Democratic Party operative James Carville and some lesser-known associates came out with a fascinating focus-group study of the Republican base that has been making the rounds, timed well for this whole US government shutdown fiasco. The package confirms (or panders to) a lot of stereotypes, and this will make some people suspicious, but not me: these are real divisions in USian society. However, one statement from a Tea Party-supporting woman particularly struck me:

The government will spend you know hundreds of thousands of dollars to check out some bird you know, that’s fading away or something. Don’t worry about that bird. Worry about the people you know.

I leave the statement as a kind of kōan for your joint and fruitful contemplation.