I'm very aware that my father's policies, especially on the subject of welfare, did not make him popular within the black community. One of my father's complexities was that, just as he was physically nearsighted, he could be myopic in other ways. A story that he could hold close, such as the Butlers', was something he instantly responded to and acted upon out of compassion and humanity. But the larger, more distant picture of thousands of families who would face hardships because of his policies didn't resonate in the same way. It is too bad someone didn't take him into the homes of people affected by welfare cuts; his policies might have changed.