Last month, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro unveiled the state’s latest wheeze: a “Ministry of Supreme Social Happiness”. This new arm of government, promises Maduro, will carry out social programmes in the name of “moving beyond the capitalist order”. It comes hot on the heels of another “Orwellian” initiative: the creation of a “Loyalty and Love to Hugo Chávez Day”. The nation is plagued by 50% inflation, high crime and rolling power blackouts. The World Bank rates it as one of the worst places to do business in the world, on a par with Burma and the Democratic Republic of Congo ……. The patience of Venezuelans is “wearing thin”. (Daily Beast, New York).

Epicurus would say that all extremism is bad – bad for the originators and bad for the so-called “beneficiaries”. All the same Ministry of Supreme Social Happiness sounds like an idea whose time has come. Let’s see, what would bring Supreme Social Happiness to the United States? Everyone paying a fair rate of tax, perhaps? Knowing that everyone has the same start in life and education? Sensible remuneration for CEOs? A correction to the outrageous income inequality? Come on, President Obama, get with it!