Someone suggested recently that a Deadwood Institute be built to commemorate the immense sums of money spent on government failures. I spoke to a man from Deadwood, home for a time to Wyatt Earp and Wild Bill Hickok, and he was outraged that someone would equate him and his fellow townsmen with failure. He said:

I’ve lived in Deadwood all my life
First with my parents then my wife
I sent my kids to public school
Where they were taught the golden rule
We been here since the West was wild
And that’s why I’m so doggoned riled
We mind our business, work real hard
We take care of our house and yard
When rough times come we clear the decks
Ain’t no one here gets welfare checks
A kid I was, still had my hair
I sat in Wild Bill Hickok’s chair
A winning hand, aces and eights
Next thing he knew, the pearly gates
The wife says you just leave us be
The only deadwood here is me