Editor's Page

Another week has past since the last great Thompson Twins album- oh but what a week it was! On Monday along with most of the nation, I watched thee long anticipated season premiere of "Murphy Brown." Unlike most of the nation, I struggled to make it through the hour; an hour I might add that I will never get back (as if the current administration hasn’t wasted enough of this country’s time).

Later on that same evening our own Melodye appeared on the 10 o’clock WCCO news, interviewed on the unjustified rising price of CDs (see accompanying articles). I had to blink my eyes to make sure Melodye was actually on TV (our newest media sensation) and for a minute I thought it might be the whiskey I was sipping on but she eloquently expressed the outrage I’m sure most of us feel.

What do these two items have in common you might be asking? It might be stretching it a tad (OK I’m no William Buckley) but the principle economic theory of the Reagan/Bush years has been to encourage the growth of businesses to stimulate the economy which will in turn “trickle” down to the working classes making us all healthier, richer, and wiser. Al wrote last week about TDC (thinly disguised contempt) which is what the past 12 years has politically been about. TDC is something which has tinkled down from above. It’s this crossover into “non” issues (i.e. Quayle vs. Murphy Brown), which shows the people running this country haven’t a clue on what this country is facing. The recent attack on Hollywood shows they can’t even distinguish fiction from reality any better than your average fun fact writer.

This environment leads to an atmosphere where nobody is accountable to the people they serve. A business, say a record company, can raise its prices regardless of the actual cost, any time it wants to knowing their customers will pay the extra cost (and they probably will). TDC.

It’s an election year if you haven’t noticed (rock that vote) so the opportunity to make changes exists. As Scott points out effectively elsewhere in this issue, the choices are limited. A change for change’s sake isn’t the best route either, as H. Ross Perot nearly proved. But it is more than merely the President and Vice President we are choosing this time around. All of Minnesota’s House members are up for election as well as all state representatives and many city office positions. We can complain all we want about the choices we are given but we’re the ones that make those choices. Instead of trying to take steps to get better our country seems to be locked into the philosophy of not getting any worse thus the options we create are extremely limited. The lack of participation and interest only deepens the problems.

We live in a convenient society. It is easier to pay the extra dollar to buy a Garth Brooks CD so why protest? We’ve been conditioned not only not to listen to the other side, but to disregard it altogether. Instead of working towards a mutual solution, we’ve become accustomed to doing what’s best for our own interest. In the end, it just leads us to where we are now.

********

I recently purchased my first set of pillow covers. Up to now they have been an item my parents got for me. Upon opening the package I discovered my “standard” pillow covers were about twice as long as my pillows. Does this mean most people have longer pillows than me? Have I been missing something else all these years?