As I was watching a great musical from the 60's "The Music Man" I was reminded of several events in our recent political landscape, from GWB and the Iraq war to the Tea Baggers and the current way we are informed about "IMPORTANT EVENTS" by our media outlets.
more after the jump
There's this wondeful bit in the play where the super salesman Professor Harold Hill sizes up his next conquest for running his scam of selling a town full of people something that they don't want, need, or even know about - a BOYS BAND! [and then taking the money and dashing for the county line to avoid the sheriff when the townsfolk realize that they got swindled.]
So, there they are. The citizens of River City. Just going along with their lives as if there was no evil in the world. Along comes the slick salesman to convince them that:
- They've got a problem that they didn't even know they had. He demonstrates that there are signs of moral decay caused by the pool hall that just got a new pool table [not the gentlemanly snooker or billiards but POOL!]- "gasp" and
- HE is their only hope of salvation from a sure slide to iniquity and ruin.
He proceeds to fast talk them into believing that their only salvation from the imminent disaster is to buy the instruments and uniforms for their boys so they have some activity to replace the allure of the pool hall.
Various people are shown to be self-serving [the Mayor who owns the pool hall], swayed by flattery [The Mayor's wife who became a believer after she was flattered by the Professor], easily distracted [the schoolboard who become a barbershop quartet]... and the citizens who fall for the glib line and shell out their money because their "leaders" are not telling them all that they suspect or know.
Does any of this sound at all familiar?
I THOUGHT it might. Oh the parallels just jump out at you don't they.
Unfortunately, we did not and will not be saved by "The THINK system" combined with low expectations allowing us to accept the fast talk and phony credentials as OK because the final result is so "craptacular."
I admit that the current state of the public option legislation is looking more and more like this though.
I don't think that we'll have the same happy ending as I saw on screen.
Sev-en-ty-SIX Trom-bones led the big Pa-rade!
Happy Sunday to all. Let's have a PARADE!
I've got to go off line for a while but will check back in a couple of hours to respond.
To paraphrase:
"We've got Trouble that starts with "T" which rhymes with "P" that stands for POOL Public Option.