This is an excellent, albeit politically incorrect critique of the British monarchy as embodied in Elizabeth II. I will encourage its being read in conjunction with the Fareed Zakaria 'take' on Elizabeth, where he correctly describes the need for an element of 'dignity' in a leader representing a nation. Zakaria (see the link in the Schanzer piece) correctly describes leaders with this proper attribute, such as George Marshall and maybe John Roberts, but errs in his final assessment of Elizabeth as such an individual. While it is rarely good form to speak ill of the deceased, especially during a period of mourning, with all due respect, Elizabeth does not appear to have been either a great parent, or a symbol of an institution that is worth preserving. I'm not enough a student of history to know exactly how the royal family acquired its enormous wealth and properties, but daresay that a proper inheritance tax would set a good example for reducing the income inequality gaps that remain a source of frustration for many. I would also offer that a respectable Vice President could serve many of the officially boring roles required by leaders of nations.
This is an excellent, albeit politically incorrect critique of the British monarchy as embodied in Elizabeth II. I will encourage its being read in conjunction with the Fareed Zakaria 'take' on Elizabeth, where he correctly describes the need for an element of 'dignity' in a leader representing a nation. Zakaria (see the link in the Schanzer piece) correctly describes leaders with this proper attribute, such as George Marshall and maybe John Roberts, but errs in his final assessment of Elizabeth as such an individual. While it is rarely good form to speak ill of the deceased, especially during a period of mourning, with all due respect, Elizabeth does not appear to have been either a great parent, or a symbol of an institution that is worth preserving. I'm not enough a student of history to know exactly how the royal family acquired its enormous wealth and properties, but daresay that a proper inheritance tax would set a good example for reducing the income inequality gaps that remain a source of frustration for many. I would also offer that a respectable Vice President could serve many of the officially boring roles required by leaders of nations.