Re: Too many notes

[Jost Ammon <Jammon@gmx.net>]

No, Kaiser Johann aka George W. Bush.

Some things never change.

We call this conservatism.

Jost

----- Original Message -----
From: "Leah Stanwyck" <lstanwyk@RYERSON.CA>
To: <F_MINOR@EMAIL.RUTGERS.EDU>
Sent: Friday, January 11, 2002 8:31 PM
Subject: Re: Too many notes


> How pathetic!  Too many notes!?!  Is this Jeffrey Jones a la Amadeus or
> what?
>
> Jost Ammon wrote:
>
> >>>From the eJazz site.
> >
> >Jost
> >
> >====================================================
> >
> > Crawford, TX, -- In an effort to reach out to constituencies outside his
> > traditional power base, President George W. Bush announced a new "note
> >cut"
> > initiative, intended to appeal to classical musicians. Speaking from his
> > ranch in Crawford, Texas, the President prefaced his remarks with some
> > general observations. "Music is a good thing. I like music because I
like
> > good things, and music is good for America. It's fundamentalistic to the
> > American spirit.
> >
> > "Classically-orientated musicians -- the ones that play in orchestras,
in
> > the churches of this great country of ours, in polka bands, and on the
> > telephone when you're put on hold while calling any one of our Fortune
> >500
> > Companies -- are especially important, because they play a whole lot of
> > notes. And these are good, American notes that haven't been genetically
> > altered, which Laura and I value every highly. As I like to say, what
you
> > don't know you have can't hurt you if you're not there." The President
> >went
> > on to explain the reasons for his new initiative. "For too long these
> >good
> > musical Americans have been playing lots and lots of notes, and haven't
> >been
> > getting anything in return. These notes belong to the American people,
> >and
> > it's time to give some of them back."
> >
> > The administration's plan calls for a one-time refund of 3,000 notes to
> >all
> > tax-paying and note-playing musicians. Chamber musicians who play
sonatas
> > together in long-standing legal or church sanctioned relationships are
> > entitled to a refund of 6,000 notes.
> >
> > String quartets will receive a one-time refund of 10,000 notes, as
> >follows:
> > 5,000 for first violinists, 3,000 for second violinists, 1,500 for
> >cellists,
> > and 500 for violists. Already this arrangements has generated
> >considerable
> > controversy, since it clearly favors the upper instruments.
> > Pianists are entitled to a 15,000-note refund because, in the words of
> >the
> > President, "they play lots and lots and lots of notes. Their fingers
must
> >be
> > really well oiled. Those digits can really add up, musicologistically
> > speaking."
> > Back in Washington, Democrats are already gearing up for a fight. They
> >point
> > to the plan's inequitable distribution of notes. Citing the latest
> >figures
> > >from the music division of the General Accounting Office, they also
> >claim
> > that Bush's initiative is musically irresponsible. Noting recent reports
> > indicating the President's tax refund, in conjunction with the sliding
> > economy, has now effectively erased any budget surplus, they find
> >parallels
> > in Bush's note-cut initiative. They warn ominously that his plan
> >threatens
> > the all-important Musical Security Hemi-, Demi-, and Semi-Quaver
Reserve.
> >
> > On Friday Representative Richard A. Gephardt painted a grim picture of
> >what,
> > in Democrats' eyes, the future holds. "Giving musicians notes back
> >doesn't
> > mean they're going to use them wisely, and it won't help the nation's
> > musical health. We'd run the very real risk of running out of notes."
> > "Imagine," Gephardt continued, "a Brahms symphony petering out in the
> > performance for a lack of notes. First thing you know, musicians will be
> > leaving out all the fast movements because they don't have enough notes
> >to
> > get through them. Mendelssohn will suffer the most, especially the last
> > movement of the octet."
> > Apprised of Gephardt's remarks on the way to a pig roast on his ranch,
> > President Bush responded. "Nope. Not gonna happen. I intend to be the
> > defense, education, and fast-movement President. If Congress minds its
> > musical matters, we'll have enough left for Brahms and the Mendelssohn
> > Octagon, too."
> >
>