Ambassador Andrew Young

Andrew Young, the gentleman who has done it all, came to speak to a select group today during a luncheon. Andrew Young began as a minister in Marion, Alabama and was an aide to Martin Luther King, Jr during the Civil Rights movement. He was elected to three terms in the U.S. Congress from Georgia, and was appointed as ambassador to the United Nations by Jimmy Carter. He then served two very popular terms as mayor of Atlanta, and was co-chairman of the committee that helped bring the Olympic games to Atlanta in 1996. Now he is chairman of GoodWorks International, and advises governments and corporations on economic and commerce development.

Now you understand why I said he has done it all. During one of his introductions a gentleman said that it wasn't that Andrew Young accomplished so many things, it was just that he has no idea what he wants to do in life. I thought that was funny.

The speech Ambassador Young gave was really awesome. He was very personal and insightful.

Among my favorite parts of his speech:

He told teachers that although kids who run around all the time and don't focus on one thing are hard to teach in the class, these students should be encouraged instead of shot up with anti-ADD drugs. He said, roughly, "they call it ADD and hyperactivity, but those same qualities are what made me what I am. When I was mayor, they didn't call it ADD, they called it multi-tasking, and that same energy I had running around the class is what allowed me to put many hours into being successful as a mayor." I felt a chill because those two qualities are very common in me...the whole undiagnosed-ADD thing, and just a random cache of energy.

His speech wasn't political, but he did make one political observation. He was reflecting on GM's recent decision to close their auto plant in the suburb of Atlanta, and the news from Ford earlier this week that they will also be closing several plants around. He said that the current troubles of the auto industry could have been avoided if Jimmy Carter had been re-elected. Ambassador Young reasoned that Carter saw the trouble with our reliance on foreign oil and instituted several standards on pollution that would have created an industrial shift towards renewable energy sources. Reagan's victory, and his subsequent repeals of these environmentally-friendly requirements let American industries grow without worrying about pollution. And more recently, with GM and Ford banking their profits on large gas guzzlers, well...the public's just not buying them anymore.