At Home in the Parliament of Whores Summary and Analysis

O'Rourke introduces the New Hampshire town where he lives, calling it "Blatherboro." He describes it almost idyllic terms. The area is small-town beautiful. Everyone is friendly, hard-working, and considerate. Even the Blatherboro government is pleasant. Every year, O'Rourke attends a town meeting where people crowd into a high-school gym to sit in uncomfortable metal chairs. There they discuss budgetary and zoning matters, with individuals representing the interests of the groups to which they belong.

In the front row are the elderly retirees who moved to New Hampshire because of its tax policy, New Hampshire being one of the few states that doesn't collect taxes. The retirees, whom O'Rourke clearly doesn't much approve of, spend much of their time trying to think of ways to "improve" Blatherboro. Seated in the...