The Right Man

     Imagine that every state in the country has a shortage of
electricity.  The people cry out to Washington, D.C. for more
electricity.  But, D.C. had no electricity.  D.C. wants to help.  It
builds power lines to every state to supply the needed electricity.

     Then D.C. builds a second set of line for the states to
send electricity to D.C.  Electricity flows from the states to D.C.
and back to the states.  Still the people complain that they need
more electricity.

     D.C. builds more lines.  Eventually all the electricity in
the nation flows to D.C. for retransmission back to whence it
came.  As a result every state has less electricity due to the
losses during transmission.  In addition (or, perhaps subtraction)
the people had to pay for building and operating the lines.  D.C.
didn't have any wealth of its own to use to build the lines.

     Still the people complain, some louder than others.  The
states who shout the loudest convince D.C. to send them more
electricity.  D.C. then diverts electricity from the states that
produce it to those who don't.  This pleases the recipients while
only further impoverishing the losers.

     A high paid consultant in D.C. finally comes up with a
miraculous solution.  Only in D.C. would the solution be
considered a solution.  The plan was to make the collection and
distribution so complex and confusing that D.C. could convince
the people that they were all getting back more electricity than
they sent.

     The plan worked.  Even as the lights flicked and went
black across the nation, the people ever demanded more juice
from D.C.   They also refused to even think of the possibility of
taking the D.C. middleman out of the power loop.

     Everyone knew they were totally dependent on D.C. for
electricity.  Without the electricity from D.C. everyone knew
they would starve, and freeze to death in cold, dark basements. 
The determined citizens were sure that incompetence and
corruption on the part of those who operated the system were the
only problems.  Nothing else stood between the people and
Utopia where abundant, free electricity and honey flowed to all.

     A "reformer" cried out to the people in their most
desperate hour.  "There is hope.  We can throw out the nay
saying greedy crooks and bring abundant electricity to all.  Trust
me.  I will change everything for the better."  The people
shouted "Hosanna."

     Only one man raised his voice to question.  "Where will
the electricity come from?  Who will pay for it?"  The people
hated this man.  He wanted to deny them admittance to Utopia. 
A screaming mob poured into the streets surging toward the
home of the evil one who dared to question the plan for Utopia. 
When the sun rose his body dangled from a tree.  No one ever
again raised a voice in opposition.

     The man of hope went to D.C. while the people cheered. 
Soon some noticed something was wrong.  The lights faded even
dimmer.  The people felt betrayed.  A new voice proclaimed,
"The man of hope is a charlatan.  Only I can clean up the mess
in D.C. and make your lights grow bright again."  Once more
the people shouted "Hosanna."

     Alas, the new last, best hope failed to brighten the lights. 
The lights continued to dim.  Still the people never lost their
faith in D.C. and Utopia.  Even as they lay starving and dying in
their cold, dark basements the people still dreamed that before it
was too late the real man of hope would rise up and solve the
problems that prevented wise rulers from opening the doors to
Utopia.

     The people went to their rewards clinging to the belief
that D.C. could have saved them, if only the right man had
arrived in time.

                                 * * * * *
                                  * * * *
                                   * * *
                                    * *
                                     *
Copyright 2013
Albert D. McCallum