I wanted to draw your attention to the iPhone photo I took of Monday’s WSJ. Keep in mind, this was on page one of the Marketplace section.

Now read that second paragraph. Let it roll on your tongue.

What if the social-networking company is able to scoop up a few dollars per user per month, instead of the paltry few cents it does now?

Now, let’s play mad libs to show just how god awful stupid this formulation is.

What if I could c–p solid gold, instead of the feces I do now?

What if McDonald’s employees made a million dollars a month, instead of the minimum wage they do now?

What if Todd Akin were a rational human being, instead of the brainless misogynist he is now?

You can do this all freaking day.

So yes, Wall Street Journal writer, what if? What if something that’s true now, were very different in some future time? Things would be different, wouldn’t they? I should write that down in case I forget: ‘Note to self – if things change in the future, things will also be different.’ That’s some mind-blowing stuff. I hope someone gets paid money to publish it.