I don’t know – truly – what need or desire causes a few people to yearn for the mere things of other places.
Whitewater’s goal should be not a collection of objects, but an embrace of standards. This should be so very clear: we don’t need to build new buildings, we need to assure sound institutions in conformity with America’s highest standards.
What do you have, how do you look?
No, and no again — a different question matters: What do you believe?
(See, along these lines, How Many Rights for Whitewater?, What Standards for Whitewater?, and Why Whitewater?)
These local men who prey on the unjustified insecurities of others, or suffer an insatiable need to exaggerate to satisfy their own pride, are ignorant of what makes our city, state, and country exceptional: our liberties and the sound institutions flourishing through them.
I think, sometimes, that such hucksters would try to sell ice to an Inuit if they had the chance.
We don’t need the buildings of Los Angeles; we need the best practices of America.
In any event, there is no fashion, no striking beauty of Los Angeles, and few objects therefrom that would not fade in our Wisconsin climate.
We may be grateful for it.
So much of policy here depends on convincing people that they need a particular project, all the while neglecting both those truly distressed and the higher standards that are the sound foundation of a better, more prosperous life.
We can and will do better. One may be very sure of it.