Across the pond, our special friends in the United Kingdom are facing a snipey debate over budget cuts. This includes increases on student tuition that have sent young folks into the streets, where they attacked a limousine carrying the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall:
On Regent Street, their car was surrounded by as many as 20 demonstrators, chanting "Off with their heads" and "Tory scum". One of the windows was smashed and paint was thrown at the vehicle.
..."I do think this was the classic example where the Prince of Wales should have been using his armoured Bentley - it's far less conspicuous."
I also roll in the armored Bentley when trying to remain incognito.
I'm not well versed enough in UK education policy to really come down on either side of the tuition hiking debate, which could effectively triple student costs. The above juxtaposition does remind us how weird it is for any developed nation to be talking about cutting spending on something as economically vital as higher education when the country pays a single family $66 million a year to act as the head of state, and at least another $78 million for security. That is a relatively small cost as far as national budgets go, but let's talk priorities, huh?
Sure, some dastardly monarchists like Matt Yglesias argue that monarchs serve a useful role, even going so far as to suggest the United States needs one to prevent the elected head of government from becoming "the symbol of the nation who’s owed deference. He’s a servant of the people and people who feel he’s serving them poorly should say so." I don't think that's ever been a huge problem in the United States, and it certainly isn't now.
-- Tim Fernholz
