Civics classes should be about American’s sins and glories since it is a country founded by remarkable individuals […]
Washington
One of the first things that most school children are taught about American history is Washington’s crossing of […]
I have lost track of exactly where this house was located but I’m pretty sure it was around […]
If any photo should be in a charcoal line type it is probably this one. I’ll give you […]
Trenton, NJ — Crossing the Delaware The picture above hangs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York […]
Washington DC – Resigning His commission Lets finish up this year with the famous picture as described below. […]
Old time wall signs fascinate me. They are a look back into history. This one was found […]
Smithsonian Institute, Washington DC The plane that Wilber and Orval Wright used to push us into the 20th […]
Mount Vernon, VA – First Presidential Home I have visited Mount Vernon on three separate occasions now and […]
Source: Deal or No Deal, Washington Debacle Will Linger Into New Year – ABC News.
Washington is now broken beyond the point where bold individual leadership can even fix it. The forces at play are bigger than the ability of the president, House Speaker John Boehner, or any other person or persons to turn them around without the certain promise of a revolt in the party ranks that would leave them out of effective power.
The cliff metaphor suggests a jump into a void, but at least one that has a bottom. Yet as the nation watches this slow-motion wreck, the depths of dysfunction have yet to be fully explored.
I didn’t think it was possible to find someone who has a darker attitude towards those in Washington than I do but Rick Klein who wrote the above article certainly seems to beat me at that game. I have been accused by some of putting all the blame for the current dysfunction on the Republicans but I realize that it takes two to play the idiotic games they play in that city. But I must insist that much , but certainly not all, of the blame belongs with the GOP and that is because of their adamant fixation on one word, “never”. The other fundamental part of the problem is the lack of great leaders.
I recently read an article in the October 2012 Smithsonian magazine about Thomas Jefferson and slavery. I think most of us remember his infamous words that “All men are created equal”. That seems to give him an emphatic view of slavery but this article showed that has now been found to not be the case. It ends up that after studying the numerous documents left by him that he viewed slavery very much as a profitable situation to be engaged in. In 1792 he wrote Washington the now famous, at least among historians, “4% Letter” in which he talked about just how profitable being a slave owner was. He also recommended to some of this friends and relatives to move away from tobacco farming (he said it destroyed the land) and get into the more profitable area of owning slaves.
Source: Mind the Gap | edsteinink.com. Interesting story yesterday about how wide the economic gulf has become between […]
