Richard Lamm
Encyclopedia
Richard Douglas "Dick" Lamm (born September 12, 1935) is an American
politician, Certified Public Accountant
, college professor, and lawyer
. He served three terms as 38th Governor
of Colorado
as a Democrat
(1975–1987) and ran for the Reform Party
's nomination for President of the United States
in 1996.
He is currently the Co-Director of the Institute for Public Policy Studies at the University of Denver
. He graduated from high school in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
, and attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison
, where he majored in accounting. Lamm spent his college summers working as a lumberjack
in Oregon
, a stock-boy in New York
, and helping out on an ore boat. Lamm graduated from college in 1957, then served one year of active duty as a first lieutenant in the United States Army
at Fort Carson in Colorado
and Fort Eustis in Virginia
until switching to reserve duty in 1958.
From 1958-1960 Lamm lived in Salt Lake City, San Francisco
, and Berkeley
, holding jobs as an accountant
, tax clerk and a law clerk.
Lamm attended law school at the University of California
, graduated in 1961, then moved to Denver in 1962, where he worked as an accountant and then set up a law practice. Lamm took to the Colorado
lifestyle, becoming an avid skier, mountain climber, hiker, and member of the Colorado Mountain Club
. He joined the faculty of the University of Denver
in 1969 and has been associated with the University ever since.
Since 1963 he has been married to "Dottie" Lamm, a former airline flight attendant and newspaper columnist. In 1998 she won the Democratic nomination for the US Senate from Colorado, but lost in the general election to incumbent Republican Ben Nighthorse Campbell
.
Lamm was selected as one of Time Magazine's "200 Young Leaders of America" in 1974, and won the Christian Science Monitor "Peace 2020" essay in 1985. In 1992, he was honored by the Denver Post and Historic Denver, Inc. as one of the "Colorado 100" - people who made significant contributions to Colorado and made lasting impressions on the state's history. He was Chairman of the Pew Health Professions Commission and a public member of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education
.
from an affluent district near the University of Denver
. In 1967, he drafted and succeeded in passing the nation's first liberalized abortion
law. He was an early leader of the environmental movement
, and was President of the First National Conference on Population and the Environment.
In 1972, as a member of the Colorado General Assembly
, Lamm led the movement against Denver's hosting of the 1976 Winter Olympics
. Denver had already been awarded the games, but the movement succeeded in cutting off public funding for the games, forcing the city to cancel its hosting. Innsbruck, Austria replaced Denver as the host. Lamm's successful effort made him known statewide.
in 1974 on a platform to limit growth, and was elected. Reacting to the high cost of campaigning, he had walked the state in his campaign.
One of his acts as governor was designating musician John Denver
as the Poet Laureate of Colorado.
As candidate and then governor, Lamm promised for environmental reasons to "drive a silver stake" through plans to build Interstate 470, a proposed circumferential highway around the southwest part of the Denver Metropolitan Area. However, continued development in the area led to increased congestion on surface streets, and the highway was later built, largely with state funds, as Colorado State Highway 470
.
In 1984, his outspoken statements in support of physician-assisted suicide generated some controversy, specifically over his use of the phrase "we have a duty to die." Lamm later explained that he "was essentially raising a general statement about the human condition, not beating up on the elderly," and that the exact phrasing in the speech was "We've got a duty to die and get out of the way with all of our machines and artificial hearts and everything else like that and let the other society, our kids, build a reasonable life." His dire predictions for the future of social security and health care ("duty to die") earned him the nickname "Governor Gloom".
Lamm was elected Colorado governor three times. When he left office in 1987 after three terms and twelve years in the office, he was the longest-serving governor in state history (his successor, Roy Romer, matched this record).
, also a Democrat, but Lamm declined. In 1992 he ran for the U.S. Senate but suffered his first political defeat. Ben Nighthorse Campbell
beat him in the Democratic primary and went on to win the seat. (Nighthorse Campbell later switched to the Republican Party
.)
In 1996 Lamm, while noting that he was still a registered Democrat, criticized both his own Democratic Party
and the Republican Party, saying "I think both political parties are controlled by special interest money, and I've had enough of it." and "The Democrats are too close to the trial lawyers and the National Education Association. The Republicans are too close to the radical right."
On July 9, 1996, he formally announced his intention to run for the nomination of the Reform Party
for the U.S. Presidency. Less than 48 hours after Lamm announced his candidacy, Ross Perot
, who built the Reform Party from his United We Stand America
organization, said he would run as the Reform Party nominee if drafted. In early August, Lamm picked former California Republican congressman Ed Zschau
, a high-tech millionaire and proven fund-raiser, to be his running mate on the presidential ticket. Ultimately, however, Perot won 65.2 percent of the 49,266 votes cast by party members nationwide, Lamm winning just 34.8 percent.
on a populist
, third-party ticket, declaring himself a "progressive conservative." The main character bore a number of similarities to Lamm himself, in his stated political positions, his background as a Democratic governor, as well as presaging Lamm's own unsuccessful run for the Reform Party nomination in 1996. However, the main character in 1988 was also portrayed as a pawn of an international conspiracy to capture the White House.
A voluminous writer, Lamm's other works include Population and the Law (1972), Some Reflections on the Balkanization of America (1978), Megatraumas: America at the Year 2000 (1980), Energy Activities in the West (1980), The Angry West: A Vulnerable Land and Its Future (1982), Campaign for Quality: An Education Agenda for the 80's (1983), Pioneers and Politicians: Ten Colorado Governors in Profile (1984), Copernican Politics (1984), The American West: A poem (1985), Immigration Time Bomb: The Fragmenting of America (1985), The Lamm Administration: A Retrospective (1986), California Conspiracy (1988), Hard Choices (1989), Crisis: The Uncompetitive Society (1989), The fall and Rise of the American Economy (1989), Indicators of Decline: An article from The Futurist (1993), The Supply Factor in Health Care Cost Containment (1993), The Ethics of Excess: An article from The Hastings Center Report (1994), Health Care Workforce Reform.: An article from State Legislatures (1994), The West at Risk (1994), Futurizing America's Institutions.: An article from The Futurist (1996), The price of Modern Medicine (1997), Mountains of Colorado (1999), Government does, indeed, ration health care: An article from State Legislatures (1999), Redrawing the Ethics Map.: An article from The Hastings Center Report (1999), Vision for a Compassionate and Affordable Health System (2001), Brave New World of Health Care (2003), The Brave New World of Health Care (2004), The Challenge of an Aging Society: The Future of U.S. Health Care (2005), Two Wands, One Nation: An Essay on Race and Community in America (2006) and Condition Critical: A New Moral Vision of Health Care (2007).
, immigration reduction
, and health care
issues.
In 2004 Lamm unsuccessfully ran for a seat on the Board of Directors of the Sierra Club
. He urged that the Sierra Club advocate immigration controls as a way to limit environmental degradation due to population growth. During a 2011 interview, Lamm clarified that he believes "legal immigration has been good for America. The success of Silicon Valley shows we need entrepreneurial immigrants with skills to bring to our country!”
Lamm serves as the Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Federation for American Immigration Reform
(FAIR), and on the Board of Directors of the Diversity Alliance for a Sustainable America (DASA). He is the Co-Director of the Institute for Public Policy Studies at the University of Denver. He authored a book, The Brave New World of Health Care, a criticism of current United States health care policies and proposals for reforming them. (Fulcrum Publishing, ISBN 1-55591-510-8) Lamm also served on the board of directors of American Water Development Inc, along with, among others, Maurice Strong
, Samuel Belzberg
, Alexander Crutchfield
and William Ruckelshaus
.
In 2005, a 2004 speech by Lamm titled "I Have a Plan to Destroy America," became famous after being frequently forwarded as an email; in it he criticizes multiculturalism
.
In 2006, he wrote Two Wands, One Nation, a controversial essay in which he advocates that black and Hispanic Americans embrace "Japanese or Jewish values". The essay was strongly criticised by some blacks and Hispanics.
Dick Lamm currently sits on the board of directors for the Energy Literacy Advocates.
"The U.S. economy will be debt-ridden, with structural unemployment nearing 20 percent. The U.S. will have the lowest percentage of capital investment and lowest growth in productivity and savings of any major industrialized country. The middle class will be wiped out by these inter-related economic predicaments. … The U.S. has the most expensive and inefficient health-care system in the world." – Megatraumas: America at the Year 2000
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
politician, Certified Public Accountant
Certified Public Accountant
Certified Public Accountant is the statutory title of qualified accountants in the United States who have passed the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination and have met additional state education and experience requirements for certification as a CPA...
, college professor, and lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
. He served three terms as 38th Governor
Governor of Colorado
The Governor of Colorado is the head of the executive branch of Colorado's government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Colorado General Assembly, to convene the...
of Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
as a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
(1975–1987) and ran for the Reform Party
Reform Party of the United States of America
The Reform Party of the United States of America is a political party in the United States, founded in 1995 by Ross Perot...
's nomination for President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
in 1996.
He is currently the Co-Director of the Institute for Public Policy Studies at the University of Denver
University of Denver
The University of Denver is currently ranked 82nd among all public and private "National Universities" by U.S. News & World Report in the 2012 rankings....
Early life and education
Richard Douglas Lamm was born in Madison, WisconsinMadison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
. He graduated from high school in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
, and attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
, where he majored in accounting. Lamm spent his college summers working as a lumberjack
Lumberjack
A lumberjack is a worker in the logging industry who performs the initial harvesting and transport of trees for ultimate processing into forest products. The term usually refers to a bygone era when hand tools were used in harvesting trees principally from virgin forest...
in Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, a stock-boy in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, and helping out on an ore boat. Lamm graduated from college in 1957, then served one year of active duty as a first lieutenant in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
at Fort Carson in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
and Fort Eustis in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
until switching to reserve duty in 1958.
From 1958-1960 Lamm lived in Salt Lake City, San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, and Berkeley
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
, holding jobs as an accountant
Accountant
An accountant is a practitioner of accountancy or accounting , which is the measurement, disclosure or provision of assurance about financial information that helps managers, investors, tax authorities and others make decisions about allocating resources.The Big Four auditors are the largest...
, tax clerk and a law clerk.
Lamm attended law school at the University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
, graduated in 1961, then moved to Denver in 1962, where he worked as an accountant and then set up a law practice. Lamm took to the Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
lifestyle, becoming an avid skier, mountain climber, hiker, and member of the Colorado Mountain Club
Colorado Mountain Club
The Colorado Mountain Club , formed in 1912, is a nonprofit, 501 outdoor education organization based in Golden, Colorado that gathers and disseminates information regarding Colorado's mountains in the areas of art, science, literature and recreation...
. He joined the faculty of the University of Denver
University of Denver
The University of Denver is currently ranked 82nd among all public and private "National Universities" by U.S. News & World Report in the 2012 rankings....
in 1969 and has been associated with the University ever since.
Since 1963 he has been married to "Dottie" Lamm, a former airline flight attendant and newspaper columnist. In 1998 she won the Democratic nomination for the US Senate from Colorado, but lost in the general election to incumbent Republican Ben Nighthorse Campbell
Ben Nighthorse Campbell
Benjamin Nighthorse Campbell is an American politician. He was a U.S. Senator from Colorado from 1993 until 2005 and was during his tenure the only American Indian serving in the U.S. Congress. Campbell was a three term U.S. Representative from 1987 to 1993, when he was sworn into office as a...
.
Lamm was selected as one of Time Magazine's "200 Young Leaders of America" in 1974, and won the Christian Science Monitor "Peace 2020" essay in 1985. In 1992, he was honored by the Denver Post and Historic Denver, Inc. as one of the "Colorado 100" - people who made significant contributions to Colorado and made lasting impressions on the state's history. He was Chairman of the Pew Health Professions Commission and a public member of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education
Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education
The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education is the body responsible for the accreditation for graduate medical training programs for medical doctors in the United States. It is a non-profit private council that evaluates and accredits medical residency and internship programs...
.
Colorado House of Representatives
In 1964 he was elected to the Colorado House of Representatives as a DemocratDemocratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
from an affluent district near the University of Denver
University of Denver
The University of Denver is currently ranked 82nd among all public and private "National Universities" by U.S. News & World Report in the 2012 rankings....
. In 1967, he drafted and succeeded in passing the nation's first liberalized abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
law. He was an early leader of the environmental movement
Environmental movement
The environmental movement, a term that includes the conservation and green politics, is a diverse scientific, social, and political movement for addressing environmental issues....
, and was President of the First National Conference on Population and the Environment.
In 1972, as a member of the Colorado General Assembly
Colorado General Assembly
The Colorado General Assembly is the state legislature of the State of Colorado.-Constitutional definition:The Colorado Constitution establishes a system of government based on the separation of powers doctrine with power divided among three "departments": executive, legislative and judicial...
, Lamm led the movement against Denver's hosting of the 1976 Winter Olympics
1976 Winter Olympics
The 1976 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated February 4–15, 1976 in Innsbruck, Austria...
. Denver had already been awarded the games, but the movement succeeded in cutting off public funding for the games, forcing the city to cancel its hosting. Innsbruck, Austria replaced Denver as the host. Lamm's successful effort made him known statewide.
Colorado governor
Lamm ran for Governor of ColoradoGovernor of Colorado
The Governor of Colorado is the head of the executive branch of Colorado's government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Colorado General Assembly, to convene the...
in 1974 on a platform to limit growth, and was elected. Reacting to the high cost of campaigning, he had walked the state in his campaign.
One of his acts as governor was designating musician John Denver
John Denver
Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr. , known professionally as John Denver, was an American singer/songwriter, activist, and humanitarian. After growing up in numerous locations with his military family, Denver began his music career in folk music groups in the late 1960s. His greatest commercial success...
as the Poet Laureate of Colorado.
As candidate and then governor, Lamm promised for environmental reasons to "drive a silver stake" through plans to build Interstate 470, a proposed circumferential highway around the southwest part of the Denver Metropolitan Area. However, continued development in the area led to increased congestion on surface streets, and the highway was later built, largely with state funds, as Colorado State Highway 470
Colorado State Highway 470
State Highway 470 is the southwestern portion of the Denver Metro area's beltway. Originally planned as Interstate 470 in the 1960s, the beltway project was attacked on environmental impact grounds and the interstate beltway was never built...
.
In 1984, his outspoken statements in support of physician-assisted suicide generated some controversy, specifically over his use of the phrase "we have a duty to die." Lamm later explained that he "was essentially raising a general statement about the human condition, not beating up on the elderly," and that the exact phrasing in the speech was "We've got a duty to die and get out of the way with all of our machines and artificial hearts and everything else like that and let the other society, our kids, build a reasonable life." His dire predictions for the future of social security and health care ("duty to die") earned him the nickname "Governor Gloom".
Lamm was elected Colorado governor three times. When he left office in 1987 after three terms and twelve years in the office, he was the longest-serving governor in state history (his successor, Roy Romer, matched this record).
Later political campaigns
In 1990, state party leaders tried to get Lamm to run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Tim WirthTim Wirth
Timothy Endicott Wirth is a former United States Senator from Colorado. Wirth, a Democrat, was a member of the House from 1975 to 1987 and was elected to the Senate in 1986, serving one term there before stepping down. He was Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs during the Clinton...
, also a Democrat, but Lamm declined. In 1992 he ran for the U.S. Senate but suffered his first political defeat. Ben Nighthorse Campbell
Ben Nighthorse Campbell
Benjamin Nighthorse Campbell is an American politician. He was a U.S. Senator from Colorado from 1993 until 2005 and was during his tenure the only American Indian serving in the U.S. Congress. Campbell was a three term U.S. Representative from 1987 to 1993, when he was sworn into office as a...
beat him in the Democratic primary and went on to win the seat. (Nighthorse Campbell later switched to the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
.)
In 1996 Lamm, while noting that he was still a registered Democrat, criticized both his own Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
and the Republican Party, saying "I think both political parties are controlled by special interest money, and I've had enough of it." and "The Democrats are too close to the trial lawyers and the National Education Association. The Republicans are too close to the radical right."
On July 9, 1996, he formally announced his intention to run for the nomination of the Reform Party
Reform Party of the United States of America
The Reform Party of the United States of America is a political party in the United States, founded in 1995 by Ross Perot...
for the U.S. Presidency. Less than 48 hours after Lamm announced his candidacy, Ross Perot
Ross Perot
Henry Ross Perot is a U.S. businessman best known for running for President of the United States in 1992 and 1996. Perot founded Electronic Data Systems in 1962, sold the company to General Motors in 1984, and founded Perot Systems in 1988...
, who built the Reform Party from his United We Stand America
United We Stand America
United We Stand America was the name selected by Texas businessman H. Ross Perot for his citizen action organization after his 1992 independent political campaign for President of the United States. Perot's 19% showing in the 1992 election was sufficient to entitle him to federal matching funds...
organization, said he would run as the Reform Party nominee if drafted. In early August, Lamm picked former California Republican congressman Ed Zschau
Ed Zschau
Edwin Van Wyck Zschau represented California's 12th District in the United States House of Representatives from 1983-1987. In 1986 he ran as the Republican candidate for a seat in the United States Senate...
, a high-tech millionaire and proven fund-raiser, to be his running mate on the presidential ticket. Ultimately, however, Perot won 65.2 percent of the 49,266 votes cast by party members nationwide, Lamm winning just 34.8 percent.
Writer and novelist
In 1985, while still in the governor's office, he tried his hand as a novelist. The resulting novel, 1988, was a story about a former Democratic governor of Texas running for U.S. PresidentPresident of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
on a populist
Populism
Populism can be defined as an ideology, political philosophy, or type of discourse. Generally, a common theme compares "the people" against "the elite", and urges social and political system changes. It can also be defined as a rhetorical style employed by members of various political or social...
, third-party ticket, declaring himself a "progressive conservative." The main character bore a number of similarities to Lamm himself, in his stated political positions, his background as a Democratic governor, as well as presaging Lamm's own unsuccessful run for the Reform Party nomination in 1996. However, the main character in 1988 was also portrayed as a pawn of an international conspiracy to capture the White House.
A voluminous writer, Lamm's other works include Population and the Law (1972), Some Reflections on the Balkanization of America (1978), Megatraumas: America at the Year 2000 (1980), Energy Activities in the West (1980), The Angry West: A Vulnerable Land and Its Future (1982), Campaign for Quality: An Education Agenda for the 80's (1983), Pioneers and Politicians: Ten Colorado Governors in Profile (1984), Copernican Politics (1984), The American West: A poem (1985), Immigration Time Bomb: The Fragmenting of America (1985), The Lamm Administration: A Retrospective (1986), California Conspiracy (1988), Hard Choices (1989), Crisis: The Uncompetitive Society (1989), The fall and Rise of the American Economy (1989), Indicators of Decline: An article from The Futurist (1993), The Supply Factor in Health Care Cost Containment (1993), The Ethics of Excess: An article from The Hastings Center Report (1994), Health Care Workforce Reform.: An article from State Legislatures (1994), The West at Risk (1994), Futurizing America's Institutions.: An article from The Futurist (1996), The price of Modern Medicine (1997), Mountains of Colorado (1999), Government does, indeed, ration health care: An article from State Legislatures (1999), Redrawing the Ethics Map.: An article from The Hastings Center Report (1999), Vision for a Compassionate and Affordable Health System (2001), Brave New World of Health Care (2003), The Brave New World of Health Care (2004), The Challenge of an Aging Society: The Future of U.S. Health Care (2005), Two Wands, One Nation: An Essay on Race and Community in America (2006) and Condition Critical: A New Moral Vision of Health Care (2007).
Activities since leaving political office
After leaving office, Lamm has continued to speak publicly on environmentalEnvironmentalism
Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...
, immigration reduction
Immigration reduction
Immigration reduction refers to a movement in the United States that advocates a reduction in the amount of immigration allowed into the country. Steps advocated for reducing the numbers of immigrants include advocating stronger action to prevent illegal entry and illegal immigration, and...
, and health care
Health care
Health care is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in humans. Health care is delivered by practitioners in medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, and other care providers...
issues.
In 2004 Lamm unsuccessfully ran for a seat on the Board of Directors of the Sierra Club
Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is the oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States. It was founded on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, by the conservationist and preservationist John Muir, who became its first president...
. He urged that the Sierra Club advocate immigration controls as a way to limit environmental degradation due to population growth. During a 2011 interview, Lamm clarified that he believes "legal immigration has been good for America. The success of Silicon Valley shows we need entrepreneurial immigrants with skills to bring to our country!”
Lamm serves as the Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Federation for American Immigration Reform
Federation for American Immigration Reform
The Federation for American Immigration Reform is a non-profit tax exempt educational organization in the United States that advocates changes in U.S. immigration policy that would result in significant reductions in immigration, both legal and illegal...
(FAIR), and on the Board of Directors of the Diversity Alliance for a Sustainable America (DASA). He is the Co-Director of the Institute for Public Policy Studies at the University of Denver. He authored a book, The Brave New World of Health Care, a criticism of current United States health care policies and proposals for reforming them. (Fulcrum Publishing, ISBN 1-55591-510-8) Lamm also served on the board of directors of American Water Development Inc, along with, among others, Maurice Strong
Maurice Strong
Maurice F. Strong, PC, CC, OM, FRSC is a Canadian entrepreneur and a former under-secretary general of the United Nations. Strong's first name is pronounced "Mor'ris" with the accent on the first syllable....
, Samuel Belzberg
Samuel Belzberg
Samuel Belzberg, OC, OBC is a Canadian business man and philanthropist.Born in Calgary, Alberta, Belzberg was educated at the University of Alberta....
, Alexander Crutchfield
Alexander Crutchfield
-Background:He was born in Tucson Arizona, a fifth generation Arizonan. He earned a BA in African History, Economics and Accounting from Claremont McKenna College as a Distinguished Scholar and recipient of the CMC Student Citizen Award...
and William Ruckelshaus
William Ruckelshaus
William Doyle Ruckelshaus is an American attorney and, several times, U.S. government official. He served as the first head of the Environmental Protection Agency in 1970, was subsequently acting Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and then Deputy Attorney General of the United States...
.
In 2005, a 2004 speech by Lamm titled "I Have a Plan to Destroy America," became famous after being frequently forwarded as an email; in it he criticizes multiculturalism
Multiculturalism
Multiculturalism is the appreciation, acceptance or promotion of multiple cultures, applied to the demographic make-up of a specific place, usually at the organizational level, e.g...
.
In 2006, he wrote Two Wands, One Nation, a controversial essay in which he advocates that black and Hispanic Americans embrace "Japanese or Jewish values". The essay was strongly criticised by some blacks and Hispanics.
Dick Lamm currently sits on the board of directors for the Energy Literacy Advocates.
Quotes
"My sixth point for America’s downfall would be to include dual citizenship and promote divided loyalties. I would celebrate diversity over unity. I would stress differences rather than similarities. Diverse people worldwide are mostly engaged in hating each other—that is when they are not killing each other." – How to Destroy America"The U.S. economy will be debt-ridden, with structural unemployment nearing 20 percent. The U.S. will have the lowest percentage of capital investment and lowest growth in productivity and savings of any major industrialized country. The middle class will be wiped out by these inter-related economic predicaments. … The U.S. has the most expensive and inefficient health-care system in the world." – Megatraumas: America at the Year 2000
External links
- DU Portfolio Community, Dick Lamm
- Richard Lamm on Multiculturalism, Snopes article
- Lamm's words draw fire Rocky Mountain News article
- Ubben Lecture at DePauw University