Tom: When I was a young kid, being diagnosed by a doctor – not the mayor – with a communicable disease such as measles, whooping cough, mumps, chicken pox, etc. – resulted in a yellow “quarantine” sign being placed at our front door. This sign served as notice to others to stay away while, at the same time, we sicklings knew that we should stay inside lest we transmit the disease to others. I don’t ever remember any cops, bureaucrats, or other government-employed people-pushers coming around to see if we were being obedient.

The Best of Butler Shaffer