A metaphor for government......

No, not the hopper... but the thing on the wall next to it.

It's reported to be a 'Toilet Paper Dispenser', and it appeared one day from the blue. A maintenance man took down the old unit, which had rolls of standard industrial grade sand paper, and installed this..... thing.

As I was seated next to it one day (Roll of REAL toilet paper in hand), I had time to contemplate this.... thing.

With a flash, I realized it's a near perfect metaphor for government (or school administration).

No one knows who decided to put it there, no one was asked if they wanted it, and no one likes it. It looks shiny and promises to do something useful, but in operation actually does nothing but cause frustration. The more one attempts to make it perform it's duty, the more it resists useful operation, and the more frustration it causes. In the end, one must make plans to take care of ones own needs, as the shiny thing which promised to do so merely hangs around in expensive and arrogant impotence, mocking those it reputes to serve.