posted September 19, 2004 12:45 AM              

OLD VERSION

The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.

The grasshopper thinks he's a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.

Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed. The grasshopper has no food or shelter, so he dies out in the cold.

Moral Of The Story: Be responsible for yourself.

MODERN VERSION

The Ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.

The grasshopper thinks he's a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.

Come winter the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving.

CBS, NBC, & ABC show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to video of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food.

America is stunned by the sharp contrast. How can this be that in a country of such wealth this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?

Kermit the Frog appears on Oprah with the grasshopper, and everybody cries when they sing, "It's Not Easy Being Green."

Jesse Jackson stages a demonstration in front of the ant's house, where the news stations film the group singing, "We Shall Overcome." Jesse then has the group kneel down to pray to God for the grasshopper's sake.

Tom Daschle & John Kerry exclaim in an interview with Peter Jennings that the ant has gotten rich off the back of the grasshopper, and both call for an immediate tax hike on the ant to make him pay his "fair share."

Finally, the EEOC drafts the "Economic Equity & Anti-Grasshopper Act," retroactive to the beginning of the summer. The ant is fined for failing to hire a proportionate number of green bugs and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the government.

Hillary gets her old law firm to represent the grasshopper in a defamation suit against the ant, and the case is tried before a panel of federal judges that Bill appointed from a list of single-parent welfare recipients.

The ant loses the case.

The story ends as we see the grasshopper finishing the last of the ant's food while the government house he is in, which just happens to be the ant's old house, crumbles around him because he does not maintain it.

The ant has disappeared in the snow

The grasshopper is found dead from a drug related incident and the house, now abandoned, is taken over by a gang of spiders who terrorize the once peaceful neighborhood.

posted September 19, 2004 01:47 AM              

Hard work and personal responsibility are not rewarded in this country anymore. I'm a single mother of one who works 40 hours a week and pays my taxes and couldn't afford to buy designer clothes if I wanted to. I used to work with a girl who worked 20 hours a week, had two kids by two different fathers, lived in government housing, received food stamp benefits and welfare benefits, and thought nothing of buying her 1 year old a $60 dollar pair of Reeboks that he could only wear for four months with the money she received through the government from my taxes. I don't agree with everything the Republicans stand for and do, but at least they don't plan to penalize me for getting up off my lazy butt and making my own way.

posted September 19, 2004 01:57 AM              

The Ant & The Grasshopper

REAL VERSION

The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and buying supplies for the winter.

The grasshopper sees how industrious and successful the ant is and decides that he, too, would like to industrious and successful. The grasshopper does his best to build a house and buy supplies, but these things cost money, and due to some poor economic decisions on the part of Ant Queen, the job market takes a downturn, the grasshopper loses his job, and his chances of finishing his home and such are smashed. The ant's job is safe, perhaps out of luck or perhaps out of his influence with the Queen.

Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed. The grasshopper has no food or shelter, so he catches a nasty cold. Eventually he is demeaned to the point of having to go the ant's door and beg. "Please, sir," he says, "I tried to be like you but I couldn't, and now I'm sick and starving. I'm horribly embarrassed, but- do you think you could spare just a little food?"
The ant, being properly versed in the morals of greed, screams "Give you food? Give anyone anything, least of all to a dirty no-good down-on-his luck slacker like you? You Communist! You Marxist! You wanton welfare queen! You liberal fag-loving pro-choice Kerry-supporting anti-American French terrorist!" And he slams the door in his face, content to sit by his fire and feel righteous in his greed.

The ant, meanwhile, was about to die, but Social Services swooped down on him and kept him alive.

Moral Of The Story: No matter how hard you try to hang on to your money, the government is still going to take at least a little of it away and give it to people who really need it.

posted September 19, 2004 02:20 AM              

Blessings

posted September 19, 2004 02:31 AM              

Moral of the story: Let's not assume, because we all know what happens when we assume

posted September 19, 2004 02:40 AM              

I do understand what you were trying to say, though I do not agree with how you put it.

Blessings to you QueenofSheeba

posted September 19, 2004 03:06 AM              

I remember at one family dinner my oldest cousin chewed me out when I told him that many people my age, including myself, were planning to vote for Clinton, mainly because we had been under Republican rule for 12 years, most of our 19 year old lives, and we wanted a change. Good or bad, we wanted a change. Lordy, he chewed me out good. But, then he called me two days later and apologized, because, as he said, at least I was thinking about it.

Keep thinking about it QoS. Don't lose the idealism I feel coming from you, but, please hon, don't let it cloud you to what's out there either.

This Southern Mama sends you much love West Coast dahling.

posted September 19, 2004 09:34 AM              

QoS-

I wanted to let you know that your post are a delight to read. It is fun for me to be reminded of my own youth before I had to struggle in the real world. It has taken me many years and several changes of my mind and heart to come to the conclusions that I have.
Keep searching for your own truths. With the passion that you have I know that you will always be able to come out on top.

posted September 19, 2004 11:55 PM              

Then said a rich man, "Speak to us of Giving."
And he answered:
You give but little when you give of your possessions.
It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.
For what are your possessions but things you keep and guard for fear you may
need them tomorrow?
And tomorrow, what shall tomorrow bring to the overprudent dog burying bones in
the trackless sand as he follows the pilgrims to the holy city?
And what is fear of need but need itself?
Is not dread of thirst when your well is full, thirst that is unquenchable?
There are those who give little of the much which they have - and they give it
for recognition and their hidden desire makes their gifts unwholesome.
And there are those who have little and give it all.
These are the believers in life and the bounty of life, and their coffer is
never empty.
There are those who give with joy, and that joy is their reward.
And there are those who give with pain, and that pain is their baptism.
And there are those who give and know not pain in giving, nor do they seek joy,
nor give with mindfulness of virtue;
They give as in yonder valley the myrtle breathes its fragrance into space.
Though the hands of such as these God speaks, and from behind their eyes He
smiles upon the earth.
It is well to give when asked, but it is better to give unasked, through
understanding;
And to the open-handed the search for one who shall receive is joy greater than
giving
And is there aught you would withhold?
All you have shall some day be given;
Therefore give now, that the season of giving may be yours and not your
inheritors'.
You often say, "I would give, but only to the deserving."
The trees in your orchard say not so, nor the flocks in your pasture.
They give that they may live, for to withhold is to perish.
Surely he who is worthy to receive his days and his nights is worthy of all else
from you.
And he who has deserved to drink from the ocean of life deserves to fill his cup
from your little stream.
And what desert greater shall there be than that which lies in the courage and
the confidence, nay the charity, of receiving?
And who are you that men should rend their bosom and unveil their pride, that
you may see their worth naked and their pride unabashed?
See first that you yourself deserve to be a giver, and an instrument of giving.
For in truth it is life that gives unto life - while you, who deem yourself a
giver, are but a witness.
And you receivers - and you are all receivers - assume no weight of gratitude,
lest you lay a yoke upon yourself and upon him who gives.
Rather rise together with the giver on his gifts as on wings;
For to be overmindful of your debt, is to doubt his generosity who has the
free-hearted earth for mother, and God for father.

--Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet

And for the record, QoS, the only thing you've ever posted that disturbs me is the silly notion that you need to "be kept in your place". You are already in your place, I would say -- speaking your mind and heart sincerely, as any intelligent and free-thinking person should, regardless of "age".

posted September 20, 2004 09:05 AM            

I`ve noticed the slow down in posts when Uni-versal Truths are posted

posted September 20, 2004 11:51 AM              

Much to you, Juniper!

posted September 21, 2004 10:38 PM            

The Ant and the Grasshopper, part 2
The Story So Far...

You may have heard the New Liberal version of the story of the Ant and the Grasshopper, in which the happy-go-lucky Grasshopper who doesn't plan for Winter wins out in the end by playing on the sympathies of the (presumably evil) Liberal government. If so, you may be surprised to find out that the story doesn't end there.

Part Two...

After reading all the conservative propaganda, and listening to the Ant, the Grasshopper started to feel guilty, and he resolved to be a Better Grasshopper in future. So he got together with all his Grasshopper friends and family (who were all as shockingly irresponsible as he had been) and they all decided to go out and get jobs. The hard-working Ant was ever so pleased to hear that his message had finally gotten through.

Everything went well for a while: the Ant and the Grasshopper worked side by side, discussing conservative economics as they laboured. But one day, the foreman came by to talk to the Ant. "I'm sorry, Mr. Ant," he said, trying to avoid eye contact. "There's so much cheap Grasshopper labour on the market these days that I can't afford to keep you working for me. I'm going to have to let you go."

The Ant was furious. Every day, he would sit at home, writing angry letters to his congress-ant about how they should do something about all those awful Grasshoppers coming and stealing jobs from the Ants. He filled his days with so much hate that one day, he got sick, and his doctor told him that he had cancer.

Poor Ant! Still, at least he could go to the hospital and get better. But when he looked at his health insurance policy, he found that it had expired when he had left his job! The only way to get medical treatment was to dig into his retirement savings, and there wasn't enough money to pay for it all.

posted September 22, 2004 01:56 PM            

The electronic filing, made shortly after midnight with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Missouri in Kansas City, listed assets of $1.626 billion and liabilities of $1.321 billion.

Interstate, along with other food companies, has been hurt by decreased demand for bread and pastries due to the popularity of low-carbohydrate diets.

"This is a business that has been in steady decline for the last eight years and they sometimes blame Atkins or blame other consumer trends," said Janney Montgomery Scott analyst Mitchell Pinheiro. "But the bottom line is that this company hasn't innovated ... and when they have innovated they've generally been one step late."

The company said it had a commitment, subject to bankruptcy court approval, from JP Morgan Chase Bank to provide $200 million to pay suppliers, employees and other operating costs during the reorganization. It said it would continue operating its bakeries, outlet stores and distribution centers.

James R. Elsesser, who had been chairman and chief executive officer, resigned both positions effective Wednesday, and the board named Tony Alvarez as CEO, with John Suckow to be chief restructuring officer. Both are with Alvarez & Marsal, a turnaround management firm founded and headed by Alvarez.

Leo Benatar, a member of the board, was elected to be the non-executive chairman.

''IBC has some of the most recognizable and popular baked breads and sweet goods brands in the nation,'' Alvarez said in a statement. ''By filing for protection under Chapter 11 and obtaining...financing, the company should have the liquidity, time and resources necessary to thoroughly identify, assess and address the issues that will enable this company to be successful in the future.''

Last month the company missed a second deadline for filing its annual report, after request an extension in May because of a series of investigations into its reserve fund for workers' compensation claims.

The report was due Aug. 27, but the company said it was still not finished because of problems with a financial system it started using in June, uncertainty over results for the current quarter, and questions about its ability to pay its loans this year.

It also said there was a possibility that auditors would include a paragraph in the report saying ''there may be substantial doubt about the company's ability to continue as a going concern.''

Interstate, with annual sales of $3.5 billion, operates more than 50 bakeries and employs about 34,000, including 600 of them in the Kansas City area.

The company's shares closed at $3.27 on the New York Stock Exchange Tuesday, down 13 cents.

A call Wednesday morning to Mark Dirkes, vice president for corporate marketing and the company spokesman, was not immediately returned.

09-22-04 12:28 EDT

14 Days
Shelf life of a Twinkie. Despite the popular myth that they last forever, the company that makes them says they do indeed go bad.

500 Million
Number of Twinkies Americans eat each year.

160 Million
Number of Grade A large eggs used to make Twinkies per year.

40,000 Miles
The distance the cellophane wrapping used to cover Twinkies baked in one year would cover if it were laid end-to-end.

Source: Interstate Bakeries Corp.

posted February 24, 2009 10:32 AM              

The story continued

So lets take it from when the ant loses the case.

Well now the lazy ass grasshopper has his share of the ant's wealth - he didnt have to work a muscle for it .This sends a new wave of CHANGE among the ant community.

The worker ants are all exposed to this new lazy-@ss Tantra of making someone else pay for you.Pronto they all line up and tell the queen they deserve MORE ...for no reason.

The queen says " NO way, your are responsible for your own grains of food and for the functioning of the whole.Quit being 3 yr old narcissists living in your own subjective reality and Face Facts.

Do you want to be lazy @ss parasites like the grasshopper and ask for free Child care for your spawn and free medicines for yourself and free homes and free tampons...and free whatnots.."

The workers go back to work since they know that, that is how they can live with dignity.

Moral of the story.

posted February 25, 2009 11:42 AM            

the grasshopper does not make the ant work harder, that is just the way ants organize. is a perennial flower more valuable than an annual?

posted February 25, 2009 12:12 PM            

So, who is more valuable in the scheme of things? Those who have an idea and are willing to risk everything to bring that idea into reality...or those who show up to work there...i.e. "Employees".

Without the idea and risk taking there would be no "employees" and they would be sitting at home watching Oprah on TV.