Introduction

I write under the pen name Lou Hough, a perversion of my real name.  For over a year I have published a political blog in which I present a view from Main Street concerning our economy and our government.  It is located at louhough.blogspot.com.  The title of the blog is Trickle Down Politics.  I am, as you may have noticed, a liberal Democrat. 

I was born in West Frankfort, Illinois, a small coal mining city in the southern part of the state.  There are two younger Houghs, brothers.  My family pronounces our name like How, supposedly because we are of Irish heritage (per one Irishman).  One brother is a financial planner and the other a Southern Baptist minister who works in home missions.  None of us live in our home state at this time.

I've always been interested in writing.  Back in the beginnings, I placed in a couple or essay contests and won a tuition scholarship to study Journalism at Southern Illinois University.  I attended the Carbondale, Illinois, campus, the only one at that time.  I received a Bachelor of Science in Communications, with my only area of expertise Journalism.

Despite being an editor on our high school newspaper, I was shocked to find how grueling a college beat could be.  Everyone enrolled in the program wrote for the newspaper and we all were required to produce a minimum number of words per week.  We didn't always get our products published, but when we did it felt quite good.  Our pieces good enough to earn our byline were especially prized.

I was always slated to go to school.  My mother acted as though higher education was the Holy Grail of success.  I was under no pressure to qualify for Harvard or Yale.  The local institution was good enough for us and, besides, I could go home on weekends.

Grades were never very important to me.  After dinner I would be sent to my room to study whether I had homework or not.  Most of the time I read novels on the sly during this banishment.  I had only mediocre skills in math and none at all in science.  My knack for English and history were better. 

I have three children -- one girl and two boys.  There are five surviving grandchildren and three great grands.  After my third child was born, I returned to school and earned a Master of Arts in Educational Research and Psychology as well as achieving All But Dissertation in School Psychology. 

My soul still feels my major calling is to write.  I hope, no pray, any who read my words will find themselves entertained, changed or inspired to live their own dreams.  For further information, see my religious blog, lousdevotes.blogspot.com.