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Once upon a time - long, long ago in a land far, far away - a magician of great wisdom and power took control of the government, which was a bad government. The men and women who ruled the land had forgotten honesty and fairness. They had forgotten their duty to act always in the best interest of all the people, and so the magician sent them away. To replace them, he used his great powers to find men and women from across the land who would govern with wisdom, fairness, and integrity. And so it was.
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The land prospered. And when it came time for the people to again elect their rulers, the magician decreed that only men and women of honesty and wisdom be considered. And so it was that the newly elected rulers acted wisely. And the magician insisted that they consider only important issues, and only issues that were proper for the government to consider, and that they treat all the people of the land fairly, and that they act always with honor and honesty. And so it was.
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And the people prospered. The hand of government was lightened as the rulers addressed only those matters that they should. The people lived in freedom and peace and prosperity under a wise and restrained government. But they were not happy.
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One day, in their unhappiness, the people selected one of their number to go to the magician and speak to him. And this is what he said:
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"O, Great Magician, the people are not happy. If you were to leave us, we would go back to our old ways. We would elect as our rulers those who deceive us, and those who put their self-interest above the interests of the people, and those who would bestow benefits on some of us at the expense of others of us, and those who would put the hand of government on all matters great and small. And we would then be happy."
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The magician, who was very wise, asked, "And so you now ask that I go away?"
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"Yes," the spokesman of the people replied. "We ask that you leave us and let us return to the old ways."
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And so it came to pass that the magician left the land, and the people returned to their old ways, electing to rule them men and women who did not know honor and truth and fairness and wisdom.
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And the magician went to live on an island hidden from the eyes of men, there to study further the art of magic and to think no more on government.
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