Final Countdown: Let’s Get Crazy


©2013 by LeeZard

I can’t believe it; I am hitting the road in less than a week. I can’t give the exact date yet because I am waiting to hear if I can get an interview with the mayor of Everett (WA).
I carefully selected Everett as my first “official” stop for interviews because of its history. In fact, I’ve already written the first few paragraphs of Chapter I for the book that will result from this trip:
The City of Everett (pop. 103,000) sits in Seattle’s shadow 25 miles to the north. This old mill town is a fitting place to start my journey.
Early in its history Everett rode the economic ups and downs of the railroad, mining and timber industries.
In 1916 the city endured one of the early labor movement’s most violent confrontations, The Everett Massacre, between members of the Industrial Workers of the World (The Wobblies) and local authorities aligned with the business community. It came during a shingles workers strike and an economic depression. Twenty people died with more than 40 wounded in the gunfire.
 Today Everett is home for one of Boeing’s major airplane construction plants and serves as a U.S. Navy Home Port, both great for the local economy. As a result, the city is ahead of the nation’s economic recovery. Its county, Snohomish, has the second lowest unemployment rate in the state at 4.9%. That doesn’t mean the Great Recession went down easily here. 

 So, why are we getting crazy in the final countdown? I’ve never been shy about doing or asking things that others may not. This bravado served me well for more than 20 years as a reporter. As such, I’ve made some interview requests that you might call out of the ordinary, highly improbable and, well, just plain crazy.
As my regular readers – both of you – know, I am driving across America to ask people how their lives changed in The Great Recession, cutting across all socioeconomic lines. With that in mind I figured, “Why not start at the top?”
“White House Press Office,” the earnest young woman’s voice greeted my phone call.

I explained my background as a former broadcast journalist, network news editor and correspondent before making my request.
“I’m writing a book about how the recession changed America,” I explained, “and I am writing it by telling the personal stories of people across the country, from the highest levels to the guy getting a pre-payday loan in Duluth. I’d like to request 15-minutes of President Obama’s time to include his story in my book.”
“All interview requests must be submitted by email,” the gatekeeper replied brusquely, and gave me the address. I immediately submitted my request, along with the preface to my book and a resume. Why the heck not, ya ever know. Crazy? Sure, but if I get lucky I am crazy like a fox.

I’ve also requested an interview with Alan Mulally, former head of Boeing’s commercial aircraft division who now runs The Ford Motor Company. Not only did Mulally turn that company around, he saved Ford during the recession without taking one federal dollar. I want to get his story.
Crazy? Maybe, but why the heck not, etc.

Stay tuned for more craziness. I will be blogging regularly along the way. I hope you’ll enjoy the trip as much as I will.

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