Missing Sam Simon

SAM SIMON DIED the other day, and the world lost a renaissance man. And somehow, the loss was especially shocking for those of us who are either close in age to Sam, or, slightly, ever so slightly, older. He was basically a director, producer, and writer, in no particular order, and his flagship project was the Simpsons, involvement in which netted Sam millions if not billions or trillions. Most importantly of all, Sam was a great philanthropist, a lover of the oftten unlovable human species, and all others as well. It is not yet certain how much money he left for the rest of us, but its gonna turn out to have been quite a bundle, all bundled into neat packages to be distributed straight on to those who need it most. Kinda like Bill Gates or Warren Buffet, two other great American heroes whose generosity is already helping untold numbers of needy folks. People in need are not always victims of their own laziness or stupidity, contrary to standard conservative doctrine. And by the reverse token, extremely wealthy people are not always greedy ogres, who ascended the ladder by pushing others back down. So hat's off to anyone who transcends stereotypical, categorical thinking, and hat's off to Sam Simon, who is already missed.