While browsing the USDA website recently, it was easy to get into the "I hate government" mindset. The labyrinthian contortions set up under the premise of 'helping' people is absolutely traumatic to navigate. Large entities (who receive most subsidies) can hire someone to become familiar, pay lawyers and fill out forms on a perpetual basis, but the people who are in need of the most help don't have time or practice for that shit. Democrats float their boats on "progressive programs", then Republicans dice everything up to impart "state and local control", then Democrats come back and hire "advocates", requiring even more bureaucratic hurdles, then Republicans cry, "Big Government doesn't work."

As Du Fu wrote about the invention of paper and writing, "Government now has everything it needs for good government except good government."

As a friend said about unions that applies to government, "The only thing worse than doing a union/government man's job for him is to make him do it himself."