Thursday, February 12, 2004
Which is it?
Après moi le Déluge or Morning in America
The first quote is attributed to Madame de Pompadour and or to King Louis XV of France. (same church, different pew)
Pompadour was one of the King's mistresses, he had many, and Louis himself is best remembered for disastrous foreign wars that lost France most of North America and India and his spending and taxing policies that bankrupted French economy. He died in 1774 setting up the Ancient Regime for the Revolution of 1789. Thus, so the story goes, we hear from the King on his death bed, Après moi le Déluge. After me the deluge.
The line "Morning in America" is a little more familiar. It is the title of a 1984 TV campaign for Ronald Reagan and of a film played at the Republican Convention that year. It's message was one of simplicity, hope, courage and a national optimism that comes with the rising sun and with President Reagan's steady hand at the helm.
Well, the French didn't have to have their deluge. They could have, with some difficulties, transformed their county and avoided the social and political bloodbath of the Revolution. They didn't, giving the King or his mistress, their remarkable powers of ominous historical prophecy.
While we tip toe around the former president's persona, Reagan record is better than the King's. He spent a lot of money, cut taxes and while the economy was better than under President Carter, that isn't saying a whole heck of a lot. Still, he made many Americans feel good about themselves. He was forgetful, had a management style that was all too much "hands-off" and he put off a lot of problems in the hopes that the "free market" would handle things.
But it was Morning in America and that was good enough.
Fast forward to today. It's 2004 and an election year. There may be some middle ground in the electorate but if so, it is numb and minuscule. We may not be as divided as we were during the Vietnam War-perhaps because there's no draft-but we're pretty darn close.
We're at war.
One side says it was right and just that we invade Iraq and topple Saddam. Another says that the war was a colossal blunder that's costing lives and billions with no end in sight. There no middle ground and both point to President Bush with praise or condemnation.
We're broke.
Some say that the economy is picking up speed and that the president's tax cuts and spending plans are the right things to do. We'll get past these bumps in the road they say and everything will be just peachy. Many others are less happy with the economy. They point to historic deficits, chronic unemployment or under-employment and see much worse things to come. Again, there is no middle ground.
The earth is warming. No it ain't!
Schools are rotten. Let's send them all to private school.
Money would help as would a few more parents who actually cared about education.
Do you see where we're going? We're becoming two nations residing in the same place. Everything is for political position and little for the common good.
What are we becoming? Who is to blame?
Perhaps all of us better take a look in the mirror.
Which is it? The sun rising on a grand morning or the end of the great experiment.
Peter J. Roberts
Editor and Publisher
February 10, 2004
Après moi le Déluge or Morning in America
The first quote is attributed to Madame de Pompadour and or to King Louis XV of France. (same church, different pew)
Pompadour was one of the King's mistresses, he had many, and Louis himself is best remembered for disastrous foreign wars that lost France most of North America and India and his spending and taxing policies that bankrupted French economy. He died in 1774 setting up the Ancient Regime for the Revolution of 1789. Thus, so the story goes, we hear from the King on his death bed, Après moi le Déluge. After me the deluge.
The line "Morning in America" is a little more familiar. It is the title of a 1984 TV campaign for Ronald Reagan and of a film played at the Republican Convention that year. It's message was one of simplicity, hope, courage and a national optimism that comes with the rising sun and with President Reagan's steady hand at the helm.
Well, the French didn't have to have their deluge. They could have, with some difficulties, transformed their county and avoided the social and political bloodbath of the Revolution. They didn't, giving the King or his mistress, their remarkable powers of ominous historical prophecy.
While we tip toe around the former president's persona, Reagan record is better than the King's. He spent a lot of money, cut taxes and while the economy was better than under President Carter, that isn't saying a whole heck of a lot. Still, he made many Americans feel good about themselves. He was forgetful, had a management style that was all too much "hands-off" and he put off a lot of problems in the hopes that the "free market" would handle things.
But it was Morning in America and that was good enough.
Fast forward to today. It's 2004 and an election year. There may be some middle ground in the electorate but if so, it is numb and minuscule. We may not be as divided as we were during the Vietnam War-perhaps because there's no draft-but we're pretty darn close.
We're at war.
One side says it was right and just that we invade Iraq and topple Saddam. Another says that the war was a colossal blunder that's costing lives and billions with no end in sight. There no middle ground and both point to President Bush with praise or condemnation.
We're broke.
Some say that the economy is picking up speed and that the president's tax cuts and spending plans are the right things to do. We'll get past these bumps in the road they say and everything will be just peachy. Many others are less happy with the economy. They point to historic deficits, chronic unemployment or under-employment and see much worse things to come. Again, there is no middle ground.
The earth is warming. No it ain't!
Schools are rotten. Let's send them all to private school.
Money would help as would a few more parents who actually cared about education.
Do you see where we're going? We're becoming two nations residing in the same place. Everything is for political position and little for the common good.
What are we becoming? Who is to blame?
Perhaps all of us better take a look in the mirror.
Which is it? The sun rising on a grand morning or the end of the great experiment.
Peter J. Roberts
Editor and Publisher
February 10, 2004
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