Taylor Swift Discovers Public Choice

And CCR earlier expressed skepticism about Stalin and FDR.

I finally decided to listen to the lyrics of Taylor Swift’s new song “Anti-Hero” and noticed this line at about the 1:33 point:

Did you hear my covert narcissism I disguise as altruism like some kind of Congressman?

In other words, she’s noting the contrast between what the Congressman(woman) says and what his (her) true motives are.

That got me thinking about older classic rock songs that express skepticism about government. One of my favorites is Credence Clearwater Revival’s 1970 song “Who’ll Stop the Rain?” I’ve loved it for decades and finally a friend recently pointed to this part of the lyrics that I had missed:

Caught up in the fable,
I watched the tower grow.
Five-year plans and New Deals,
Wrapped in golden chains.
And I wonder, still I wonder.
Who’ll stop the rain.

Note the reference to five-year plans (probably Stalin’s) and New Deals (definitely FDR.) Also the golden chains line is beautiful. It’s gold, but it’s also a chain.

Note: The button Taylor Swift is wearing says “Vote for Me, For Everything.”