John Berthoud

This afternoon I received some very sad personal news regarding the sudden death - via heart attack while working at his home today - of Dr. John Berthoud, president of the National Taxpayers Union (www.ntu.org) in Washington DC. I worked with John on public policy projects for nearly one decade and in all that time I found him to be not only intelligent but also personable, funny, and a true adventurer.

At only age 44 with degrees from Georgetown University, Columbia University, and Yale University John achieved a lot in his short life and will be missed. As I thought about him this afternoon I remembered one of our extensive conversations months ago about his travels through the former lands of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. John was not only a stellar advocate for taxpayers but he was also the eternal student who enjoyed seeing the world first hand so he would understand it on a personal level.

Unfortunately when the name "Washington DC" is mentioned most people have negative thoughts about the political process but rising above all that negativism was the man I knew - John Berthoud. What bothers me the most about John's loss is my over-reliance on email to communicate. I regret I did not get on the telephone with John every week or so just to touch base - -but now he is gone.

Safe travels,

Todd