceptionally well for herself.
H. LEE LAPOLE
Loveland, Ohio
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