Almost everyone has heard of the "Washington Monument syndrome," when a government agency tries to fend off budget cuts by threatening to shut down a popular program or landmark.
It now has another meaning: when we rely on the generosity of really rich people to do basic repairs on a cherished landmark.
Thursday, the National Park Service announced that a billionaire history buff named David Rubenstein has donated $7.5 million – the matching gift that Congress required when it wrote a $7.5 million check in December to fix cracks in the Washington Monument.
The 555-foot marble obelisk, the world's tallest man-made structure when it opened in 1884, draws some 1 million visitors a year. But it has been closed since the big East Coast earthquake on Aug. 23. The Park Service hopes the complex repairs can begin by the end of August and be completed in about a year after that.
"This Washington Monument is probably one of the most recognizable buildings in the United States, next to the Capitol and the Empire State Building," Rubenstein told the Associated Press. "It could use a little repair work, and I wanted people to get to see it as soon as possible."
We should be grateful, of course.
Rubenstein is a prominent philanthropist who has joined the pledge by Bill Gates and Warren Buffett to give away at least half his wealth. In recent years, he has made large gifts to the Smithsonian Institution, the National Archives and the Library of Congress. He's also a member of the dreaded 1 percent, a co-founder of the Carlyle Group, one of the world's largest private equity firms.
Still, what does it say about our nation that it has come to this – that if Rubenstein hadn't stepped forward, the Park Service would be scrounging for contributions and a national treasure would stay shuttered even longer? Is our government really that broke and bereft of ambition?
More and more often, we're counting on private donations to keep open public spaces, whether it's community centers in Sacramento or state parks and historic sites across California. In this down economy, it's understandable. Public-private partnerships can stretch tight budgets.
Yet, this trend can go too far. The United States is still the richest country in the world. There are some things that the public should still pay for, that shouldn't depend on the whims of billionaires.
As George Washington himself once said, "Let your heart feel for the afflictions and distress of everyone, and let your hand give in proportion to your purse."
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