Washington Monument Syndrome

Washington Monument Syndrome, also called the "Mount Rushmore Syndrome",^[1] is the name of a political tactic allegedly used by government agencies when faced with reductions in the rate of projected increases in budget or actual budget cuts. The most visible and most appreciated service that is provided by that entity is the first to be put on the chopping block.^[1] The name derives from the National Park Service's alleged habit of saying that any cuts would lead to an immediate closure of the wildly popular Washington Monument.^{[2][3][dubious – discuss]} The Washington Monument Syndrome emerged as a euphemism for cutting the most visible services after George Hartzog, the seventh National Parks Director, closed popular national parks like the Washington Monument and the Grand Canyon for two days a week in 1969. The intent of the closures may not have been to get people to complain to Congress, but the effect was that Congress received complaints, Hartzog was fired, and the funding was restored.^[4]

A recent example is the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority's act of turning off the lights on the Zakim Bridge in Boston.^[5]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Ferrell, David (2008-04-30). "Library Book Liberation Front: Don't Tax Library Books". LA Weekly. http://www.laweekly.com/news/news/library-book-liberation-front-dont-tax-library-books/18796/. Retrieved 2008-05-09. 
2. ^ Gardner, John S. (2006-04-12). "Condomania". National Review Online. http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/gardner200604120721.asp. Retrieved 2008-05-09. 
3. ^ Cox, Wendell (2002-06-25). "Blackmail Strategy". National Review Online. http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/comment-cox062502.asp. Retrieved 2008-05-09. 
4. ^ http://www.allbusiness.com/media-telecommunications/information-services-libraries/12300846-1.html
5. ^ "The Pike Authority's Zakim Bridge Stunt". http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/opinions/editorials/x1096997461/Editorial-The-Pike-Authoritys-Zakim-Bridge-stunt. 

This article about a political term is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.v · Categories: Political terms Political term stubs Wikimedia Foundation. 2010. Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР Miscellany News NESS-0327 Look at other dictionaries: Washington Monument — Infobox protected area name =Washington Monument iucn category = III caption = location = Washington, D.C., United States nearest city = lat degrees = 38 lat minutes = 53 lat seconds = 22 lat direction = N long degrees = 77 long minutes = 02 long …   Wikipedia National Down Syndrome Congress — NDSC s Logo Abbreviation NDSC Formation 1973[1] …   Wikipedia Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve — For other uses, see Craters of the Moon (disambiguation). Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve IUCN Category III (Natural Monument) …   Wikipedia Oregon Caves National Monument — Coordinates: 42°05′44″N 123°24′21″W / 42.09556°N 123.40583°W / 42.09556; 123.40583 …   Wikipedia Dates of 2004 — ▪ 2005 January It turns out we were all wrong, probably, in my judgment. David Kay, former U.S. chief weapons inspector in Iraq, in testimony to the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, January 28 January 1              Haitian Pres. Jean… …   Universalium Abortion — Induced abortion Classification and external resources ICD 10 O04 …   Wikipedia Chocolate City (album) — Chocolate City Studio album by Parliament Released March 12, 1975 Genre …   Wikipedia List of unusual units of measurement — For units of measure primarily used in countries where English is not the main language, see the article specific to that country, a list of which can be found in the systems of measurement article. An unusual unit of measurement is a unit of… …   Wikipedia Abortion debate — Antilife redirects here. For the comic book equation , see Anti Life Equation. The abortion debate refers to discussion and controversy surrounding the moral and legal status of abortion. The two main groups involved in the abortion debate are… …   Wikipedia Calendar of 2000 — ▪ 2001 January We are fortunate to be alive at this moment in history. Never before has our nation enjoyed, at once, so much prosperity and social progress with so little internal crisis and so few external threats. Never before have we had such… …   Universalium 18+ © Academic, 2000-2024 Contact us: Technical Support, Advertising Dictionaries export, created on PHP, Joomla, Drupal, WordPress, MODx. Mark and share Search through all dictionaries Translate… Search Internet Share the article and excerpts Direct link … Do a right-click on the link above and select “Copy Link”