Ant and the Grasshopper-2010 version

Read Time:5 Minute, 19 Second

Most of us are familiar with the fable of the industrious ant and the lazy grasshopper. The ant works hard and stores up grain while the grasshopper dances and plays and laughs at him. Come winter the ant is warm and fed, and the grasshopper is begging the ant for food. Let’s pay a visit to a couple of their descendants, shall we?

We find Ant busy as usual, working to grow and store grain. Looking up from his work the ant spies his friend Grasshopper pulling up across the street in a brand new truck with Grasshopper Contracting stenciled onto the door panel. Ant walks over and inquires as to how lazy Grasshopper got such a beautiful new vehicle. Grasshopper tells him he just bought it, adding he generally prefers to drive his new Lexus. Grasshopper further boasts he has more work than he can keep up with, explaining that he’s a general contractor who does both room additions and home maintenance.

Ant then notices there are no tools or spare parts in the truck and asks the Grasshopper where his warehouse is. Ant is surprised to learn that Grasshopper not only doesn’t have spare parts or a warehouse, other than a crescent wrench and a hammer Grasshopper doesn’t even have any tools. Wondering aloud, Ant says “How can a contractor with no tools and no inventory have more work than he can keep up with” and is surprised when Grasshopper confides in him.

” I only do work for Democrats!”.

“What?” Sputters Ant.

“Yeah, I just do work on Democrats houses. You really don’t have to do much of anything, as long as you smile and have a pleasing personality and promise to return to ‘fix what’s still broke’ at some vague later date. Works like a charm, and it’s made me one wealthy Orthopterid, let me tell you”.

Ant says yes but then adds that repeat visits, having to keep going back again and again till you get it right is very inefficient. Not only inefficient but it’s also wasteful.

Grasshopper just smiles at him as Ant says dejectedly “Oh I get it. you don’t ever go back”.

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!! I don’t even return their calls. And they love me!HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!”

Grasshopper tells Ant that he’ll show him how it works, he had to wait for Ant’s neighbors the Ladybugs to take out a loan so they could pay for a room addition and a leaky kitchen faucet. The two stroll across the street and knock on the door. Mr Ladybug opens the door, flanked by Mrs.Ladybug and Jr. Ladybug. He hands Grasshopper a check and asks when will he be able to finish his work on household reform.

“We’re gonna get it done Mr Ladybug, count on it. It’s much more effective to keep going back and trying to fix poorly done work than to do it right the first time. You know that” answered Grasshopper, somewhat audaciously.

Jr piped up “But we just had a leaky faucet. Now the basements flooded!”

“Son”, said Mr Ladybug “It’s not perfect, but it’s the best Grasshopper could do”.

“And the room addition. This guy pounded a couple stakes in the ground and connected them with duct tape. We don’t even have a floor or walls !” Jr Ladybug cried.

“Son!” said Mrs Ladybug, a little sharply. “We just hold our noses, and pay him”.

“Yeah we hold our noses cause we got a basement full of raw sewage ’cause of this guy” Jr Ladybug said angrily.

“Son!” shouted Mr Ladybug “Don’t make the perfect the enemy of the good!”. Turning to Grasshopper, Mr Ladybug apologized. “Young people can be idealists and yes, also pigheaded. They aren’t grateful for all the good that you contractors do for us. Plus where else can we go ? There’s only one other contractor in town, Cockroach the Republican. Every time he answers the phone he just shouts “NO!”.

Back at Ants house as Grasshopper is getting into his truck Ant asks about the possibility of getting a Third Contractor into town. Maybe even an Ant? ” Never gonna happen” Grasshopper grinned. “Cockroach and I both contribute to Mayor Worms reelection campaigns”.

“OK, what about your average Joe or Josie Housefly then? Don’t some of them get angry about your hypocrisy? Aren’t you afraid that Joe or Josie Housefly is gonna point out how you never deliver on your promises, and in fact you generally makes things worse?”

Grasshopper smiled indulgently. “See the kid back there? Jr Ladybug. Saw right through me. But I didn’t need to do a thing-the Democrats do it for me. They’ll call anyone doesn’t agree with them too idealistic. Then it’s pigheaded. Before you know it they’re ostracized from the group. See, these guys want to believe in their leaders so bad they accept anything they say as Gospel. I don’t need to buy anybody off except Mayor Worm”.

OK.
I know everybody’s still euphoric so I won’t bother with any links but let me just mention a couple of things. Once you’ve swept up the confetti and put the party hats away, and the “Kiss me I voted for Obama” T-shirt is beginning to fade-ask yourselves these two things:

When Pelosi and Obama were waging their epic struggle with the health insurance lobbyists these past few months……Where were the “Harry and Louise” commercials?

I mean, the industry was apparently fighting to hang onto their profits, but nothing. Hmm, oh wait that’s right-PhRMA, the prescription drug lobby DID take out 6,000,000.00 worth of ads. But those were FOR Obamacare, not against it. And they were in the districts of Democrats like Kucinich who’d been having second thoughts. Odd huh?

One other thing. The Republicans continue their strident attacks on the bill – some of them seemingly insane, like the bill being a violation of the Hippocratic Oath. If it didn’t sound so crazy I’d almost think they wanted people to remember their opposition to the bill. If it wasn’t so nuts, I’d almost think they felt that this wasn’t really socialism at all but instead a Republican-type of bill which will come back to bite the ones who favored it in the ass-and they want to be sure the voting public remembers which side supported it and which side said NO!

But that’s just me.

About Post Author

Carol Bell

Carol is a graduate of the University of Alabama. Her passion is journalism and it shows. Carol is our unpaid, but very efficient, administrative secretary.
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Admin
14 years ago

Oso I understand your passion. I have gone without insurance and it scared the hell out of me. I was without insurance for several years. The fact remains however we have to learn to walk before we can run. I am convinced that the Democrats passed a law that met the minimum needs of the people. There are a lot of things I don’t like, but I understand you have to learn to walk before you can run. There is no way we could have gotten the public option much less single payer. It is not about Obama’s legacy my friend, it is about practicality. I do not for one minute think that BO is owned by big pharma or any other corporation. He is a practical thinking politician who knows how to play this nasty game. This is a step in the right direction. If we didn’t take it we would never get to the end of the road which is single payer.

osori
14 years ago

I cannot understand why you guys oppose healthcare reform. To prefer to throw billions at the health insurance industry rather than make healthcare affordable and available is disgusting.

Have any of you people here ever had to go without insurance? Do you realize how many people die each year? Yet you support this POS bill rather than wanting to change the system and make health CARE available for everyone.

How many more gotta die before you guys want to improve things? Is Obama’s legacy more important to you than people’s LIVES?

14 years ago

What I am getting out of this is, the bill, which had 200 Republican amendments adopted in it, which they then voted against, is something they really want, but must say no to, just in case it comes back and bites, and they want to be seen as being against it, even though they secretly like it?

Politics is more convoluted than I thought.

BigHarryH
Reply to  Holte Ender
14 years ago

What don’t you get. it’s as clear as mud.

Reply to  BigHarryH
14 years ago

Mud being the operative word Harry, whether rolled in, viewed through or thrown.

Reply to  Holte Ender
14 years ago

LOL! I’m with you Holte!

Admin
14 years ago

I don’t think I agree with it, despite the gentle parable, but I think you expected that O-Man. I will never accept that Obama and Pelosi are owned by Big Pharma. It is called politics, not corruption. Secondly, this is not a time for cynicism. This is a time for celebration.

14 years ago

Oso,
Ok, I’m thinking about it…..

still thinking about it… get back to you.
I liked the parable. Well done. 🙂

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