Slavic linguistics

[Robert Mathiesen]

There is a world of difference between grim realism and panic.  I did not
detect any note of panic in anything either I or David or Mark wrote on
the prospects for Slavic linguistics, or indeed on the prospects for
American higher education.

Andrew's response seems to me  -- please correct me if I have mistaken
your meaning, Andrew -- to assume that the necessary wealth is there in
the nation to conduct business as usual, and that we have merely to pro-
ceed on that assumption, mustering as much strength in the political
arena as we can and combatting folly and negativity wherever we find it
among those who provide us with the funds we need.

I do not believe it is merely a matter of political strength, self-study
and outreach.  My assessment, as an interested amateur, not a professional
economist by any means, is that the wealth of our nation is vanishing
rapidly, and that this trend cannot now be reversed by *any* reasonable or
acceptable program of political action or social reform whatever.  In
other words, the funds we need are no longer anywhere to be found, or
soon will no longer be anywhere to be found.  I may be wrong.  Events
may prove me wrong.  I would be very glad if events were to prove me
wrong.  But until they do, I must call it as I see it.  What I see is a
situation too far gone to be corrected even by the united action of all
rational men of good will.  I am pretty close to retirement, and will
not be much affected by what happens; but even so, I mean to do what I
can to help.  It seems more sensible to me to spend my limited time and
energy on radically rethinking our future, not on laboring to maintain
the current state of professional affairs, much less to recreate the
state of professional affairs that prevailed 30 years ago.

Judge for yourselves what you prefer to do, each of you, and then do
it.  But first understand that business-as-usual cannot be taken for
granted any longer.  --  Robert

(Robert Mathiesen, Brown University, SL500000 at BROWNVM.BITNET)