Happy President's Day
CATCHING WILD PIGS
There was a Chemistry professor in a large college that had some exchange students in the class.
One day, while the class was in the lab, the Prof. noticed one of the exchange students who kept rubbing his back and stretching as if his back hurt. The professor asked the young man what the matter was.
The student told him he had a bullet lodged in his back. He had been shot while fighting communists in his native country who were trying to overthrow his country's government and install a communist government.
In the midst of his story he looked at the professor and asked a strange question. He asked, 'Do you know how to catch wild pigs?'
The professor thought it was a joke and asked for the punch line.
The young man said this was no joke. 'You catch wild pigs by finding a suitable place in the woods and putting corn on the ground. The pigs find it and begin to come everyday to eat the free corn. When they are used to coming every day, you put a fence down one side of the place where they are used to coming. When they get used to the fence, they begin to eat the corn again and you put up another side of the fence. They get used to that and start to eat again. You continue until you have all four sides of the fence up with a gate in the last side. The pigs, who are used to the free corn, start to come through the gate to eat, then you slam the gate on them and catch the whole herd.
'Suddenly the wild pigs have lost their freedom. They run around and around inside the fence, but they are caught. Soon they go back to eating the free corn. They are so used to it that they have forgotten how to forage in the woods for themselves, so they accept their captivity.'
The young man then told the professor that was exactly what he is seeing happening in America!
'The government keeps pushing the people toward socialism and keeps spreading the free corn out in the form of programs such as supplemental income, tax credit for unearned income, tobacco subsidies, dairy subsidies, payments not to plant crops (CRP), welfare, medicine , drugs, etc, etc, etc. while the people continue to lose their freedom - just a little at a time. One should always remember: There is no such thing as a free Lunch ! Also, a politician will never provide a service for you cheaper than you can do it yourself.'
So, if you see that all of this wonderful government 'help' is a problem confronting the future of democracy in America , you might want to send this on to your friends. If you think the free ride is essential to your way of life then you will probably delete this email, but God help you when the gates slam shut! Listen closely to what the politicians are promising you - just maybe you will be able to tell who is about to slam the gate on America .
Have a safe holiday and remember "Ask not what the government can do for you....."
"A government big enough to give you everything you want, is big enough to take away everything you have."This story was sent to me by my very wise Aunt Lea.
Thomas Jefferson
CATCHING WILD PIGS
There was a Chemistry professor in a large college that had some exchange students in the class.
One day, while the class was in the lab, the Prof. noticed one of the exchange students who kept rubbing his back and stretching as if his back hurt. The professor asked the young man what the matter was.
The student told him he had a bullet lodged in his back. He had been shot while fighting communists in his native country who were trying to overthrow his country's government and install a communist government.
In the midst of his story he looked at the professor and asked a strange question. He asked, 'Do you know how to catch wild pigs?'
The professor thought it was a joke and asked for the punch line.
The young man said this was no joke. 'You catch wild pigs by finding a suitable place in the woods and putting corn on the ground. The pigs find it and begin to come everyday to eat the free corn. When they are used to coming every day, you put a fence down one side of the place where they are used to coming. When they get used to the fence, they begin to eat the corn again and you put up another side of the fence. They get used to that and start to eat again. You continue until you have all four sides of the fence up with a gate in the last side. The pigs, who are used to the free corn, start to come through the gate to eat, then you slam the gate on them and catch the whole herd.
'Suddenly the wild pigs have lost their freedom. They run around and around inside the fence, but they are caught. Soon they go back to eating the free corn. They are so used to it that they have forgotten how to forage in the woods for themselves, so they accept their captivity.'
The young man then told the professor that was exactly what he is seeing happening in America!
'The government keeps pushing the people toward socialism and keeps spreading the free corn out in the form of programs such as supplemental income, tax credit for unearned income, tobacco subsidies, dairy subsidies, payments not to plant crops (CRP), welfare, medicine , drugs, etc, etc, etc. while the people continue to lose their freedom - just a little at a time. One should always remember: There is no such thing as a free Lunch ! Also, a politician will never provide a service for you cheaper than you can do it yourself.'
So, if you see that all of this wonderful government 'help' is a problem confronting the future of democracy in America , you might want to send this on to your friends. If you think the free ride is essential to your way of life then you will probably delete this email, but God help you when the gates slam shut! Listen closely to what the politicians are promising you - just maybe you will be able to tell who is about to slam the gate on America .
Have a safe holiday and remember "Ask not what the government can do for you....."
I've heard this story before. Standard right wing blather intended to foster paranoia. Probably originated with some feudal lord trying to resist reforms pursuant to the Magna Carta. What about the rights, freedom and fortune those same oligarchs have taken from the rest of us in the name of the morally bankrupt banner of free market trickle-down economics? Or the damage they continue to inflict on the rest of us and the environment by trying to externalize the full costs of their profits? They've had their turn and look what they've done to us. Our current economic situation is the result of their attempts to implement that approach. Just as it was when they gave us the last depression. They mostly claim (rather self rightiously, I might add) to be apolitical Libertarians, of course, but don't let on that a Libertarian is simply someone whose philosophy is, "I got mine, you get yours, now get out of my way!"
ReplyDeleteSorry, I believe in the social contract and that we all have a stake in the success of our fellows.
Nice story but it's not quite relevant to what the fed is trying to do with TARP and Econ Recovery spending. While a few economists said we should not interfere and let the markets work its way out, the rest are supportive of fed intervention for fear of current recession turning into a deep depression. If not for the stimulus, we may see 25% unemployment or more as in 1930's. We pulled out of the deep hole only with the help of WWII. Let's hope we won't see WWIII.
ReplyDelete