Understanding the Louvre, the Tyranny of Tax Rates, and the Never-Ending Rainy Season
Paris, Part Two
Everybody who goes to Paris, maybe even everybody who visits anywhere in Europe, thinks they need to see the Louvre. I am certainly in that group, but I give myself a pass because I spent three semesters in college studying art history with the intention of making it a major and maybe even building a career around my love of art. I didn’t go down that path, but I still love seeing, studying, and talking about art. So of course I had to see the Mona Lisa.
And The Raft of the Medusa (Gericault), and Liberty Leading the People (Delacroix), and the Coronation of Napoleon (David - one of the largest paintings ever made). Plus Venus de Milo, which I took photos of from four angles and still am not exactly sure why she’s such a big deal.
That’s likely because I am not a big fan of old art (Hellenistic Greek sculpture, Renaissance painting, etc.). I like modern art - pretty much anything after the pre-Impressionists (but not the Impressionists themselves so much) - and contemporary art. My favorites are Manet and Renoir (pre-Impressionism), Van Gogh (post-Impressionism), Max Beckmann (German Expressionism - the Saint Louis Art Museum has the largest collection of his work on the planet, thanks to the collecting habits of Morton D. May), and just about anything you’ll find at the Contemporary Art Museum here in St. Louis.
But I wouldn’t be a devoted student of art history if I didn’t show respect by visiting the most famous art museum in the world and its most famous occupant. My daughter indulged me; it was my birthday week after all. So we stood in a torturously long line, on one of the few sunny days we experienced in Paris that week, to enter the museum. Then we attempted to navigate this mini universe (it's not just the most famous; it's also the largest museum in the world), using signs and maps and our sharp brains, which had up to that point gotten us to several major destinations without incident, but it proved to be too much.
We had our only major squabble and decided we both needed a time out. So before we had found the Leonardo masterpiece, we instead searched for the cafe, where, having not yet had lunch, we both had a café crème, some Perrier, and something to eat. We sat there for nearly an hour talking and people-watching.
Sometimes you just need a break.
We headed back out and within minutes found the Egyptian section (which Sara wanted to see) and the historic underground preservation of the walls of the building’s original medieval fortress (which we both wanted to see), and then literally within minutes, the Mona Lisa (which only Beth really wanted to see). It was every bit as crowded as you’ve heard, which is not only claustrophobic and annoying but possibly a little dangerous.
It’s a large gallery, on a par with the Max Beckmann gallery at SLAM, and instead of some kind of roped line, viewers are forced to crowd together like floor ticket holders at a Springsteen concert - but in a way that would fill Anthony Fauci’s heart with terror. Almost immediately, Sara yelled in my ear that she would take my photo but had no desire to get close enough for her own pic, so we edged forward excruciatingly slowly, Sara holding on to the strap of my purse to not lose me, and she got her shot. Then we left, both of us screaming (silently) in fury about that one family that stood at the front for 10 minutes.
Honestly, why is there a roped-off serpentine line to enter the museum but no similar structure in place to see the most famous work of art in the world? Why are there no traffic cops in white gloves managing this situation, when there is such an obvious and easy solution? (Ok, rant done. Again. Sorry, Sara.)
So this is my recommendation: If you are truly not an art person, skip the Louvre. But if you really want to see Mona, map out your route before you enter, make a beeline, take your selfie, and then head to the cafe for a perfect café crème and a delicious eclair. Then call it a day. The Louvre is, quite simply, a tourist trap. (Oh, and don’t forget to take your photo at the spot where Mary Magdalene is buried, all you Code fans.)
More on Paris next week (Eiffel, Orsay, and more), but I’ve been catching up on my reading so I’m ending with an overdue edition of “The Week in Trump" (and it's about art this week!).
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐩:
This week the President said he had fired the head of the National Portrait Gallery, which is part of the Smithsonian, and therefore not part of the federal government, and so is not part of the executive branch. It is governed by a Board of Regents whose membership includes the Chief Justice, the Vice President, three senators, three members of the House, and nine private citizens. Trump has no authority to fire anyone working for the Smithsonian, not that he will ever believe that.
This is but the latest piece of our national identity to come into the president’s line of sight and become the focus of his intent to own, I mean control, everything (I want that and that and that…). As Jamelle Bouie said in the NYT this week: “In the same way that his personal life has been defined by his rapacious greed, Trump’s political project is now an unrestrained effort to bring as much of American society as possible under his control.”
Pretty much.
While the president is on that determined if ridiculous path, Congress is pursuing its own policies that both make no sense but are a clever attempt to divert public attention from their budget bill (the one that will add trillions to the debt, that same debt they continue to bitch and moan about). This time, instead of increasing tax rates on the very wealthy, they are offering tax credits on tips for the least wealthy, which sounds like a good deal until you look closer.
Reducing taxes on tips is not the panacea it appears. Taxpayers who receive tips would still be on the hook for payroll taxes (social security, state income tax). But more importantly, how is it fair to tax a retail worker’s full wages (which are likely on a par with a tipped worker’s combination of wages and tips) at a higher rate than their counterpart in a tipped industry, which is essentially what this law does. The answer is, it’s not fair. [See link in comments to article with graphs on this.]
What would be fair is an across-the-board lower tax rate for all service industry employees, or for anyone making under a livable wage - not just under the poverty level, which is a ludicrous standard - but under a realistically livable wage.
Tax rates should be lower for anyone making under $50,000 per year. I would argue that any individual or family living under that amount should be taxed zero in federal income taxes (or maybe a tiny amount, say $5 per year, so they feel they have a stake in how revenue is spent). This would help young people just starting out. It would help single parents, the disabled, and retirees. And it would help anyone working in a service industry - waiters, bartenders, retail workers, hotel maids, hair stylists, nail technicians, and Uber and Doordash drivers.
Tax rates should in general be lower on middle class folks and higher for upper-class folks. I am not at all opposed to taxing people in much higher income brackets at the 50 percent rate. You make a billion, you pay $500 million in taxes, and you still have $500 million to play with. Establish a simple tax rate structure, and get rid of all deductions, including the mortgage one, which is unfair to people who pay rent.
Not paying taxes on tips is not a solution. Making tax rates fair is.
While I’m on a roll, is anyone else sick of this rainy weather? It was rainy and chilly the entire seven days we were in Paris. It was rainy and chilly when I got home, for days. It warmed up and dried up for exactly two days, so I was able to get some much-needed yard work done, and then wham, it was back. I guess I shouldn’t complain because most years, June is hellishly hot, but damn, the weeds are getting tall.
This morning, I’m continuing my experiment with making café crème in my Ferguson kitchen. I have all the supplies now; I just need to get the ratio of milk to coffee right. Today’s batch is not terrible. Have a good week.
Beth
[Here are a few pics, but you can see the whole batch on my Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/bethvonbehrenstl/ or on my Instagram at StL_writer_beth
