life, liberty, La-Z-Boy

remember this presidents' day tv spot? there's a new one out by marlo furniture celebrating july 4.

the voice-over opens with "July Fourth has always been about choices." then on and on about their big sale, and then something like, at these low prices "you can afford to be choosy." the spot's kicker: "choose wisely!"

while not as odious* as "what would the presidents want you to do on presidents' day," the underlying message here is the same. or at least the tacit understanding that being an american is about the freedom to choose. and we exercise that freedom to choose by choosing to buy some things instead of others. and that buying things in itself is a patriotic act, worthy of being done on a patriotic holiday.

i'm not saying there's anything sinister going on here. just that this idea is so normal to people that it's at home in a corny furniture store ad.

and that's why the plaintiffs in Colorado would never make the argument that vouchers violate equal protection. because it would never work. because to make that argument you have to also be making the argument that free markets "disenfranchise" certain people. and that argument will never win in any supreme court.



see how i can tie anything into vouchers? it's amazing, right? everything connects.

*initially i wrote "onerous." maybe i shouldn't be in the SAT prep business.