Trivia: The scene in which Buffy attempts to convince customers the hamburgers are made out of people spoofs the infamous climax of the Charlton Heston film Soylent Green.
Trivia: In the season 6 episode "Doublemeat Palace", Buffy has to get a job working at a local fast food joint. The writers went out of their way to make it seem like the most miserable, degrading job ever. After this episode aired, several fast food franchises in real life like Burger King pulled their ads from Buffy in protest.
Chosen answer: "So goes the nation" seems to have been used on many occasions, with various different US states in the "As .... goes" section. Most commonly it seems to be California that's considered to lead the way, but probably most other states have appeared in the lead role at some point or another. Other things have also been used - no less a person that Pope John Paul II said "As the family goes, so goes the nation...". The origin of the quote format is unclear - in US politics it goes back into the 19th century, when it was Maine that held the title spot, but, while no definitive origin is known, it seems highly likely that it goes back considerably further than that.
Tailkinker ★