Outside the Beltway

PAVING PARADISE

James Joyner · Wednesday, July 30, 2003 · 2 comments

Unfogged is currently featuring a discussion between “Bob” and Brad DeLong about the ramifications of a troubling popular song lyric:

I just have to point this out, just because the Counting Crows cover of “Big Yellow Taxi” is on the radio all the time now and it’s been annoying me:

No one would pave paradise to put up a parking lot. Anyplace that would likely be called “paradise” wouldn’t be near enough to shops, office buildings, etc., to make a parking lot worthwhile.

Good point.

Of course, while we’re on hippy anthems I should point out that, in fact, “freedom” is most assuredly not a synonym for “nothing left to lose.”

Update (1631): Bryan joins the fun with an interesting variation on Alice’s Restaurant. (He does not, however, have any nude pictures of Anna Kournikova so you Google people should leave him alone.)