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Gene Royer

Gene Royer is a staunch conservative. He is also a Policy Governance ® consultant and writer. He is the author of School Board Leadership 2000 - The Things Staff Didn't Tell You At Orientation and his international practice is based in Houston

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    WONDERFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD
    by Gene Royer


    March 1, 2003

    There is an enterprising black man named Leroy Washington who owns a successful company named *Handy Man*. He hires members of his family to work for him, as well as two young Mexican brothers named Juan and Julio Hernandez.

    Leroy does a lot of business in my subdivision, and he was recently hired to install an expensive front door that my neighbor Thad Foster had imported from Mexico. The door arrived in separate boxes for on-site assembly, but Leroy had been assured by the shipper that there was a complete set of instructions included in the brown envelope that came with it.

    On this particular job, Leroy's nephew Keyshawn showed up on time with all his tools and eagerly tore open the instruction envelope to begin work. Five minutes later he was on the truck radio to Leroy saying he needed help.

    Leroy arrived and took a look at the instructions, slowly running one thick finger down the page as he mouthed each separate syllable with exactness--nodding his head knowingly as he did.

    "Uh-huh. Uh-huh," he said, as he went over the instructions again--this time aloud.

    "Introduza los tabares al travieso tal como se muestra. Monte la cerradura de travieso en la parte superior de la puerta usando los 2 tornillos de sequridad unidirectionales restantes. Deje aproximadamente 1/8" de especio entre la cerradura de travieso y la parte superior del marco de la puerta."

    Keyshawn was very impressed. "What do it say, Uncle Leroy?"

    Leroy stuck the paper in the younger man's shirt pocket and pointed to the truck. "It says, you drive yo' black ass back to d'shop and get Julio."

    ©Copyright Gene Royer Houston TX

    © 2002 Tocqevillian Magazine