One afternoon, as a 13-year-old paperboy, I was riding home on my bicycle, with the big metal basket over the front wheel for the newspapers, when a pick-up trust drove by.  In the back, there were four black boys about my age, who had obviously been picking walnuts as the pick-up truck was loaded with them.  They slowed down and began pelting me with the walnuts.  While the walnuts didn’t really hurt me,  I was confused.  It was my first exposure to racism.

When I got home, I asked my father about this.  He explained that 10% of all blacks are bad people, and that I shouldn’t judge the 90% by the actions of the 10%.  That made sense . . . for a few minutes anyway, but it begged the next question, which was what percent of white people are bad?  His simple reply was 10%.  Suddenly, it was obvious that he thought 10% of all types of people were bad, but we should still enjoy the other 90%.  I think there was wisdom in his comments.

Some of my readers are annoyed with me, because I don’t criticize President Obama and the Democrats, nor the Republicans.  I’m sorry for being non-partisan but think my father was more correct than even he realized.  I think 10% of the Democrats are sleaze-balls and 10% of the Republicans are neanderthals.  But, 90% of both parties are good, decent Americans.  Too bad that 10% of Americans can make life so difficult for the rest of us.