Trifter

Washington often forgets about the rest of the country and the good things that come from it.

The automobile came from the Northeast and Detroit. There were over a hundred companies manufacturing at the turn of the Twentieth Century, most notably a company led by Edison. They were manufacturing electric vehicles back in that era. Of course, Ford came along and built a company that had an acceptable ethic for that day: Every American should drive a car. It was fun. To think that the automobiles will be abolished is unrealistic.

Nature in the Rockies and the Appalachians is something to see – it’s tremendous. The mind finds retreat in these places. From the mountains and the woods has come a powerful environmental ethic.

The light bulb came from the business entrepreneurs of New Jersey: Edison and his assistant Tesla. It’s a different tradition from Washington. But without lights, there would be a lot more darkness. That’s not a good thing, especially in our cities where overcrowding is an issue. 

The Ivy League is still another place and tradition distinct from Washington. They have educated some good intellects at those schools. Being removed from Washington can be a true advantage.

Washington did not lead in the science of the space missions. That came from the Army in the Southwest and the rocket scientists who wanted to create a civilian space exploration agency. Since the 1950’s, the rockets have flown from Florida with guidance from Houston. It’s true that Kennedy gave critical political leadership from Washington, but the impetus to begin such exploration came from other places. Eisenhower initially opposed a civilian space agency because he didn’t want to escalate the Cold War.

Gold – it’s mainly in California and parts of the South. There is relatively little of it in Washington, DC.

A lot of good music has come from the United States; little of that came from Washington. From places like New Orleans and New York came blues and jazz; rock came from many places; country music came from Nashville.

A sea of wheat covers the Midwest and without it the nation would not exist. One of the first items of business is survival, which means feeding people. The Midwest excels at that but receives little recognition in return.

Excellence in film – that’s what Hollywood has given. A lot of priceless art comes from the L.A. area. (Of course, a lot of drivel emanates from that place too; crap is to Hollywood what verbiage is to Washington.)

At times it seems that an expansive divide separates Washington and its neighbor Virginia, ironic considering that much of the founding philosophy came from the latter. It would be futile to try to run American government without that original structure, and Washington can ill afford to forget that.