I spent a few days visiting my friend Beth in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  GR is located in the western, more conservative part of the state.  It is a stronghold of the Michigan Republican party, and of Amway (a rich “multilevel marketing” company that preys on middle class Americans via its barely legal Ponzi schemes)1.

While there, I had a chance to appreciate the devastation wrought by a developer in her neighborhood, and to fulfill a lifelong dream by visiting the Gerald R. Ford Museum.  Ford, the 38th president of the USA, was the only president from the state of Michigan2; his term was a turbulent one, encompassing the resignation of Nixon and his decision to pardon him.  And it was during the 70s, easily the nadir of American fashion and taste, thus the photos and costumes are particularly interesting.

(Left: Gerald R. Ford’s Oval Office)

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1. 1.The CEO of Amway, Dick DeVos, was running for governor at the time.  He had a “secret plan” for Michigan’s economic recovery (shades of Nixon) which, based on his previous wealth creation schemes, probaly consisted of Michiganders selling motivational tapes to one another.  Or maybe soap (Amway’s putative product).  He was soundly defeated (56 to 42%) in the fall general election, proving P. T. Barnum right.
   

2. 2.Ford  was also the first person appointed to the Vice-Presidency under the terms of the 25th Amendment, and upon succession to the presidency became the first (and to date, only) president in U.S. history to fill that office without having been elected either President or Vice-President. He is also the longest-lived United States president ever, having surpassed Ronald Reagan’s record on November 12, 2006.
   

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