Final Word from Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Johannes Brahms was German but made his best money on his Hungarian Dances. Some Czech analysts and politicians are also racking up some of their best points by dancing the csardas. The tune goes something like this: "Politicians on the left and right might be making expensive promises in the run-up to elections, but they'll have to come down to earth soon after the votes are cast, because they won't want to catch the Hungarian flu." There's certainly nothing wrong with warning about the possibility of state bankruptcy due to an overly generous and wasteful national government, but it seems naive to think Czech politicians will take any decisive action. Even when a gun is pointed at their head, there's little in their past to suggest that they'll take the proper steps to dodge the bullets. The best we can probably hope for from them or is a two-step that soon brings us back to square one.[Czech Republic Hungary]
Glossary of difficult words
to rack up - to accumulate or achieve something, typically a score or amount;
csardas - A Hungarian dance with a slow introduction and a fast, wild finish;
to come (back) down to earth - to return to reality after a period of daydreaming or excitement;
to dodge - to avoid something by a sudden, quick movement;
two-step - a step found in many folk dances;
back to square one - back to where one started, with no progress being made;