Patriotism Lite

On Saturday at the International Spy Museum in Washington, DC, we watched short, motivational film clips from the 1940s.  One encouraged Americans to mail their income tax payments early to support the war effort.  Imagine that!  The idea that paying taxes might be patriotic, something we do for the larger good of our country.

What an old-fashioned idea.  I guess we've moved on since World War II.  Patriotism now means wearing a flag pin and cutting taxes.

What kind of motivational film clips could we possibly produce today?

Offshore Opportunities

With a new Vanity Fair article about Mitt Romney's offshore tax shelters and more questions about his employment at Bain Capital, the governor has lots of explaining to do.  No doubt he'll dodge the questions, but in the meantime here's a song for Mitt.  Sing to the tune of "I've Been Working on the Railroad."

I've been working on tax shelters
All the live-long day,
I've been working on tax shelters
Just to pass the time away.
Don't you know those Cayman Islands
Shelter all my cash?
Don't you know those Cayman Islands
Hide away my cash?

Taxes I don't pay
Taxes I don't pay
Taxes I don't pay like all of you.
Taxes I don't pay
Taxes I don't pay
Taxes I don't pay like you.

Someone's in the Caymans with Bain funds
Someone's in the Caymans I know - o - o - o
Someone's in the Caymans with Bain funds
Stashing everywhere that dough, and singing

Me my money I owe
Me my money I owe - o - o - o
Me my money I owe
Me and all my Caymans dough.

A Dog's Life: Sundance

"No animal I know of can consistently be more of a friend and companion than a dog."
- Stanley Leinwoll

Wimbledon Wistfulness

There's something reassuring about Serena Williams and Roger Federer having won at Wimbledon this weekend.  Familiar people, masters of a sport they love and winning at the game on their own.

Rarely in public life do we watch individuals succeed through their own talents and hard work.  Think, in contrast, of the presidential election: so much of the outcome depends on fundraising and not on the merits of the candidates.  In fact, our entire political system--including the Supreme Court--is driven by moneyed interests and the influence they wield.  An individual's talents and hard work get lost in the quest for gold.

Other aspects of public life, too--from health care to the food and water supply to the economy itself--often depend less on the integrity of the individuals involved than on the corporate interests that drive decisions.  We can't reliably trust the medications we take, the procedures we undergo, the food we eat, and the water we drink.  Sounds like a third world country.

Maybe that's why we yearn for Wimbledon, a reminder of a more ordered world where personal accomplishment and individual skill actually matter.  Were it so in the rest of our lives.

Tennis, anyone?

Mitt Romney in Knots

Mitt Romney spent the week trying to explain his position on health care reform.  Pretend you're Mitt and sing to the tune of "Hello, Goodbye," by the Beatles.

It's a tax, no it's not
It's a tax, or it's a penalty.
Oh no.
For FOX it's a tax, for Mass it is not.
Tax? Penalty?
I don't know what to call this thing I once stood for.
Tax? Penalty?
I don't know what to call this thing I once stood for.

Obamacare, Romneycare,
What's the diff? I'm not sure I can say.
Oh no.
Barack's plan's not mine, and mine's not Barack's.
Mandated care?
I think we'll just keep quiet from now on that's for sure.
Mandated care?
I think we'll just keep quiet from now on that's for sure.

Why, why, why, why, why, why do you say
Mandated care?
Oh no.
Barack's plan's not mine, and mine's not Barack's.
Mandated care?
I don't know why I have to say what I support.
Mandated care?
I don't know why I have to say what I support.

Can I run, can I hide
From that plan of mine in my old state?
Oh no.
But health care for all is not in my sights.
A change in view?
Not really, yes, well maybe, who knows where I stand?
A change in view?
Not really, yes, well maybe, who knows where I stand?
A change in view?
Not really, yes, well maybe, who knows where I stand?

Puppet Panoply

 Paperhand Puppet Intervention presides over the Eno Festival parade every year.

The puppets evoke ancient gods and goddesses.

The Sun God is my favorite, but he's hard to capture because his handlers move him every which way.

Some of the birds are scary.

But the owl is like an old friend.

Follow-Up Questions on Health Care

1. To Mitt Romney: What exactly isn't working in your Massachusetts plan and how would you change it?

2. To Barack Obama: Now that your legislation has been approved by the Supreme Court, can you and your staff please do a better job explaining its merits to the country?

3. To columnists Robert Reich and Linda Greenhouse: How did both of you know on Wednesday night--before the ruling had been announced--that the Supreme Court would uphold the law's constitutionality?

4. To Chief Justice John Roberts: Will we see now a new model of judicial leadership or a return to politics as usual?

5. To Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana: How could you even think of denying an expanded Medicaid program to your state's poorest residents?

The answer to #5 can't possibly be reassuring, yet it lies in the heart of too many heartless Americans.  We claim liberty and justice for all, but we don't come close.