The Reading Warehouse

I am a 69-year-old African American who grew up in Georgia during the days of racial segregation. In 1974, I moved to Oregon where I had the honor of serving 10 years in the Oregon legislature. In 1992, I was elected State Treasurer of Oregon becoming the first person of color to be elected to statewide office. After serving as Treasurer for the eight years allowed by the Oregon Constitution, I ran twice unsuccessfully for Governor. I considered my political career to be over. Then the financial crisis occurred. Because of my financial background I clearly understood how incredibly irresponsible the big banks had acted. However, what was worse is that they did so much damage to so many people's lives and got away with it. That is when I realized what a plutocracy our government had become. I had to speak out in some way, so I wrote a book. It is titled, "Wake Up White People, You're Getting Screwed Too " In it I attempt to raise awareness by drawing parallels between how the white middle class is now being discriminated against, especially economically, in a similar manner to that experienced by black people in the racially segregated south. The book is about how the majority of Americans have allowed our government to be bought from under us by some of the super-rich and powerful to the detriment of the American Dream and our democracy itself. It is about the importance of voting. Did you know that only an estimated 57% of Americans voted in the recent 2016 election? That means approximately 95 plus millions of eligible voters did not vote in November. This is a guarantee for failure - failure for "our" democracy - and failure for The American Dream. I'm deeply concerned over the state of our Country and its people. This book is a Wake Up call.