Republicans Do Some Good

I was listening to the radio in my car, and the station was playing some upbeat reggae-alternative ditty from the mid-90s. I remember thinking to myself, what's the deal with all this weird happiness? It's sick.

And then I recalled that the song must have come out during the Clinton era, when the country was mostly happy.

Say what you want about the 80s, I still believe that the music was awesome. Early 90s, the grunge movement, a massive and unprecedented display of discontent. Flash forward to the new millenium, lots of really exciting stuff going on in the world of rock. I wouldn't say that everything is necessarily my own personal cup of tea, but I can give credit where credit is due: people are coming up with fresh and interesting ideas, whether or not they're just a flash in the pan.

I can't comment on the rock world before the Reagan era, not yet being alive then. But in my lifetime, it seems like the only time the music was just wretched was the eight years when the US experienced international equanimity, strong domestic economy, socially-conscious policy, and a balanced budget - in short, the eight years when a Democrat was in office.

I think there's something to be said about the merits of a society that pisses off all its members.