A building bloc forms, as lawmakers push for beautiful government architecture

NEWS AND OPINION:

Majestic columns, soaring domes and grand designs have a certain cachet — and a positive influence on the public, some lawmakers say. They may be getting scarce, however.

“America’s founders intended for Washington, D.C. to be a classical capital city. Most Americans also prefer traditional building designs over modernist ones. However, since the 1950s, federal buildings have been constructed with modern architecture counter to both the founders’ vision and the public’s preference,” said a report released Tuesday by Sen. Marco Rubio.

The Florida Republican has taken action on this trend — and with five GOP colleagues has introduced the Beautifying Federal Civil Architecture Act, intended to make classical and traditional architecture the preferred style for federal public buildings.

“Federal buildings physically embody our system of government and its institutions. Federal buildings should therefore reflect our government’s dignity, enterprise, vigor, and stability while inspiring civic pride. I am proud to introduce the Beautifying Federal Civil Architecture Act to restore the tradition and beauty that our nation’s federal architecture has lost,” Mr. Rubio said in a written statement.

Republican Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, Mike Braun of Indiana, Ted Budd of North Carolina and Mike Lee of Utah have stepped up to co-sponsor the legislation.

“It’s time to right the ship when it comes to styling federal buildings, and have Congress declare what the Founding Fathers intended: that classical and traditional architecture should be the blueprint of all federal government buildings,” Mr. Braun said in a statement.

And why waste money on architecture that is less than pleasing?

“Our Founding Fathers intended for our nation’s capital and public buildings around the nation to create civic pride, and we should continue this tradition by ensuring that courthouses and public spaces inspire public confidence, rather than wasting taxpayer dollars on unattractive buildings that citizens dislike,” Mr. Hagerty said, also in a statement.

Rep. Jim Banks, Indiana Republican, has introduced companion legislation in the House.

THE PICKY MEDIA

The news media is still very selective about what it pays attention to. Former President Donald Trump appears to affect what goes on its list, according to a very specific study of recent trends.

“Two massive political stories broke, but only one of them got covered by the broadcast networks,” writes Geoffrey Dickens, director of media analysis for Newsbusters.org, a press watchdog.

“On June 8, former President Donald Trump was indicted by the Special Counsel in the classified documents case. That very same day it was reported that President Joe Biden had allegedly received $5 million dollars from an executive of the Ukrainian gas company Burisma, the same company in which his son Hunter was involved. Guess which one was exhaustively covered and which one was completely covered up by the networks?” Mr. Dickens asked.

“Over four days (June 8-June 12) the Big Three (ABC, CBS, NBC) broadcast networks predictably crammed their evening, morning and Sunday roundtable shows with a total of 291 minutes of coverage dedicated to the Trump indictment. But how much did the Biden/Burisma alleged bribery scheme receive? Zero seconds. The double-standard is breathtaking,” Mr. Dickens said.

FOR THE LEXICON

“Inflammatory rhetoric.”

This phrase debuted during former President Donald Trump’s speech to his supporters on Tuesday. One network that aired the event gave an on-screen warning about it to viewers.

“PBS slaps a jaw-dropping warning label on Trump speech: ‘Inflammatory rhetoric can prompt ‘acts of violence,’” Mediaite.com said in the immediate aftermath.

“Unlike CNN and MSNBC, PBS opted to broadcast Trump’s address from his Bedminster golf course, filled with falsities, partisan accusations, and threats to eventually persecute his political opponents if elected for a second term. Normal stuff, for Trump, oddly. But it was newsworthy as what he said is admissible in a court of law,” Mediaite said.

“But in a concerning next step in the infantilization of television viewers, PBS dropped a stunning warning label that read: ‘Experts warn that inflammatory rhetoric from elected officials or people in power can prompt individual actors to commit acts of violence’,” the analysis said.

Some were not happy with this message.

Turning Point founder Charlie Kirk declared “Defund PBS” in a tweet shortly after the phrase appeared on screen.

“In case you were wondering if something is off in America, last night the corporate media gave more warnings for a Trump speech than it did for an experimental ‘vaccine,’” Mr. Kirk said in a follow-up tweet on Wednesday.

GOP GOVERNORS EXCEL

President Biden “deserves no credit for jobs that have been created,” the Republican National Committee advised Wednesday in an analysis on current economic trends.

“Republican-led states are the ones creating jobs and leading the economic recovery. The latest state jobs report shows that eight of the top 10 states for jobs recovered since the coronavirus pandemic began are led by Republican governors, and all 10 states have Republican-controlled legislatures. Out of the top 10 states with the lowest unemployment rates, eight are led by Republican governors,” the analysis said.

And the source here? Those numbers come from the latest monthly “State Employment and Unemployment Survey” and national payroll and unemployment figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The data was released May 19.

POLL DU JOUR

• 86% of U.S. adults say that if they pay more for a company’s products, they expect excellent customer service from that company.

• 84% of U.S. adults say they have empathy for small businesses that need to raise their prices due to inflation or shortages.

• 68% say they will continue to buy from companies that offer good customer service, even if their prices increase.

• 65% who have been longtime customers to a company have empathy for them if they must increase prices due to inflation or shortages.

• 63% are willing to continue being from companies that increase prices if they feel valued as a customer.

SOURCE: An Ipsos Consumer Tracker poll of 1,108 U.S. adults, conducted June 6-7.

• Follow Jennifer Harper on Twitter @HarperBulletin.