Queen Elizabeth in Manhattan: Chris Christie Meets Queen Elizabeth

Queen Elizabeth II has visited New York City two times prior to this visit tomorrow. As a newly-throned monarch, she came to the Big Apple in 1957, not again until 1976, and for the third and final time, perhaps on July 6th. Along with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Governor David Paterson, New Jersey's new Governor Chris Christie will meet the Queen at Ground Zero. See below a wonderful video of the Queen speaking about her life.

Queen Elizabeth II

This how The New York Times describes that first visit today:

She was a vivacious young queen when she first saw New York City in 1957, regal in white gloves but as dazzled as any tourist taking in the Statue of Liberty and the skyline of Manhattan from the deck of a rumbling Staten Island ferry. She wanted her first sight of the magical city "as it should be approached," she said - from the harbor."

cheering throngs lined Broadway for miles, showering Queen Elizabeth II with affection as blizzards of ticker tape engulfed her entourage. She waved from President Dwight D. Eisenhower's bubble-top limousine, a tiny woman suspended in time...dined that evening at the Waldorf-Astoria in a diamond tiara....

 This will be a short visit for the Queen, now 84-years-old, and husband, Prince Philip. They arrive from Canada in a private plane and fly back to Britain the same evening. She will first speak at the United Nations, visit Ground Zero, and then caravan to The British Garden in Hanover Square to memorialize the lives of 67 Brits murdered when the Twin Towers fell:

An elongated triangle in the rough shape of the British Isles, it is a landscaped version of a traditional British garden, planted with hydrangea, rhododendron, azalea, foxglove, holly and yew....

Queen Elizabeth was born Elizabeth Alexandra Mary. She took the throne on February 1952 at age 25, although her coronation did not happen until June of 1953. She has reigned for 58 years.

In this rare video, Queen Elizabeth speaks of her "job," and her commitment to it. She says she does wish that she could spend more time in the out-of-doors, and she seems to love her unique connection to "the people." Her resolve to keep the Monarchy alive, with the pomp and circumstance that goes with it, can be overwhelming, but this Queen says it is only overwhelming if you let it be so.




Queen Elizabeth Speaks of her Life (video)

Angela Merkel FDP Win: Germany Votes "Center Right"

After 11 years, Germans gave took power away from the Socialist Democrat Party. At a time when President Barack Obama and his minions are yearning for collectivism, socialism and depths of liberalism that Americans have never known or wanted, Germany heads in a new direction with plans to lower taxes and speed-up free market investment.

Angela Merkel

Since 2004, Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and sister-party, the conservative Bavarian Christian Socialist Union (CSU) shared power with the Social Democrats, in a coalition known as the "Grand Coalition." It was not so "grand." This time, Merkel actually moved her agenda slightly to the left to attract both pro-business and worker interest.

We have achieved something great," Mrs Merkel told supporters on Sunday night. "We have managed to achieve our election aim of a stable majority in Germany for a new government."

It is believed Merkel's new coalition with small government The Free Democrat Party (FDP) has made some promises that may be difficult to keep:

...protect the country's "social market economy" with its mix of capitalism, regulation and a strong social safety net.

Nevertheless, the FDP received about 14.6 percent of the vote - the highest in it's history. Guido Westerwelle, the FDB leader may be pegged as Vice Chancellor: The FDP is also expected to win the post of foreign minister, which would likely continue a strong relationship with the U.S. and push for a key economic position, such as finance minister or economy minister, in order to push its tax-cutting agenda.

On Sunday night, Mr. Westerwelle told cheering supporters at a rally in Berlin that he would push for "a fair tax system," with radically simpler tax laws as well as lower income-tax rates.

In the meantime, Social Democratic Party (SDP) supporters are in a state of shock with their worst parliamentary showing since the WWII:

...its lowest result in a national election since the fall of the Weimar Republic in 1933, highlighting the decline of one of Europe's oldest parties and a longtime pillar of German democracy. "There's no getting around it. This is a bitter day for Germany's Social Democrats," said Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the SPD's heavily defeated candidate for chancellor.

Ironically, it seems the SDP took a few bold, decidedly non-socialist and unpopular steps before Merkel came into office:

Under Chancellor Schröder, an SPD-Green government tried to modernize Germany's stagnating economy with major overhauls including slashing long-term jobless benefits. The changes helped to bring down German unemployment to around 3.5 million today from five million in 2005, but they also undermined the SPD's popularity.

It's a sticky venture - that of trying to promote capitalism yet keep socialism alive. By God's grace, may we never go there. Read this blog post from geeeeeZ! who speaks from some inside information.