Hal,
I think you would have to read Ms. Paterson’s work itself to determine whether her metaphor and any associated similes make sense.
The quote I pulled is the only reference to the circuit metaphor included in the encyclopedia entry. From your post, it seems possible that the original author and/or her biographer missed the mark.
If so, that’s a shame, since the point is valid that government causes more problems than it solves by trying to force results that should be left to the outcome of free markets.
