Letter to the Baltimore Sun

Dear Editor:

Commenting on the recent election of Barack Obama to the presidency, Ron Smith wisely counsels: "Don't expect much from next Great Man" (Nov. 8). Mr. Smith's wisdom causes me to reflect that America is divided into two groups of persons: those who believe that what goes on in Washington is largely a serious quest by serious people to tackle serious problems seriously, and those who understand that what goes on in Washington is largely theater scripted so that the actors and actresses appear at first glance to be 'public servants' but in fact care for nothing nearly as much as maximizing their power and satisfying their megalomania.

Alas, the first group greatly outnumbers the second. This fact means that those of us in the second group are obliged not only to attend and watch - but to participate in the large role for the audience demanded by - this absurd drama.

Sincerely,

Donald J. Boudreaux

Don Boudreaux is the Chairman of the Department of Economics at George Mason University and a Business & Media Institute adviser.