Free Cake

"Let them eat cake," Marie Antoinette is reported -- probably inaccurately -- to have said upon learning that the French people were without bread. The almost certainly apocryphal phrase has over the centuries come to express the arrogance of rulers toward the suffering of the populace.

Today, though, it may have a different meaning. "Let them eat cake," our leaders seem to be saying, so long as it is government-approved cake, a subsidized dessert served to favored groups and paid for with debt and higher taxes. Many Americans are facing a bread shortage these days (at least in part because they borrowed too much dough, man) and federal handouts appear to be the preferred remedy. Of course this cake has strings, if you'll pardon the mixed metaphor. The result, many believe, is a diminution of individual freedom and private enterprise. The Treasury's takeover of GM -- which we renamed Government Motors a while back, before it became popular with headline writers across the country -- is seen by many as the latest example of overreach. Others argue that turning the auto company over to the government and the UAW is a necessary step to save a vital American industry.

The financial crisis and the election of Barack Obama have energized the debate about super-sized government. But it is a venerable discussion that touches all levels. Virginia, for instance, decided this year its citizens should be able to enjoy their cake in restaurants without the annoyance of being exposed to cigarette smoke. We believe the smoking ban deprives restaurant owners of their property rights. Others say it is a needed restriction that will improve public health.

Has government gone too far? Or not far enough? Tonight, at the newspaper's 25th Public Square, you'll have a chance to express your opinion -- in two-minute bites. Or simply listen to what others in the community have to say. The civil discussion begins at 7 p.m. in our downtown building at 300 E. Franklin Street. It will also be streamed online at TimesDispatch.com, keyword: Public Square. Look for coverage in tomorrow's news section and for an edited transcript in Sunday's Commentary section.

The Public Square will offer an opportunity not just to assess current trends, but also to delve deeper into defining the appropriate relationship between the government and the people. The constitution is, perhaps above all else, a document built to balance competing centers of power by instituting an ingenious set of checks on all forms of government authority. Are any of these constitutional protections truly in danger? Or are we simply experiencing age-old struggles that not only are unavoidable but are essential in a government that is divided by design?

Once the discussion has ended, at least for this evening, we'll be serving cake to all of our guests at 8 p.m -- in celebration of the 25th Square. No strings attached. Consider yourself invited. After all, we couldn't have done it without your support, your ideas, and your good Richmond manners.