Time to look back and march forward:


At 4, I was born poor and the United States of America was in a Great Depression. We ate what we grew and cultivated. We walked to where we where going. We were healthy.


At 14: I needed money and worked after school. One job exposed me to greed. I thought it was stealing.


At 24: I did what I learned early on: how to make money.


At 34: I thought I could never have enough money so I went into business for myself.


At 44: I began to admire people who manifested more greed than I did.


At 54: I learned to live on less money and felt moved to help those who could not help themselves. After the demise of Michael Milken and Drexel Burnham, I decided to finally take the torch of supervising the care of Sister Anna from Sister Katherine and Brother Edward. I brought her to a Nursing Home in Cromwell. I learned more, by example, about love, caring and affection from Anna than from any book, school, and lecture or business environment. Only after her death did I realize how this straight-shooting women with an IQ of 72 and photographic memory for names, faces and thoughts was unconditionally loved and respected by so many people in all social strata. She was amazing. In many ways, she was a better role model than some of the rich and famous and politicians. She had nothing to give to others but herself which she did, big time. I wished I took the torch earlier.


At 64: I still respected money but greed made me uncomfortable. The financial services industry greed was spreading and growing in magnitude. I finally recognized the disparity in wages between different segments of our labor force. and the sure but continuous destruction of our Middle Class.


At 74: I appreciated good health but passionately disliked naked greed. The tight-fisted money-chasers are no longer suitable role models. Warren Buffett became the new role model.




Now I am learning how greed can be tamed by laws and real leaders from George Washington, Andrew Jackson, and Lincoln to Roosevelt … and …


My health is good. I can see more clearly what life is all about. Now may be the right time to attack greed head on.


Andrew Carnegie said that a rich man should give away his wealth during his lifetime and die without a penny to his name. He paid for many public libraries.


John D, Rockefeller complained about the difficulty of distributing his wealth during his lifetime because it was such a large sum—but he tried.


Warren Buffett has pledged to give most of his $62 billion dollar fortune to charity upon his death. He has chosen to help others after his life is over (in other words, not during his lifetime.) He should try to accomplish what Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller almost did. The timing could not be better. Buffett can “buffet” international economy. It’s all one big global mess, now! It’s beyond human scale. Perhaps metaphorically this is the deepest turmoil since the Great Depression. The money-lenders have taken over the temple—to use biblical terms. And when they vie to be top dog and try to play God, as some of these ego-maniacs might well do, the whole thing will come crashing down. He can hit and knock down those tight-fisted money chasers by setting an example among many financial institutions that he recently purchased. Tremendous opportunity! President Elect Obama needs his help.


I am ready for the book tour. To hear other speak—and share my ideas. Perhaps we can also raise monies for four non-profit institutions from the sale of this book.
THE FOURTEEN LIVES OF MATT PERRY
I ADMIRED GREED UNTIL I RECENTLY DISCOVERED THAT I DID NOT LIKE MANY OF MY PAST IDOLS
I DID NOT REALIZE THAT I CAN TEACH SELF-IMPROVEMENT EVEN TO WARREN BUFFETT
+
Women IN MY LIFE
Throughout my life I seem to have a closer affinity to women. Even at an early age, I observed that women were treated as second-class citizens. I c