honey or vinegar?

I've always subscribed to the old adage that you catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar. The point being that a polite, persuasive argument is usually more effective than simply taking shots at someone.

You'd be surprised how many times, though, that a seemingly smart person comes to city hall with a request and actually choses vinegar over honey.  I've never understood it.

I saw a little bit of vinegar in last week's Star Tribune by someone who I thought was a little more savvy. It appears I overestimated her.