You can't HANdle the debt!

... said Jack Nicholson to our democracy.

NPR ran a great story the other day that I thought got to the heart of the problem. I won't summarize it - rather I encourage reading it in its entirety, here:

http://www.npr.org/2012/07/17/156872687/debt-debt-and-more-debt-is-democracy-to-blame?

It put me in mind of a few quotes attributed to Alexis de Tocqueville, that 19th century student of American-style democracy:

“A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world's greatest civilizations has been 200 years.”

“The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money.”

“America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.” 

“I do not know if the people of the United States would vote for superior men if they ran for office, but there can be no doubt that such men do not run.”

“When the taste for physical gratifications among them has grown more rapidly than their education . . . the time will come when men are carried away and lose all self-restraint . . . . It is not necessary to do violence to such a people in order to strip them of the rights they enjoy; they themselves willingly loosen their hold. . . . they neglect their chief business which is to remain their own masters."

I believe that time has indeed come.

============

Oh, by the way:  I acknowledge, along with Wikipedia, that the attribution of the first of those quotes is disputed. The truth of the observation in the statement, however, is not at all disputed. For further treatment of the subject, see:

http://www.tocqueville.org/pitney.htm
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Alexander_Fraser_Tytler

Joshua Radin

Wooly's is fast becoming the venue of choice here in town. If they keep bringing in acts like this, it'll stay that way, too.

 I only wish they had food. And more tables. But, you know.. you can put up with a lot for good music.

 A duo act, My Name Is You, opened, and they were all "The Head and the Heart"-like.

Very pleasant, with a 6 song EP that came home with me.

Then, Tristan Prettyman (who should be named Prettygirl, because she certainly is that), came up and played some decent guitar, though her singing was predictably pitchy throughout. Still, she came out after and signed autographs, posed for pictures with fans. Classy performer off the stage.

Then, the headliner, who is just so darn good.

Straightforward, direct, catchy, empathetic, good stories... everything you want in a singer/songwriter.  And handsome didn't hurt, either.

All told, a pretty photogenic bunch, this lot of performers. And worth the price of admission at $15 for sure. Thanks, Wooly's, for another good show.

A Little River Music

Nightfall On The River is a summer concert series here, in a grassy amphitheater along the banks of the Des Moines, with a stage built out into the water.

 We went last year to see Matt Nathanson, and last Thursday went again, this time for Ingrid Michaelson.  The show started with Greg Laswell (really, Mr. Michaelson, or the accompanying spouse as some might say)

at about 7:15, and ended with Ingrid (and ensemble) close to 10... indeed, after nightfall (and mosquitos) descended.

It is such a nice setting. A little warm looking in to the afternoon sun, but... it did finally go down.

Greg came back on stage at the end for a duet with Ingrid. Aww. They really are so cute, and stylistically complementary. Not to mention happily married.