A. Barton Hinkle on Subsidies As Satire

The line separating real life from parody is so exceedingly thin that it can be hard to tell which is which—especially in Washington. So let's stipulate right at the outset that the American Mustache Institute's pursuit of a $250 federal tax deduction for men with mustaches is a joke. Yet like all good satire, writes A. Barton Hinkle, its humor contains serious comment.