There comes in the mail a rectangular piece. The envelop already warns, "DO NOT FOLD OR MUTILATE."

The card inside has holes. Also an eleven digit number. Also the message, "If there is any question about your account, please be sure to give this number. Do not fold or tear or staple this card. Thank you."

If we tender this holey document the proper respect and remit the amount it demands, it will go to an office and glide through a machine and register our eleven digit number as being paid up. The machine and the company will be happy with our holes. But our name might well mean nothing to them.

What’s been happening is this: some of you used to live in the country where you were acquainted with everyone on each quarter section of land. You knew their whole family history, all their bl…