You Don't Win Friends With Salad

There's a Simpsons episode where Lisa decides to become a vegitarian. Homer, in a predictable plot conflict, is hosting a barbeque. Lisa tries to convince him to just serve salad. Homer and Bart then begin a conga chanting "You don't win friends with salad! You don't win friends with salad!"

This spring to mind when I was contemplating Bush's opposition to a health care bill. One reason I don't like expanding government's reach is because what it extends in times of need it will not withdraw when the need passes. Another is that even if you expand a program to monstrous proportions, there is always a push to expand it still further in the next election cycle.

The reason is that "You don't win friends with salad." Politicians don't like to trumpet fiscal restraint and how they refrained from spending money. They do like to trumpet new spending programs. There are exceptions to this rule, but they are rare. Fiscal restraint is to salad as pork spending is to, well, well-marinated pork ribs.

Next time you hear Politician X talking about the programs they want to put in place to help people, just remember - "You don't win friends with salad..." but the alternative is a diet of pure pork.