September 3, 2009 7:55 PM
This and That
About Anne Wexler
It seems like I knew Anne Wexler forever, but it was only 30+ years. I have known Joe Duffey, her husband, for the same length of time. For a large part of that time, Anne and Joe lived in the Colonnade where I live (along with Bob Barnett and Rita Braver).Bob Barnett, in his good piece about Anne in “Politico,” claims that he and Rita shared 500 movies, about 2,500 meals, and 25 years of Christmas eves with Anne and Joe. I must concede that my records are not as good as Bob's, but Carol and I were a part of good many of those movies, meals and Christmas eve gatherings.
Anne and I worked on so many campaigns, projects and business activities that I could not begin to recount them.
But here is what I know. She was an extraordinary person. If you were her friend, you could not have a better friend. If you needed a mentor and you connected to Anne you were golden. And working on a campaign together, you had no better colleague and you knew she always had your back. If you were working on the same side of an issue, you knew there was no greater ally. And if you were on the opposite side of an issue from her, you better bring your A game, because you were in for a tough, but fair, fight.
In her work for Jimmy Carter she connected more people to the White House's efforts than one could ever imagine possible.
In what was first Wexler and Associates, and now Wexler Walker, she built an extraordinary business from zero.
And if you ever needed a touchstone to remind yourself what a true progressive/liberal should be...Anne was the only place you needed to go.
Anne was the perfect combination of smarts, judgement, perspective and sensitivity.
She was a very special daughter, mother and spouse. I know how much Joe and her family miss her. I am one of the many who are close behind them. Anne will not be forgotten.
On the bus again. Bus transportation grew by 20% between 2005 and 2007, from 631 million passenger trips to 751 million passenger trips. [NYT 8/30/09]
In the realm of "no good deed goes unpunished" -- the apparent success of the so-called "clunker" program has created potential problems for two other automobile related programs.
There are a number of charities that rely on donation of cars for a goodly portion of their annual budget. You donate your car, you get a charitable tax deduction, and the charity sells the car into the used car market. The proceeds go to support the charity's programs.
All of the "clunkers" are scrapped. Many cars that would otherwise end up in the used car market, to be purchased by folks of more modest means, will not work their way into new hands. The result is likely to be an increase in the resale price of those vehicles that do end up in that market place.
