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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Community Comment

Understanding our predicament…


Good morning, Netizens...

This is a multiple-choice question from the Seattle-Post Intelligencer's David Horsey, and once again I think he's got the choices just about down pat, with the possible exception of (D) Let the so-called free market operate and let our finances take their course. There is that possibility, of course, that we are not truly in a free market, but in most cases, you're safe with choosing C anyway.

Now if the Virtual Ballroom choir will please stand and sing a lusty rendition of the first two choruses of Bob Dylan's old Folk Song, “Dear Landlord” from his John Wesley Harding album in 1968:

Dear landlord,
Please don't put a price on my soul.
My burden is heavy,
My dreams are beyond control.
When that steamboat whistle blows,
I'm gonna give you all I got to give,
And I do hope you receive it well,
Dependin' on the way you feel that you live.

Dear landlord,
Please heed these words that I speak.
I know you've suffered much,
But in this you are not so unique.
All of us, at times, we might work too hard
To have it too fast and too much,
And anyone can fill his life up
With things he can see but he just cannot touch.

Yes, I think that just about summarizes matters.

Of course you do have to remember the ghosts and spirits of the Virtual Ballroom don't give a damn, since some of their members saw the Great Depression first-hand, not to mention all wars and cataclysms. Having a first-hand knowledge of history is a bonus feature of being dead they tell me.

Question: What WAS The Great Depression?

Answer: In the days before Prozac they called it insanity and shipped people to warehouses for treatment. In modern times people take Prozac and walk around with stupid grins on their faces, except for bankers and lawyers who are conditioned to ignore history, that is.

Of course, your results may differ.

Dave

P.S. Please tell me if this cures the picture wrapping problems reported yesterday. DL



Spokesman-Review readers blog about news and issues in Spokane written by Dave Laird.