I like the idea that one can read something and end up knowing less about the subject matter afterwards. It reminds me of the “Trouble with Tribbles” episode of Star Trek where the animals starved to death by eating vast amounts of the poisoned quadrotriticale. Anyway, I agree there are big problems with the piece. I was really just trying to keep my powder dry until I wrote about it — and be cordial to Caldwell. But I do think the piece is worth reading and I do think it’s interesting. It’s interesting because it further bolsters the complaint — fair or unfair — against the Standard as a champion of statist conservatism. It’s worth reading because it reveals how one would go about fixing the problem (and I do think spam is a problem) once you decide that Uncle Sam is the right handyman.