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Wyatt’s World
By Wyatt Emmerich Pray for those suffering from storm •
During the last presidential debates, I remember when Obama said
something like this: “During the recession of 2001, President Bush told
Americans to go shopping. I think we can do better than that.” I
made a mental note that before this recession was over, Obama and his
administration would be exhorting Americans to shop. Sure enough, we
got Cash for Clunkers and now this latest federal program giving cash
rebates to consumers to buy appliances. The
government criticizes Americans for maxing out our credit cards, yet
this is what keeps the economy humming. Indeed, the entire global
economy is dependent on American consumerism. This
irony carries over to the environment. The most developed countries
have the cleanest environments. It is the impoverished countries that
denude their hillsides for stove wood. Meanwhile, 50 percent of
Mississippi is covered in forests. Consumerism is good for the
environment. The economy is rebounding. The Great
Depression II didn’t happen. Monetary policy works, as it has for
decades. (And I might add, newspapers are still here!) This
was a bad recession because the bubble was residential real estate,
which affects the entire economy. But the sky didn’t fall. Chicken
Little was wrong again. Longtime readers will
note that I am sort of an anti-Chicken Little kind of guy. I also don’t
believe in conspiracy theories. Real life is so much more boring. There
is much hullabaloo about financial reform. Some beneficial tinkering
will be done, but bubbles and business cycles are part of human nature
and can never be eliminated. Most regulations are either a waste of
time or do more harm than good. A precious few regulations work. In
general, free markets work better than government regulation. •
Ginny and I went - alone! - to Jazz Fest in New Orleans, our first trip
in three years without children. What a difference! Without the hassles
of family logistics, I rediscovered that we actually have fun together
if left to our own devices. New Orleans is back!
Like many people, I sort of avoided New Orleans after the bad publicity
of Katrina, but now I’ve made three trips in three months. It
was painful to listen to Art Garfunkel try to hit the high notes on
“Bridge Over Troubled Water.” Aging singers need to lower the keys of
their oldies to adapt to their aging vocal chords. Few people would
notice the lower key, but everybody winces when the singer struggles
and fails to hit the high notes. I grew up
listening to Simon and Garfunkel, and was once mesmerized by such songs
as “The Sound of Silence.” Now the lyrics just seem silly and immature.
Ah, the innocence of youth. The fairground was a big mud puddle from recent rain. Other than that, it was just as I remembered Jazz Fest 18 years ago. We had the most pleasure going to the small stages and listening to some awesome local bands as we slurped oysters. Our
two dinners were at Muriel’s and K-Paul’s - both New Orleans classics.
Thumbs up for both, but truth be known, Jackson food is now just as
good. Still, there’s something about being in New Orleans. We stayed at
the J.W. Marriott - a big hotel on Canal that used to be Le Meridien. I
recommend it. There is, however, one thing in New
Orleans that is incomparable to anything in Jackson - brunch at
Arnaud’s. Arnaud’s dining room has the perfect Sunday morning lighting
and decor. It was full of locals, but not crowded. A subtle, three-man
Dixieland band (banjo, tenor sax and bass fiddle) goes from table to
table singing requests and New Orleans classics. We requested “Moon
River” and got the best rendition I have ever heard. I
picked up the Times-Picayune and was amused to note our friends to the
south are having the same problems with the Corps of Engineers that we
are experiencing. An editorial stated, “Despite the vast destruction
caused by the failure of the federal government’s floodwalls, the corps
seems intent on choosing the cheapest, not the safest, flood control
measures. The agency is late in delivering numerous reports ordered by
Congress on flood protection and coastal restoration — and,
maddeningly, keeps trying to pretend that it is state and local
officials who are responsible for the delays. They aren’t; the corps
is. Instead of a specific strategy that can be
adopted and begun right away, the corp is working on an 8,000-page menu
of alternatives. Such a mishmash of information is a good way to escape
responsibility.” Sound familiar? My New Orleans
trip was marred by the awful tornado that struck Yazoo, Choctaw and
several other counties. I publish newspapers in both Yazoo and Choctaw,
so I was particularly concerned. Within minutes of the storm, I
received an e-mail, checked the Clarion-Ledger Web site and began
getting text messages concerning the disaster, all while listening to
music at Jazz Fest. We truly do live in a world of instant
communication. We’re not as bad as Oklahoma, but Mississippi is probably in second place on the tornado threat chart. Just
two years ago in April, a similar tornado whacked Jackson. I know. I
was at ground zero and felt my car lift off the ground. At least we
don’t have to worry about earthquakes and mud slides. Please pray for the hundreds - maybe thousands - of people who are suffering from this brutal storm.
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