Here’s how sheep, democracy interact

H. L. Mencken wrote, “Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard.”

It looks as though what the common people want for president in this next election is a man who knows how to give it to them in precisely that fashion. Heck, he has already given it to ’em that way, and they’re queuing up for more.

What kind of business lines up investors, shears them assiduously, then declares bankruptcy and vanishes with all the fleeces? The common description would be “swindle” or “con.” However, bankruptcy (and sheep-shearing) is legal in this country.

Declaring bankruptcy is so easy to do, in fact, a millionaire can be a bankrupt and still claim to be a success. The business mysteriously dissolves but the owner keeps all the wool. Perhaps he needs it to pull over someone’s eyes. Why, he can even start another sheep-shearing business and get right back to work.

This phenomenon cannot be too much admired, as Mark Twain said somewhere.

If the naked, shivering sheep dare to complain, he can slander them as dangerous killers. He can demand that his neighbor build a better fence to keep out the other sheep. Or maybe to keep his in.

He can even run for president, and shear ’em all, forever.

This story was originally published February 4, 2016 at 11:41 AM with the headline "Here’s how sheep, democracy interact."