A Note From A "Nattering Nabob" About Spiro Agnew

Before the election, I posted an entry that discussed my childhood memories of Spiro T. Agnew, the former Vice President and Maryland Governor who resigned about a year before Richard Nixon in a bribery scandal. Agnew was basically a small-time crook who for some unknown reason (no doubt involving bribes) was able to ascend to a heartbeat away from the Presidency.

Anyway - at the time I posted my Agnew story, I did not have a photograph of him with my parents... But thanks to my sister Jill, who never throws anything away, here are my parents, Jack and Linda Matthews, with Spiro T. ("call me Ted") Agnew and his wife Judy.

How cool is this? My Dad has been involved in real estate his entire career, and he's told me stories (though none specifically about Agnew) that basically, back in the day, builders would routinely include bribes in their construction budgets. You'd have a line for lumber, one for concrete, one for nails, and one for bribes for the building inspectors and politicians who made sure you received the zoning exception that you needed.

I guess this was just regular business for ol' Ted Agnew... Guess my Dad knows what Rod Blagojevich's constituents are going through, huh?