reading Conrad Black's biography and some other books on Roosevelt, it is interesting to see how incredibly myopic the bussiness elite was in the 1930s. Even Black is smart enoug to see that Roosevelt saved capitalism; yet few business men of the 1930s or later saw it this way. They were too concerned about their own tax rate to see the bigger picture.
==================
Dependably, like the movement of a Swiss watch, whenever I participate in discussions about government with co-workers, particularly, to be specific, middle-aged, middle-class White guys, someone says *we need a businessman in the White House.*
I always wait with melancholy anticipation for the fellow to reveal he was having a bit of fun but the statement's consistently serious.
Lots of head nodding and general agreement usually follow.
The retort comes naturally: *why do you say this when just the other day you were talking about what screw-ups the execs are?*
To some of my colleagues, the question only reveals my confusion. Yes, of course, the owners and managers of THIS corporation are bad scrow, lying bastards who'll hang us out to dry on a whim, but that shiny firm across town is run oh so much better, by a visionary don't you know?
It's a funny sort of cynicism, thoroughly mixed with an almost child-like faith in greener grass waiting to be found elsewhere, like Shangri-La or Brigadoon.
DRM
__________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Free Pop-Up Blocker - Get it now http://companion.yahoo.com/