He who reads these words of wit...

This may be taking the concept of attribution a bit too far, but here goes:

I read something interesting on the wall of a public restroom yesterday afternoon.

I failed to write it down (since I generally don't take pen and paper with me to the bathroom) but the gist of it stayed with me. I'm sure the idea isn't new but it was new to me. Paraphrased, it's this:

"United We Stand." What's up with that? Who is the "We" that's supposed to be "United"? Have you ever noticed that when it's time to justify a war or some kind of major heist, we're supposed to be "united", but that when it's time to worry about retirement security or health care or education, "we" individuals are all on our own?

I like the formulation, and the symmetry.

It's a damn good point that stands comfortably alongside that other famous contradiction of modern conservatism, "small government" -- too small to afford to educate kids or take care of the sick but large enough to spend $300 billion on a war or tell people exactly how they're allowed to love each other.

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He who reads these words of wit...

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