"The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, ‘I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.'’'
Ronald Reagan's 1986 statement still invokes chuckles on the right and some nostalgia for the general good nature of his gibes.
But the sentiment behind it remains one of the most destructive forces in our politics.
If you bemoan the shutdown of so many federal agencies and regularly ask yourself why our two parties seem to be at sword's point on just about everything, you will not find an adequate explanation for our troubles in vague claims that "both sides" have become "extreme.