080921 At The Capital

Well, Dear Reader, I have returned from our nation’ capital reassured. Standing in the Jefferson Memorial and looking out across the breadth of the city, the colossal statue of the author of the Declaration of Independence keeps a constant watch over the White House with the best unobstructed view in the city. I do not know why seeing Jefferson standing there was so reassuring to me but it was.

A highlight of my week in Washington was when George W. Bush had the opportunity to see me. I did not see him, but the most powerful man in the world may well have seen me. I was just approaching the base of the Washington Monument when the beating of the rotors of Marine One and its helicopter escort became deafening. The two copters came in low around the monument and turned to the White House. Marine One then landed on the lawn so the President could disembark on his return back from surveying hurricane damage in Texas.

It does not matter what you think of George Bush (while I am no fan, I voted for him twice – or rather I voted against two other guys), you have to admit that this guy can not catch a break. Every morning, he must get up, open the paper and go “Oh, what the hell?” The man has been having a nightmare and we have been along for the ride. Things are going to keep happening no matter who replaces him. We just have to hope that whoever it is makes the right decisions while Thomas Jefferson looks on.

My week in Washington was a wild week of ups and downs in the stock market. Institutions which were considered rock solid a few months ago have fallen. Luckily, I had all of the sites of the nation’s capital to distract me from the news. Washington is a beautiful city.

As you wander around the city taking in its beauty, you wish all American cities could look like Washington does. Even if you have all of the facts, the city’s charm can dazzle you and cloud your realization until you have an aha moment. That is one of the dangers of being a part of the Washington establishment. Living and working inside the beltway for too long can blind you to why it is that Washington is so different from every other American city.

The monuments and park and maintenance and police that keep Washington so beautiful are not a function of its own budget and are not truly integrated into its municipal existence. Everything that sets Washington apart is a part of the federal budget and federal government. Washington the city does not pay for any of what makes it so breath-takingly beautiful. It could never afford to. No city could. It is only able to be what it is because it operates under Congress’ budget and is paid for by taxing the sweat of all Americans. As a city it is an unrealistic dream and a vision of inspiration. As it was always meant to be.

The inherent danger to this is when elected leaders forget the distinction of how Washington the city is separate and distinct from how every other community operates. Assuming they go to Washington understanding that Washington exists as a model for us to aspire to, prolonged exposure to its unrealistic façade gives our politicians a false view of the country. If government can make this one city so inviting, why shouldn’t they do that to all of the country? All they need is for us to be more patriotic and pay more taxes and surrender more control to our centralized government. If Washington is so much prettier than Scranton or Syracuse, shouldn’t we accept that the leaders in Washington can manage our communities better than we can?

Of course the reality is that the illusion will always be greater than truth. By giving up control and money, we give in to those who think the illusion is the reality. We surrender our own priorities to group think.

Would we really want our towns to be Washington? We would have beautiful parks and inspiring monuments. The streets would be clean. We would have the reassurance that our government will protect us. Of course there is no industry, no production, no growth in anything but taxes, unemployment, poverty and crime.