Politicians: Mall Santas in Disguise

Cafe Hayek has a really fun posting comparing the Santa Claus in a mall to politicians: people/children ask for stuff and expect it to be provided at no cost to themselves even if providing it will require the use of real, scarce resources. What a great example of rent-seeking behaviour!
When we were young, my friends and I were candy-cane rent seekers -- we'd visit Santa for the candy canes, not because we thought we'd get the stuff we asked for.