The problem is that humans have short memories and the burning issues of 1908 seem distant and improbable in 1958...Forgetting has a very high price.
Thanks for the education, Art. Some of this I had not known before.
It's true indeed that forgetting has a high price. Although few people want a nanny state, I think it's far too easy nowadays for legislators to undo regulations and laws which they deem archaic, costly, anti-business or inconvenient without even understanding the context in which they were first put in place. For example, this legislative situation in Wisconsin is one that cries out for more substantive discussion about the historical context of what Gov. Walker is trying to do. And of course, we've already been living through a few years of what happens when you let Wall St. run amok with little regulations or oversight, just like in the run up to 1929.
Unfortunately, thoughtful, deliberate discussion seems to be a lost art nowadays. It's all about who can crash someone's press conference and shout the loudest and be the most disruptive. Don't tase me, bro!