I left the city that my parents lived in back in 1980, and while they seemed to yo-yo between residences Chicago and Kansas City, I bounced around like a ping-pong ball from city to city in following a career. As a consequence, my mother and I have not been in the same city for a Mother's Day in over 30 years.
This year we are both living in Kansas City, but she left town Friday with one of my sisters to attend the requiem ceremony of my uncle Gordy. We will therefore once again be apart on this day that celebrates female progenitors.
For those of you who unaware of the history of this holiday in the US, it is said to have been the results of three women, Ann Jarvis, her daughter Anna, and Julia Ward Howe. Ann Jarvis apparently began the effort by forming a committee calling for a "Mother's Friendship Day" in 1868, continuing efforts in pacification that included her treating wounded on both sides of the Civil War. Julia Ward Howe (also famous for writing the "Battle Hymn of the Republic") later added the "Mother's Day Proclamation", in reaction to the death and destruction of both the American Civil War and the Franco-Prussian War. Ann's daughter Anna took up the cause during her mother's life and continued promoting the concept after her death. It became an official US holiday in 1914, after not only all of the States had declared it so, but Congress passed a law, and President Wilson issue a proclamation. (This might be considered a bit of typical government overkill, but I have it on good information that even politicians have mothers.)
As for the excellence of my own, even the words of someone who likes to believe that they are rather good at stringing them together simply fail at trying to describe this woman. She is at once both patient and strong, loving and giving, fierce defender and kind critic. She is also the family's memory, being able to call on some vast reserve of memory which no one else possesses (certainly not this humble scribbler) to connect a face with a name, a lineage, and personal stories either touching,funny, or both.
That her reserves are both endless and overflowing can be illustrated no more simply than by saying that she has managed to put up with this Curmudgeon for over fifty-five years (something no other woman has yet come close to managing).
To say therefore on this Mother's Day that I deeply love and respect this woman is to damn with faint praise. Since she is halfway across the country however, it will have to suffice. I hope that each of you, will manage to celebrate not only this day of mothers, but with them as well.
Happy Mother's Day!
An experiment was tried this weekend, and it resulted in the second effort in as many days being posted online at ToledoFreePress.com. In a piece titled, "When the Levy Breaks", I manage to tie together spring flooding, misuse of public transportation money on a levy, and a Led Zeppelin song.
The attempted effort was a lot of fun, and something that I hope comes up again. I have little doubt however, that in spite of my altruistic motives, this will not see me advanced on a "Stairway to Heaven".
There is nothing more true in our lives than that we are constantly forced to move on with them. Time in fact has no respect for our longing for it to stand still and little care for our desire to have things remain as they are, for however brief a period. In fact, we often question whether time is as impersonal as we are led to believe, as it often seems that eventful change is secretly accumulated in places that we are not aware of and used to surprise us when least expected.
The only constant that seems to hold sway is that just when we believe that we have some level of control over the change that's going on in our lives, some almost malevolent entity in charge of this process decides to illustrate otherwise; and often in ways that insure we clearly understand how little we actually do control.
Now some moving on is simply moving on, and those of you reading this blog recognize that I only recently concluded a change of residence. While the move itself was only a short distance, making sure that your stuff is properly prepared to be taken from one place to another is always an 'interesting' experience. The fact that much of mine had been in storage for some time, and that I had therefore lost all recollection of where things were packaged, made (and still makes) the unpacking experience particularly exciting.
Some of you also may know that my mother was moving at almost the same time, in her case from a place where she had lived for a number of years. Downsizing from a four-bedroom home to a two-bedroom condo also presents some unique and 'interesting' challenges and choices as well. Leaving a home that you had shared with someone for many years presents one with emotional baggage that must also be properly organized and carefully packed away.
Few of you probably know that my mother's move was complicated further by a construction delay to her new home. It seems that the electrical contractor had failed as a business (and may have stiffed some of its employees in the process). Understanding souls that these workers were, these soon-to-be former employees reacted by cutting internal wiring (that they had just installed) in the building on their way out, punishing innocent bystanders as well as the development company in charge of the project.
As a consequence of this poor planning and execution, and of her own good planning in setting up the preparation and sale of her house, she will be forced to move into a hotel for a couple of weeks while the builder attempts to complete her new home. She will then be blessed with yet another move, this time finally into what will become her new home.
In the midst of this however, we received notice that my uncle, Gordon Higgins, passed away in Seattle last weekend. He had been ill for some time (I believe setting a medical record for the number of simultaneous cancers that he had in the process) and this passing was probably inevitable; but its timing was unexpected and as always, tragic.
In fact, Gordy had been holding the Grim Reaper at bay for years with with much of what modern medicine could provide, but more importantly with an indomitable spirit and an unflagging optimism that were always his trademark. In fact my uncle Gordy may have been one of the strongest, the finest, and the most kindly souls that it has ever been my pleasure to come across. His gentle spirit and good humor will be missed in ways that I'm sure none of us who knew him can yet comprehend.
My sympathies (in the unfortunate absence of my presence) go out with my mother and sister to his family out West.
And though I am sure that he would wish all of those who loved him to celebrate his life and go forward with our own, his passing marks yet another example of how life insists we move on. You see, he was the last of my uncles on either side of the family, and his passing carries with it the subtle yet convincing message of the fragility of each of our existences.
For regardless of the conviction that we are still in the prime of our years (and in spite of the almost constant messages to the contrary that our bodies send us), each of gets a small step closer to the end than the beginning with each passing day.
Perhaps then the message to uncover in the midst of the anxiety, confusion, and heartache that each move brings us is to treasure each and every day we are granted while dealing with the trials of advancing from one point in life to the next.
We must treasure as well, those who have in some way, through friendship or love, touched our lives; and thus become such an vital part of this movement.
For in the end, it is this friendship and love that is perhaps the only thing worth carrying with us as we find ourselves moving on ...
Bad government is like bad medicine. It can not only be time consuming and annoying to deal with, but can ultimately be life-threatening.
These were the thoughts running through my mind (and encountering little in the way of obstacles or resistance), as I sat down and penned this week's effort for the Toledo Free Press.
The result, "Treating the Symptoms" is not a bad little effort; though I must apologize in advance for some of the typos and grammar errors.
It appears that attempting to do my best writing when exhausted by a long day of work and continued unpacking, and editing that's performed before the sun comes up the following morning, is not the proper way to prepare an effort worthy of the TFP.
I promise to make a greater effort in the future to eliminate such errors, leaving only those of perception and opinion in my work.
As I write this post, I have not yet had the chance to go through this weekend's edition myself, but feel sure that with all that's going on in the Glass City that it will be one well worth reading. I hope that each of you will find the time this Mother's Day weekend to catch up on everything worth knowing in NW Ohio by spending some time with your mom and Toledo's largest Sunday circulation newspaper, the Toledo Free Press.
Warning: This posting will contain adult language and adult concepts. Those who find either offensive or unacceptable may wish to leave this site now.
Seldom in recent history have we been treated to such a series of media sideshows in such a short period. In fact both literally and figuratively, it has been a three-ring circus.
In ring one we have the president and his birth certificate. Of course the President always had one, but there had been some lingering question over where it had been issued from. Mr Obama had already released his short form birth certificate, a document normally good enough to get a passport issued by this country, but apparently not enough for some of the sideshow geeks and freaks (including one potential presidential candidate) whose tin-foil hats were on just a little too tight.
Now while I have some experience with tin foil predicaments, I have to tell you that this one was mostly manufactured by a Mainstream Media on a mission, that continued to ask the question long after almost everyone had lost interest in the answer.
The President of course, was perfectly willing to let them have their way with the situation, as it provided a bit of comic relief and misdirection from bad economic reports, worse foreign policy reports, and reports of horrendous approval numbers.
Content to assume the role of innocent victim in this, the President finally brought out the long form Certificate Of Live Birth, which only allowed those who spend most of their time biting heads off of chickens on a political right gone so far around the bend as to be almost left again, to question its authenticity as well.
Meanwhile self-appointed Ringmaster Donald tipped his top hat (exposing a haircut far worse that any forged document) and patted himself on the back for allowing the president to make him simultaneously a front runner in Republican poling and a caricature.
In ring two we have the royal wedding. Don't get me wrong here, while managing to miss every bit of the coverage (both during and subsequent to the event) I hear it was both a beautiful ceremony and majestic spectacle, that the dress Kate wore was lovely, and that Prince William looked grand in his military uniform. Of course I place such information in the same category as the fact that the first married couple shown sleeping together in the same bed on TV were ... (wait for it) "Fred and Wilma Flintstone".
The marriage of two people turned into the initiation ceremony in an out-of-date monarchy in Great Britain should only be news for Cosmo and People magazine (and of course TMZ). The fact that every mainstream media outlet and news network felt obligated to send front line anchors and reporters to cover what was billed as the biggest marriage ceremony since .... Prince William's parents, is a commentary on society in general and what reporting the news in particular has sunk to. That a country that recently had to scale back services that it provided to its citizens had to shell out for the security and ancillary costs of such an event speaks volumes to the concept of giving 'bread and circuses' to the peasants.
By the way, I hope that the newlyweds are very happy together, produce lots of little princes and princess (hopefully without their grandfather's hideous ears), and manage to stay out of the news for a very long time.
In ring three we have perhaps the main event, the killing of Osama bin Laden. Now there is little doubt that this POS deserved to die. That being said, the Navy Seals who actually carried out the mission may have been doing the bastard a favor. He was after all rumored to be in failing health, with stories (yet unproven) that he required use of a dialysis machine regularly.
Even more incredible than this bastard's death however, is the strange stories that continue to come out surrounding it. He had a gun ... well no, actually he didn't. He used his wife as a human shield ... well, not so much. He resisted being taken. He resisted being taken? Let me tell you, while never having faced Navy Seals in hostile territory, under enemy fire, and with public enemy number one right in front of them; I would suggest that the ability of a 53 year-old terrorist to resist is hardly something of concern.
Of course the politicians, in typical fashion, quickly moved beyond the heroic efforts of those whose sweat and blood were expended in this effort and to the front of the parade. Instead of tales of the personal heroism of troops on the ground, we were regaled with stories of the bravery and strength of character of politicians and shiny pants generals who made the decision that someone (and not them) needed to go into harms way.
We were shown pictures of an inner circle, none of whom has probably carried a weapon, let alone fired it in anger; with sleeves rolled up and glaring intently at the televised version of events like it was the final episode of "Terrorist Survivor" (which of course, it was).
Then of course there was the courtesy done to this murdering piece of crap after first doing him the discourtesy of killing him. We must of course insure that the body was buried within the 24 hour period as required by Muslim tradition, and it was felt that a burial at sea would prevent pilgrimages to his grave site, even one that would no doubt have been kept secret (well as secret as governments are capable of keeping things).
Personally I would have preferred to have seen him get the same burial treatment that Hitler got, doused in gasoline and set on fire, but no one called to ask me. If they really felt the need for a burial at sea however, using the body of this now former terrorist to chum the water for sharks would have been more than suitable as funerary arrangements with me.
In the end however, we have little or nothing for the 'big blow off' and little to show for what should have been the big finish of the week. No body, no real proof of the killing; not even a picture of the corpse that the tin-foil hats could argue over the authenticity of. We are told that a picture may be released at some point, though its graphic depiction may be disturbing. (Has anyone at the White House watched HBO lately?)
We may have achieved a form of vengeance on this evil person, but to what purpose? Will terrorism stop now? Will we be able to stop flying over Libya, pull out of Iraq or Afghanistan (or South Korea, Germany, Japan, Saudi Arabia, or the hundred other places around the world where we have troops deployed)? Will this mean that the intrusive surveillance measures of 'The Patriot Act', passed for our protection, will now be withdrawn. Will we now be able to fly without being scoped or groped and feel safe in the 'friendly skies' again?
Will any of these circus acts get those who need and want it a good paying job, lower their taxes, or reduce the crushing national deficit that threatens this nation's very existence?
Of course not, but they were great fun and a wonderful distraction for many while they lasted. What's more, they were all good theater and helped flagging network TV ratings.
And though they appear to be over for now, don't despair. There's always the usual brand of clowns to keep us at least mildly entertained while we wait for the big top to return. And there's little doubt of course, that the media circus will indeed be in town again soon.
Though not a student of popular culture, I have been known to enjoy a good movie now and then. While certainly not one of the greats, one that I seldom pass by when it's shown on TV is the 1965 Mark Robson film starring Frank Sinatra and Trevor Howard, "Von Ryan's Express".
For those of you who have never seen it, it's the story of an American P-38 pilot (Col. Joseph Ryan) who's shot down and captured by the Italians. Sent to a prisoner-of-war camp in Italy, he joins a number of British troops that have been incarcerated there for some time.
Apparently now content to sit out the war himself, Colonel Ryan shows the Italians escape tunnels that his fellow prisoners have been working on in order to see medicine and clothing properly distributed to them.
When soon after this apparently traitorous act, the Italians surrender to Allied troops and the guards flee, they leave behind the brutal Italian commandant "Battaglia" who Ryan spares when prisoners want to hang him.
When German troops move in to take over the camp, the once contrite Battaglia cheers as they place the prisoners on a train for Austria, shooting the sick ones and earning Sinatra the title of "Von Ryan".
In a daring bid however, Ryan and the prisoners take over the train and attempt to use it to make a run to neutral Switzerland. One step ahead of a German troop train, they make a made dash through occupied territory on the Italian railroad system. Just as the train is about to reach the Swiss border however, and after repairing damaged track that will lead to freedom, Ryan is killed while running to catch up to the last car of the train ... and reach his goal.
I couldn't help but think of this movie as I contemplated the fate of the 'Ryan Budget' in Washington DC. For those of you unfamiliar with this story, it's the tale of a Wisconsin Congressional Representative, long held captive by a House intent on imprisoning American taxpayers through rampant over-borrowing and over-spending. When few elected officials had the courage to do so, this Ryan committed the apparently traitorous act of attempting to solve the runaway cost problems of Social Security, Medicare, and Medcaid funding. By doing so, he has attempted to lead prisoners known as taxpayers out of the internment camp of spiraling debt and taxes.
His plan may have its faults and may not properly cover all contingencies, but it carries the benefit of being the only realistic plan yet proposed in any detail to solve the problems.
Like his movie counterpart (and I'm sure that Rep Ryan would not object to being compared to Sinatra in his heyday), this leader has likewise been demonized by many of those around him. And while those doing so present no practical alternative his plan, they seem intent on accusing him of "shooting the prisoners" personified by our aging and poor; making him the modern day version of 'Von Ryan'.
This latest escape is making a desperate attempt to find its way through a hostile territory filled with subsidies, grants, and entitlements.
It's pursued through Congress by a troop train full of deficit doves in both houses, with few having anything but evil intent for someone trying to lead these prisoners to some vestiges of long-term financial freedom. Intent on recapturing the American public and continuing to subject them to a 'sweatbox' of out-of-control bureaucracy, increasing regulation, and intensified government scrutiny; they pursue Ryan with little on their minds but preserving their own power and lavish lifestyles, while spending this country into bankruptcy.
Still, Ryan at least attempts answers for a deficit more firmly entrenched than any opposing army. He at least strikes a blow against special interest spending that has warped what was once a free market, and confronts federal entitlement programs that will surely conquer us if we don't fight back now.
Republicans in the House appear to already have the train moving down the tracks, passing this budget by a vote of 235-193; but there seems little hope that it will get far enough for a vote in the Senate, let alone passage. There seems even less hope for it to cross a border where an alternative plan will be discovered, let alone discussed.
As for the President, he seems content to remain in command of the railroad, throwing rocks at the trains as they pass. Neither he nor his party appear able to give the same detailed strategy for escape, but feel free to demonize Ryan and his. While giving a number of recent speeches on his already launched 2012 campaign, President Obama has chosen to play the role of the Italian commandant Battaglia from the movie (played to the hilt by Adolfo Celi). One moment playing the victim and repudiating the fascism of the existing system, the next betraying the spirit of compromise that he claims to foster by his constant partisan sniping.
I can only hope that the modern Ryan does not in the end, suffer the same fate of his movie counterpart. There are an awful lot of people taking shots at him, and while their aim may not be good, the law of averages (and Congressional history) certainly seems to be against him. There are few enough leaders in this country that appear willing to take such a risk and even fewer men of courage and intelligence in Congress today to lose one when we might actually be on the verge of freedom.
The easiest pieces to write are the ones that you can find a good 'hook' for. I had been thinking about rising oil prices for some time, but just couldn't find a way to tie it all together. A combination of two classic films did it for me, and resulted in "The Usual Suspects", my first effort in over two weeks for the Toledo Free Press.
While the current Administration gets some of the current blame, there is more than enough to go around on both sides of the aisle in over 30 years of failing to come up with a coherent, substantive, and intelligent energy policy in this country. All we get instead is special interest groups vying for government grants and subsidies while taxpayers get left high and dry (literally and figuratively).
This is too early in the TFP week to know what it will have in store for the Glass City; but the only way you're going to be able to keep up will be to read both the mid-week TFP Star edition and Toledo's largest Sunday circulation newspaper, the Toledo Free Press.
The end of April fast approaches, and this year it finds me in the final stages of packing. It seems that it's once more imperative to relocate the headquarters of Just Blowing Smoke Inc (perhaps all that smoke is getting to the neighbors); to an undisclosed location in a nondescript building somewhere near downtown Mission, Kansas.
While not overly concerned with the efforts required by an experience that has become all too familiar in my recent past, it will present some minor inconveniences that must be dealt with.
For example, since "Just Blowing Smoke" is in fact a web log, posting might prove a bit of a challenge until my Internet connection is properly re-establish.
I have already scheduled the installation of a new rack of servers to handle increased bandwidth requirements, fiber optic and wireless connectivity for all of the access terminals, and a massive satellite dish to insure that I will have direct access to the worldwide network of information that's the heartbeat of the organization. (OK, I scheduled an evil cable company to come in and get me hooked up.) I'm also thinking it might also help to get my desk, chair, and computer moved; but I could be wrong on that.
(Oh my God, I just realized I could be without Facebook for over 24 hours! What will I do? What will I do?)
Of course, being forced to take a short break does in theory allow me to recharge my batteries and perhaps even acquire greater skill with which to dazzle my small (and some would say rather twisted) audience. The truth of the matter is that by now, this audience is probably even more in need of a break from my efforts than I am.
This is not the end of "Just Blowing Smoke" however, but just a minor interruption in service (no matter how many might hope for it).
While I will probably manage a mid-week post, it's doubtful that I will produce anything during the weekend of the move. I look forward to finally becoming settled in the new digs, to once again becoming electronically connected to family and friends, and to once more holding forth on issues large and small in the way that only I can ... badly.
Until then, smoke 'em if you got 'em ...
I am often taken by the necessity these days for a healthy sense of the ridiculous. Not only does it keep my blood pressure at relatively safe levels without the use of prescription medication, but it allows me to step back and consider some of the troubling issues of life without simply 'reacting' to them out of hand.
Oh don't get me wrong, I probably get just as angry as anyone else at the nonsense going on in the world; but this approach allows me to consider them rationally (or at least as rationally as I consider anything). I simply think that my over-inflated sense of irony and sarcasm allow me to keep it all in something like a proper perspective. In fact, it only through them that I believe that any of us stands a chance of not falling prey to all the hype that the world seems intent to force upon us.
'Birthers' want to believe that President Obama was not born in this country. Who cares at this point? Setting aside that we should assume that someone vetted his citizenship when he first ran for office, we are failing to focus the silliness of continuing the argument at this point. Maybe we should concentrate on what the man does with the position he has been elected to and not where he was born.
Environmentalists appear to think that the planet would be better off without human beings, but refuse to take themselves out of the picture as a way to prime the pump. This seems a failure in principle as well as practice. As for me, I think that the Earth is probably far better off with me, my family and friends, and most of the people who read this blog still on it. Such thinking probably makes me a selfish bastard who would rather see the planet ruined as long as I get to live on it. OK, let's assume that this is the case, get some T-shirts printed up, and get this party started!
Organized religion, for all of the good that it has done the world, has perpetrated an equal or greater part of the evil in it in the process. Not being smart enough to understand the mind of God, the truth of His message as delivered through the Scriptures of the various religions, or the correctness of one message over another (like mi Amigo Roland Hansen looks at in one of his recent postings); I concede that an answer for the question may not even be possible to arrive at. What I do know however, is that the more something becomes structured, the more it becomes rigid (government has the same problem). Most organized religions today seemed concerned with telling us why the other guy is wrong than why they are right, and losing the original message and the moral high ground in the process.
Politics in this country has become all about political parties lately. No one seems to care if the right thing is being done as long as their team is ahead on points. Truthfully, there seems little difference between Democrats and Republicans, except perhaps the pace at which they run the country in the wrong direction. Libertarians have some great ideas, but can't seem to come to grips with the concepts of organization, and find themselves mostly on the sidelines as a consequence.
And while both major parties have our attention focused on another meaningless debate about how many angels can dance on the head of a pin, they're doing damage to all of us and lining their own pockets. (Have you noticed how many career politicians becoming millionaires while making $175,000 per year?)
We are being told that electric cars will be a solution for our oil dependency and for the environment, but no one seems to be able to tell us where the electricity to charge the batteries on these cars is going to come from (or how to keep them from catching fire). Last time I looked, most of that electricity in the world came from power plants that burned coal, oil, or gas. Oh sure, there's some coming from wind, solar, and nuclear power plants too, but certainly not the greater portion (and we haven't built a nuclear plant in 30 years or more). So if we all buy the electric cars they want us to, where will the power come from? What strain will this put on an already over-burdened national electric grid? What will evil power companies be able to charge us for this electricity when we are forced to rely them instead of evil oil companies?
We are once again in the middle of a religious holiday co-mingled with ancient pagan customs. While Christians remember and celebrate the sacrifice made on their behalf; they and others will nevertheless revel as they stuff themselves with chocolate bunnies (save the ears for me), jelly beans, and festively colored hard-boiled eggs. Few if any find anything curious in the apparently contradictory celebrations of death from life and spring fertility symbols and practices.
But I can sit quietly in my man-cave, viewing all of this with the twisted perspective that has served me well for many years. You know come to think of it, even early in my college days, I was chastised by a tenured philosophy professor for my lack of reverence and attempts at clever asides to the pontifications of those hailed as men of wisdom. I was told in fact that I was, "the living example of the absurdity of life".
Rather than becoming incensed with the remark, I found myself instead rather flattered by it. As the years have gone by, I have come to realize that life is indeed for the most part ludicrous, contradictory, and ridiculous. I find no shame in attempting to treat it as such, and in embodying such an approach to it. In fact, I would venture to state that it's only by doing so can we hope to remain healthy.
It has been some time since we have delved into the world of Fractured Fairy Tales, a lapse for which I heartily apologize. It seems that the Just Blowing Smoke librarian misplaced this tome during one of the inventory relocations of recent months. Rest assured that this lackadaisical lexicographer will be properly disciplined.
But enough of ancient history. It's time once more to journey to the land of "Once Upon A Time" for a twisted little tale about economic theory and reality as understood by two common pests.
Once Upon A Time (see I told you) in the land of YouAssAye there were an Ant and a Grasshopper who ran for Congress (and you thought it was only rats). Both were elected, and soon began to determine their party's fiscal policy within government.
The Ant said that government should be careful about spending everyone's hard-earned tax dollars. He told us that he would do everything in his power to be more responsible and thrifty with everyone's money. He also told us that it was not the job of government to spend tax dollars in a vain attempt to protect taxpayers from all of the bad things that might happen to them.
Now many said that the Ant did this in order to pander to the richest in society, and to reassure them that as little of their money would be taken from them in taxes as possible. They said that by telling them this, the Ant was not only assuring their continued support to keep him in his cushy government job, but encouraging them to contribute to his campaigns to help him do so. (... and they might be right.)
The Grasshopper had an entirely different economic philosophy. (I know, who knew that Ants and Grasshoppers had economic philosophies? But heck, this is a fairy tale. Give me break here.) The Grasshopper understood that sometimes taxpayers fall on hard times and needed to be helped. He told us that life is hard and mostly unfair, giving most of the breaks (and money) to those who didn't deserve it. He told us government needs to be there to provide a safety net for those most in need and least able to take care of themselves; and to help redress the terrible injustice of unfairly distributed wealth in the YouAssAye.
Now many said that the Grasshopper did this in order to pander to the poorest in society, and to reassure them that whether they were in actual need or just simply lazy, the government would see to their every want and need. They said that by telling them this, the Grasshopper was not only assuring their continued support to keep him in his cushy government job, but encouraging them to contribute to his campaigns to help him do so. (... and they might be right.)
Strangely enough, no matter whether the party of the Ant or that of the Grasshopper was in charge, the government of the YouAssAye continued to spend more money than it was taking in. This was bad of course, but none of the money was actually theirs, and spending it on projects large and small made a great many people very happy (you know, like lobbyists, special interests groups, and sometimes even large corporations). So they went ahead and did it, and refused to think about what harm could come one day.
Some years were better than others and some were worse of course; but even when they used accounting tricks only allowed to governments (using them outside of government usually got you some time in secure government provided housing), there was no denying that the YouAssAye was getting further and further into debt as a nation. Finally the situation got so bad that people who rated debt thought it was too much and even those in government decided that something must be done.
The Ant told us that it was imperative that we stop this runaway train perpetrated on society by the Grasshopper, and only by putting him in charge was there any way to bring it to a halt before it went off the tracks. He told us that it wasn't a problem of revenue (taxes), but one of spending that only he knew how to best handle.
The Grasshopper told us that the train was indeed a runaway, but that it was the fault of the Ant. He said that it wasn't a problem of spending, but of revenue; and only by getting those who could afford it to pay their fair share could the impending wreck of this runaway train be prevented. He said that only he could prevent such disaster.
The truth of the matter is that both the Ant and the Grasshopper were right. There are economic realities that must be faced no matter how grim they are. There are likewise some people doing better financially than others and there always will be. There will also be some people who pay little or no taxes (both rich and poor), some people who pay a lot of taxes (mostly the top and middle earners who can't get Congress to rewrite the tax code with them as winners instead), and some people get more money back in tax refunds than they paid in (usually those who have learned how to best game the system).
There are also people that at times in their life need a little help in order to survive. The best way to do this of course, is to have those who choose to do so give a portion of their wealth in support of others. There are many groups to assist them in this and they mostly do an excellent job. Not only is it not the business of government (and I use that term in its broadest sense), to demand those contributions (taxes) at the point of a gun; or to pick the winners and losers in life; but if the truth be told, they do a lousy job of it. Come to think of it, they do a poor enough job at the things they're supposed to be responsible for and cannot be trusted with matters of such far-reaching consequences.
As a rule in fact, the larger the group that attempts to solve such problems, the worse these solutions become. Governments (especially ones like that of the YouAssAye) are far too large, self-serving, and greedy to wield such authority. Their efforts, no matter how well intentioned, are usually doomed to fail. When not contributing to fraud, abuse, and waste; they overlook, misdirect funds, or reject out-of-hand the claims of the very people that require their help.
For all that Governments say that they care about people, the truth of the matter is that they don't. They care about growing in size, getting votes to stay in power, and controlling as much money (another name for power) as they can. The more we turn to them for solutions, the more power that we give them and the more we get away from the individual responsibility and freedom that make nations (and governments) truly great.
You know, sometimes I think that this is actually two different Fairy Tales told in two different languages that will never be reconciled. For example: when the Ant talks about economic Darwinism where only the strongest will survive, the Grasshopper tells us that such a world cannot exist; and that if it did, that a loving and caring government (which many worship in place of a Supreme Being) must seek to change it. When the Ant talks about a world which must surely have a Supreme Being that orders and guides it (and they are not referring to government), the Grasshopper tells us that facts points to the truth of biologic Darwinism. Both are right and both are wrong, and the truth of the matter will probably never be reached by those who fundamentally and purposefully choose not to understand each other.
For while understanding the nature of the problem, coming to grips with it, and attempting to solve it are the right things to do; none of these things wins elections for either the Ant or Grasshopper.
I left the city that my parents lived in back in 1980, and while they seemed to yo-yo between residences Chicago and Kansas City, I bounced around like a ping-pong ball from city to city in following a career. As a consequence, my mother and I have not been in the same city for a Mother's Day in over 30 years. 
