{"id":6225,"date":"2008-12-23T09:38:12","date_gmt":"2008-12-23T16:38:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/?p=6225"},"modified":"2008-12-23T09:38:12","modified_gmt":"2008-12-23T16:38:12","slug":"learning-to-appreciate-the-arts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/6225\/learning-to-appreciate-the-arts\/","title":{"rendered":"Learning to Appreciate the Arts"},"content":{"rendered":"

Not everyone appreciates the entertainment value of watching the body politic.\u00a0 But I do.\u00a0 I stand hands on hips, amazed by the intricate movements each player contributes to their tap dance around the truth.\u00a0 I listen to their spin<\/em>, enthralled by the rhythm and stunned by their ability to stand upon the dais and look us in the eyes.\u00a0 For all its pleasures though, most dedicated fans recognize the elements of tragedy<\/a> that underlie every production.\u00a0 There may be action and there will most certainly be humor; but the end is always the same: hubris and self-importance combine to bring about tragedy.\u00a0 In the audience we may see it coming, but our recognition is too late to avert the inevitable.<\/p>\n

Residents of California have been blessed with a double header as of late; two shows for the price of one.\u00a0 True aficionados of this delicate art form will not only revel in the production value both shows offer, but the clever juxtaposition between them – the contrasting views of power they represent.<\/p>\n

On the main stage we find the Federal Players and their prime-time rendition of The King and I<\/em>.\u00a0 The legislative branch of democracy writes a blank check and hands it to King Henry (Paulson) and his trusty side-kick President Bush.\u00a0 They spend it on assorted items, many never contemplated when the check was written.\u00a0 The legislature must be commended, however, for its heartfelt portrayal of the country bumpkins<\/em> who did not see any of this coming.\u00a0 In the final act, a chagrined upper house – the Senate – reasserts itself.\u00a0 They choose not to spend money they don’t have on an industry that does not deserve it.\u00a0 (This decision aligns with the wishes of the audience, but we assume the relationship to be coincidental more than causal.)\u00a0 At the last moment: a twist!\u00a0 We see the King spending the money anyway!\u00a0 He usurps the Legislature’s constitutional and historical role as the means of appropriation.\u00a0 It is a dramatic twist, shocking in its brazen contempt for law.\u00a0 As the curtain comes down the audience is too dazzled by it all to recognize Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Not everyone appreciates the entertainment value of watching the body politic.\u00a0 But I do.\u00a0 I stand hands on hips, amazed by the intricate movements each player contributes to their tap dance around the truth.\u00a0 I listen to their spin, enthralled by the rhythm and stunned by their ability to stand upon the dais and look […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[251],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-6225","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"hentry","6":"category-big-mother","8":"no-featured-image"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1105,"url":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/1105\/high-school-musical-a-blogging-tragedy-in-three-parts\/","url_meta":{"origin":6225,"position":0},"title":"High School Musical – A (Blogging) Tragedy in Three Parts","author":"Kris Berg","date":"March 18, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"This little diary entry of mine has been suspended in my draft folder for awhile. I think it may be time to pull it from the shelf and dust it off. The One Room Schoolhouse (The year is 2006. As the curtain rises, a nation races to their keyboard to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Real Estate"","block_context":{"text":"Real Estate","link":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/category\/real-estate\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3080,"url":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/3080\/an-open-letter-to-russell-shaw\/","url_meta":{"origin":6225,"position":1},"title":"An Open Letter To Russell Shaw","author":"Cheryl Johnson","date":"May 10, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Dear Mr. Shaw, When I first read you were leaving Bloodhound Blog, I was quite concerned that perhaps you were suffering a health problem, or a family tragedy.\u00a0 When you reappeared as a new member in a different online community, I was very relieved to learn that you were alive\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Dirty Laundry"","block_context":{"text":"Dirty Laundry","link":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/category\/dirty-laundry\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":14059,"url":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/14059\/if-government-doesnt-steer-capital-into-housing-the-capital-doesnt-disappear-it-could-fund-other-job-creating-businesses\/","url_meta":{"origin":6225,"position":2},"title":"“If government doesn’t steer capital into housing, the capital doesn’t disappear; it could fund other job-creating businesses.”","author":"Greg Swann","date":"February 7, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"The Washington Post:Advertised as a way to stabilize the housing market, government-backed mortgage securitization ended up distorting and destabilizing it. The resulting misallocation of resources - evident not only in today's massive bailout of Fannie and Freddie but also in the vast quantities of land, water and energy wasted on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Big Mother"","block_context":{"text":"Big Mother","link":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/category\/big-mother\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":7932,"url":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/7932\/three-songs-for-freedom-fellowship-and-the-resistance-of-things-staying-the-same\/","url_meta":{"origin":6225,"position":3},"title":"Three songs for freedom, fellowship, and the resistance to oppression","author":"Brad Coy","date":"April 17, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"It's been ages since we've heard any Unchained Melodies and we're just under two weeks away folks. Don't you think it's about time? All three from Eddie, to me, to you. This one's for my friend Nick, the Unchained attendees, and believers in freedom. \"Rise\" This ones for The Dean\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Casual Friday"","block_context":{"text":"Casual Friday","link":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/category\/casual-friday\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":13437,"url":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/13437\/urf-nots-again\/","url_meta":{"origin":6225,"position":4},"title":"Urf. NOTS again…","author":"Greg Swann","date":"October 31, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Just as a matter of disclosure, our mortgage lender has filed another Notice of Trustee's Sale against us. As I have discussed here before, we've been surfing all our our payables for quite a while. I don't love doing this -- but I don't hate it either -- but it's\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Group Therapy"","block_context":{"text":"Group Therapy","link":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/category\/group-therapy\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":12217,"url":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/12217\/reasons-to-be-cheerful-defying-the-specter-of-ugly-fates\/","url_meta":{"origin":6225,"position":5},"title":"Reasons to be cheerful: Defying the specter of ugly fates.","author":"Greg Swann","date":"August 9, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm kicking this back to the top from June, 2010. I had occasion to re-read my thoughts on sex earlier today, and then I went back and looked at this essay. I like it better today than I did last summer, and I hope you will, too. --GSS\u00a0 Reasons to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Disintermediation"","block_context":{"text":"Disintermediation","link":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/category\/disintermediation\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6225","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/36"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6225"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6225\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6237,"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6225\/revisions\/6237"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6225"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6225"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6225"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}