An Apt Analogy
In his regular email, Bill Leonard recounts a story told by the California governor to the legislator that may be even more apt than he intended:
The Governor told a delightful story to the Joint Session of the Legislature regarding the animals at his home. It seems that the pet pony and the pet pot-bellied pig work together to knock the dog's food canister off the kennel then using feet, hooves and snout, they pry the lid off to get to the food. The Governor's message: if my pony and pig can co-operate like this, then certainly the Governor and the Legislature can cooperate.
But I got to thinking about the dog. His food was gone, taken without his permission. So who is the dog in the Governor's analogy? I am hoping it is not me and the millions of other taxpayers who lose our canisters of food every time the Governor and the Legislature cooperate on taxes.
I am afraid the dog is probably the rest of us, and this is exactly how politicians think - how can we all cooperate to get down to the real business of government -- taking more of the dog's food.
LowcountryJoe:
Throw in some class warfare and it becomes a dog eat...nevermind; cliche fail.
January 11, 2010, 8:35 pmHoodima2000:
It is bad when the government takes our money and pours it down the drain (bridges to nowhere, ethanol subsidies, corporate bail-outs and so on), but it's even worse when it doesn't take our money and doesn't do its job (potholed roads, leaky roofs in schools, porous borders etc.). I don't mind feeding the government and feeding it well, but only as long as it is efficient and cut to a size.
January 11, 2010, 11:44 pmHarking back to a recent post here about the governmental salaries - I don't see why an official overseeing billions of dollars should be paid less than his peer in the private sector, that is, as long as he's doing his job equally well. And if not - let's get to HIS bonus and not just bonus.
Reformed Republican:
The government does take our money, but does not use it as it should. The government cannot spend money effectively or efficiently. Lack of proper incentives is but one of many reasons. Perhaps a scaled back government would do less damage than a larger one, but it will still only do net harm, not net good.
January 12, 2010, 6:54 amViewonthehorizon:
This story artfully supports the premise that our governing bodies are unaware of the populace they are supposed to be working for. Instead of concentrating on the task of guarding our country so that we are relatively safe to pursue our individual dreams, the politicians continue to empty the food canister into their overfilled containers and then expect "The Forgotten Man" to give them even more.
January 12, 2010, 10:31 amHoodima2000:
With all my burning love for the government, I can't agree that it does net harm. Somalia is a nice example of what happens when there is no government whatsoever. I'd say, California is approaching the exemplary status as well:-)
January 12, 2010, 1:38 pm