the lessons you learn from children's television...

[chhotii]

Clearly, the Island of Sodor is some kind of experiment in having a centrally-planned economy. You can see how it doesn't work out too well. Sir Topham Hatt works his ass off trying to micro-manage everything, and they keep having near-disasters-- some tank engine has a snit while fetching the grain, and everyone nearly misses having their morning toast, that kind of thing. And being So Important by virtue of having to micro-manage everything is giving Hatt quite the swelled head. He always has those flunkies on bodyguard duty. I think he's going to grow into quite the despotic dictator.

(As soon as Sophia is well enough to go out and see people, we will stop watching so much TV, I swear...)