The grasshoppers and the ants (2010 version)

Little-Acorn

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Somewhat different from the Billary days.

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http://spectator.org/archives/2010/03/09/the-grasshopper-and-the-ants

The Grasshopper and the Ants

By Joseph Shattan on 3.9.10 @ 6:07AM

Once upon a time, there was a happy-go-lucky grasshopper who lived only to have fun. All through the long summer days, he would sing and dance, and laugh at the industrious ants who were busily preparing for winter. But then cruel winter came, and the grasshopper was starving. In desperation, he approached the ants' nest and begged for food. "You should have danced less and worked more," the ants scolded him, but then, being basically kind-hearted creatures, they decided to give him a few of their hard-won crumbs.

The next summer was exactly like the one before: Once more, the ants worked without pause, while the grasshopper sang and danced. When winter came, he appealed to the ants again, only this time, he brought his 10,000 children along with him. "It's thanks to your kindness," he said, "that I made it through the winter, and was able to father these little ones. Surely, you won't let us all starve to death."

The ants convened a meeting of their Council to decide what to do. On the one hand, they felt a certain responsibility for the grasshopper and his huge brood; on the other hand, feeding 10,000 growing grasshoppers could make a serious dent in their winter provisions.

Finally, one Council member had a brilliant idea. "Let's just take some food from the hardest-working ants. They've got more than enough, and won't mind sharing their good fortune with the needy grasshoppers."

The Council-of-Ants thought this was a splendid plan, and quickly acted on it. As a result, the grasshoppers survived the winter, the ants congratulated themselves on their compassion, and hardly anyone noticed that the hardest-working ants, whose food had been seized, left the nest in disgust.

Summer came around once again, and once again the grasshoppers danced and sang, while the ants toiled and saved. But without the hardest-working ants to do the heavy-lifting, the ants did not get very much accomplished, and barely accumulated enough food to get themselves through the winter.

And then, one cold and snowy day, the ants heard an ominous rumble approaching ever-closer. It was the sound of a million grasshoppers, all converging on their tiny ant-hill. "Since time immemorial," Grandfather Grasshopper solemnly declared, "the ant people have shared their winter provisions with the grasshopper people. We demand that you do so now, immediately, or we'll destroy your nest, and take by force what is rightfully ours."

This is how the Dilemma of the Welfare State, aka the Entitlement Crisis, came into the world.
 
Werbung:
Isn't it hilarious how hard the leftist fanatics try to avoid the real point of the OP? :D :D :D

What is hilarious is the expectation that a chintzy little tale can make a pronouncement on a complex social issue.

Did the ants believe in "right to life?" Maybe they did and that's why they kept feeding the grasshoppers. At least, they would be consistent.

That's important because we don't want to fall into a big conservative contradiction:

Good collectivism is forcing every child to be brought to term, bad collectivism is paying to feed them.
 
Every chance I get.

(Ask a stupid question.....) :rolleyes:

Far from stupid sir.
I am only pointing to the contradictionairy in your story.
Explain to me what the difference is in helping e.g. your starving brother but not do the same thing for your neighbour.

Then again we already know huh.... u don't care?
 
Did the ants believe in "right to life?" Maybe they did and that's why they kept feeding the grasshoppers.

Your "right to life" means that no one is allowed to take your life, i.e. to murder you. It is derived from the most fundamental right of all: Your right to be left alone.

It doesn't mean that everyone else is obligated to preserve your life by feeding you while you do nothing to feed yourself, however able-bodied. They have the right to be left alone, too - you cannot obligate them to feed you.

As usual, the socialists carefully misunderstand that, every time. They have no choice: It blows their entire philosophy out of the water.
 
Your "right to life" means that no one is allowed to take your life, i.e. to murder you. It is derived from the most fundamental right of all: Your right to be left alone.

It doesn't mean that everyone else is obligated to preserve your life by feeding you while you do nothing to feed yourself, however able-bodied. They have the right to be left alone, too - you cannot obligate them to feed you.

As usual, the socialists carefully misunderstand that, every time. They have no choice: It blows their entire philosophy out of the water.

As usual, u think that there is only a) A capitalist and b) A socialist
Perfect example of your narrow minded views.
 
As usual, u think that there is only a) A capitalist and b) A socialist
Perfect example of your narrow minded views.

And as usual, you do nothing to (a) refute that contention, or (b) respond in any way to the other facts presented in the post. The latter is understandable, since you can't.

Perfect example of a useless, whiny post.
 
Werbung:
Why is it that the left is only concerned for the "rights" of the needy and lazy. Do the people that actually get their money stolen have no rights?

I think that's what Acorn is saying. No one is being stopped from workiing and providing for themselves. If they won't, why should someone else be burdoned?


As for thsoe that are truly disabled and in need (not just plain lazy), tell the local, state, and federal govts to quit squandering our tax money and take care of them.
 
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