Elephant In Exile

Well, the local news has dropped coverage of the cicadas and have now focused on providing 24/7 coverage of President Reagan's legacy. Some of the programs are good and some are just cheesy. But more interesting is that just days after the President's demise, the affable Grover (not the fuzzy blue monster that needs a hug) Norquist continues his quest to name everything after our late president. Of course in the process of honoring Reagan, there's been a tendency to tarnish what Reagan stood for.

The best example of this is Reagan National Airport. Our little airport sits just across the river from DC and is a five minute cab ride from downtown. It's run by a multistate authority. When Congress decided to rename the airport, they didn't discuss the matter at all with local authorities, rather the Washington fat cats ran rough-shod over the locals. Not a fitting tribute to an advocate of local authority and state's rights.

Now there's talk about using the bureaucracy to force a change to put Reagan's face on our currency, namely the dime. Gee what a fitting tribute to a President who railed against the all powerful federal government. Here's the quote.

Proponents of Reaganized money, however, are proposing an alternative to paper: coins. Unlike decisions about notes, coins can be changed at the discretion of the Treasury Secretary.

I think Reagan's place in history is safe enough that Congress can honor him in an appropriate way by debating and voting on such issues.