... but where were we? The genesis of our troubles becomes evident with Ronald Reagan: the first chief executive, who with public avocation, was allowed to adopt, and was willing to accept, the trappings of a divinity - Augustus as both emperor and god. George Washington had been very careful, in similar circumstances after the Revolutionary War, when he could have been crowned king, to demur. But not Ron! And who could have been more perfect and timely than he? An ex-governor of the lucky state; handsome, familiar and approachable; he was a master of the pithy but vacuous sound-bite, targeted at a TV audience with severe attention deficit and poor analytical skills. He told the citizens that they were a chosen people, whose journey to the promised land was imperiled by foolish leaders and constantly betrayed by the Pharisees in “big government”. By fiat, he would sweep away the obstacles and take them to Canaan; and the vanity of the flattered citizenry was such that it accepted ...