Missouri-born Protestant theologian Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971) is usually credited with writing one of my favorite prayers, The Serenity Prayer. Various versions exist, but the one I grew up with goes:
God
Grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change
The courage to change those things that I can
And the wisdom to know the difference
Where I come from, though, it is in bad taste to pray for oneself. So I submit to you today a new, more public-spirited version of the Serenity Prayer, one that I hope you will say every chance that you get:
Dear Lord,
Puhleeeeze, please, please, please
Grant THE GOVERNMENT the serenity
To accept the things that it cannot possibly change, like prices and quantities
The courage to change those things that it can, like the arcane rules of the Senate and scientifically gerrymandered Congressional districts
And the wisdom to implement Pareto improving policies that keep the devil way down in the hole
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhmeeeeeeeeeeeeeennnnnnnn
