Final Word from Tuesday, February 3, 2004
Anyone who lives in the CR and hasn't had someone say to him recently Já za to nemůžu (It's not my fault) needs to get down off his high horse and go out among the people. Já za to nemůžu is the most frequent excuse for anything that goes wrong. Shopkeepers love to say it when the customer finds out that he is, in fact, not the king. Politicians resort to it when explaining the behavior of a derelict subordinate, a crooked judge or a mischievous Christmas tree that falls on an unsuspecting tourist. The tax changes approved on Sun. have created a whole new market for uses of the expression. Hotel clerks, waiters and ticket sellers are already standing in front of their mirrors and practicing the line. And when consumer spending slides, the black market jumps, tourists turn their backs and foreign investors pull out, coalition politicians will be ready: My za to nemůžeme. VAT