Meet the Other 100

The people who matter most—to Joel Stein

By Joel Stein Monday, May 08, 2006

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    One of the four people with the distinction of making the TIME 100 and the Joel 100™ was George W. Bush. The President made the Joel 100™ because he lowered my taxes, just like Scott Jeffers, my accountant, who also made the list. The problem was, being a Jew who works in the media and lives in Los Angeles, I didn't know any Republicans to write the Bush entry. Luckily, I remembered that my friend Mike Gorker from high school is now a G.O.P. member. Gorker did the Bush entry in three sentences. If the TIME art department had its way, he would be the magazine's main political writer.

    I want you to know that this was not an easy process or an exact science. Undoubtedly, blogs will be alight discussing whether certain people really deserved to make the Joel 100™, or if there was some logrolling going on. I deny such accusations. People spent a lot of time on the Joel 100™, and as with all such lists, our intentions were purely academic. This is a brave first stab at history. And if history means Dora at Yuca's Taco stand throws an extra taco in the bag, perhaps the cochinita pibil ones that history finds especially delicious, then history will be very grateful.

    > For the Joel 100™, go to time.com/joel100 on May 4

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