[MadIvan]

Just another little item to fling into the Continentals faces if they dare suggest they are more sophisticated than Americans.

For the record, Liechtenstein is the world's largest manufacturer of false teeth. How that came to be and why I remember that little fact, is beyond me.

Regards, Ivan

Flag of Liechtenstein, in case anyone asks

[MadIvan]

Bump!

[LibKill]

The people of Liechtenstein went to the polls yesterday to decide whether their ruling prince should become Europe's last absolute monarch

Sorry but you're not an absolute monarch unless you can have people beheaded out of hand with no repercussions.

[basil]

Ivan, I've told this story before, but I'm going to repeat it here.

I was visiting Lichtenstein back in the 90's, and went for lunch in a restaurant in Vaduz. The Prince, his wife and two then teen-aged children were with him. He strolled up to every table and shook hands and spoke with all the patrons. When he realized that we were Americans, he had some very nice things to say to us.

I have to admit, I thought he was very nice.---(and handsome to boot!)

[PhilDragoo]

"A vote for our initiative means a vote for our country and our children."

Of course, for the children.

[Hank Rearden]

They didn't have much of a flag-design budget, did they?

High-school-volunteer chesspiece clipart design.

[Cicero]

Well, I'll make the theoretical argument for absolute monarchy. If you own the country, then you work for its long-term future, so you can pass it on to your children. If you are a political leader who serves four years in office, then you think mainly of the short term. You milk the country for what you can get and you postpone difficult problems for your successors to deal with. Clinton is the quintessential example of the politician who always took the popular and easy way and left a bunch of messes for his successors to clean up.

Not all politicians to that. But an awful lot of them do. It's one of the downsides of representative government.

[Khepera]

Why aren't there a pair of dentures on their flag or am I just missing it?

[LonePalm]

I can fully appreciate how bitter an election like this can be. Liechtenstein has about 500 more voters than my township in NJ.

Small town politics, like academic fights, are bitter because the stakes are so low.

Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)