Rigonomics:

This is my last column for 2009. Looking back at all the topics this column has touched on this last year reminds us that we’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto. We started off this year with housing bubbles, helicopter budgets and bailouts.

Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th president of the United States, and we have spent the last 12 months slogging though the worst recession since the depression.

No matter what subject matter this column touches, it always seems to get a discussion going. It is always interesting reading the Sunday web threads printed on the front page referring to my column.

Nothing starts your Sunday off better than sipping a nice hot mug of coffee and reading an anonymous source stating what an idiot you are based on yesterday’s column. It is true, I have a pretty thick skin, but I wouldn’t mind if the editors put in a nice reader’s comment every once in a while.

I am always amazed by how many people read our little paper. It is always flattering to know that people read your column and get something out of it.

I’m sure that some of those Jesuit priests I had in high school would be a bit surprised that Jimmy, who barely got though high school English, writes a weekly column. It is amazing what you can do with a little real world experience, a word processor and eight hours on Friday.

Many people come up to me and say “I read your column every Saturday” and they add something to the effect: “It’s nice to read something more conservative in the paper.”

I always thank them for reading it and think to myself that maybe it is worth the time and effort it takes every week to produce.

There are others that say “I always read your column, but I hardly ever agree with you.” To which I always say thank you for reading it, and I add: “It is OK to disagree as long we are not disagreeable.”

My college roommate Richard is one of the best friends I have. We do not see each other much, as he lives in Virginia and works in Washington D.C. After college, Richard went off to study journalism at Columbia University in New York. Before classes started, he got a job as a researcher for “60 Minutes.” Over the years, he moved up to associate producer, then producer. He was one of Mike Wallace’s producers in the ’80s and won several Emmy awards.

Richard now produces for Leslie Stahl. He is raising beautiful daughters, one of whom is now attending USC, where her father and I first met 33 years ago.

Now I hate to admit it, but Richard is one of the most liberal people I know. I am sure he does not tell his colleagues at CBS that one of his closet friends is a conservative Republican from Orange County, Calif.

What I have learned from that relationship is that whether we are conservative, liberal or somewhere in between, most of us all want the same things in our lives. We want our families to be safe, our children to have a good education and do well in life. We want to have friends who really care about us, and we want to be appreciated for what we do.

We want the United States to be respected and we want it to be a force for good around the world.

We may disagree on how to go about those dreams and goals, but the bottom line for most of us is that we have the same wishes in life.

It is true that my goal when I sit down to write this weekly column is to make a point and try to persuade you to agree with me on whatever the issue is. But I also know that my opinion may not be yours.

I would hope this year that we as a community can keep it civil.

Let’s not make every issue personal. Let’s remember that, for the most part, we all want the same things for our community. We just have different opinions on how we should go about achieving those wishes.

During this time when many of us celebrate the birth of Jesus, please remember the golden rule: “treat other people the way you want to be treated.” God bless, and Happy New Year.

JIM RIGHEIMER is chairman of the Costa Mesa Planning Commission, a local business owner and a father of four. He can be reached at [email protected].