Academic

WALTER RUSSELL MEAD: Thoughts From A Country Mouse. ?I suppose what I?m doing is retracing on a ?

By Glenn Reynolds

WALTER RUSSELL MEAD: Thoughts From A Country Mouse. “I suppose what I?m doing is retracing on a personal level the Great Migration of Americans from the cities to the suburbs and exurbs after World War Two. A nation of subway and tram riders turned into a nation of motorists ? and gradually lost its taste for Progressive era reforms. City dwellers know they need the state; there was no way I could commute by car to Manhattan and find parking at a reasonable time or cost. The government stepped in to help me with subsidized mass transit. Suburban and exurban people aren?t so sure about the government?s role. Out here, I want government to do its job and fix the roads, but otherwise stay out of my hair ? and stop wasting my time and taking my money. . . . The shift from the world of Norton, Ralph, Trixie and Alice to the world of Ferris Bueller or even Roseanne is changing the way the country thinks about government. My own little migration up the Hudson River is helping me understand why.”

Full post as published by Instapundit.com on September 25, 2010 (boomark / email).