There have been a few notable figures in my life that\u2019ve left a big impression. Richard Lamm, former governor of Colorado is one such person. One does not realize how important a person was until they are gone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lamm spent decades working with the Federation for\nAmerican Immigration Reform (FAIR), as a member of the Board of Directors and\nas chair of our National Board of Advisors. \nMany an evening was spent in my younger days listening to conversations\nspeculating on the future between the governor and luminaries who also served\non this board, like Garrett Hardin, John Tanton and Otis Graham. The topic? The\nfuture, always.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What always stood out about Dick Lamm was his\nconcern for the future \u2013 for the future of the nation, of the land of our\npeople. He was endlessly pushing a vision that made us look years ahead at\ntrends and their implications. For a\nnational political figure, he was willing to tread on the most delicate of ground.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He was a Democrat:. There are few Democrats like him\nanymore: A centrist who worked across the aisle, but a deep thinker who never\nshied away from controversy. As a sitting governor, he rhetorically placed\nhimself on trial for heresy in order to defend his contention that the trends\nevident in 1985 could not continue. He published hypothetical speeches given\ndecades in the future reflecting on key decisions that could have been\nseasonably made in time, had society only acted sooner to avert needless\nsuffering. He warned of the devastating effects of the rapid population growth\nthat\u2019s stressing the planet. He called for tough decisions when most leaders\nrefused to listen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Much of his concern stemmed from the ethics of\ninter-generational equity. Today, when we hear the disparaging observations\nfrom younger millennials and Gen Z\u2019s, we think \u201cif only\u201d we\u2019d listened to Dick\nLamm and his concerns over the transformation of the U.S. from the world\u2019s\nbiggest creditor nation to the world\u2019s biggest debtor; how we have squandered\nall the advantages we were given as a people in an effort to be all things to\nall nations. As he exits the scene, many of the problems he flagged decades ago\nhave become more entrenched and even more intractable; yet we were warned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We live today in an era dominated by juvenile\nthinking: \u201cno limits\u201d as we borrow and spend without regard to tomorrow. Dick\nLamm represented a conservation of resources and an awareness of practical\nlimits, and history will treat those who had the audacity to refuse to conform\nto the herd mentality of today\u2019s politics will look back fondly on this true\nvisionary and leader.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
There have been a few notable figures in my life that\u2019ve left a big impression. Richard Lamm, former governor of Colorado is one such person. One does not realize how important a person was until they are gone. Lamm spent decades working with the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), as a member of the<\/p>\n