A Classic

When I was little, my parents had a book shelf on which sat the entire set of Harvard Classics. There were lots of books that were worth the read, but to a 10 year old, the only one that really stuck out was Volume 17. It was entitled Folklore and Fable: Aesop, Grimm, Anderson. Looking over the list of titles as an adult, I now see that I would be a much more learned person, had I opened the rest up. But I stuck with the Fairy Tales.

One from Aesop seems appropriate for these times. It would be a good story for Congress to take a minute and read. But, I hear from Nancy that things are back on track now that McCain is leaving them alone. Here's a little story for you to enjoy as you wait for Nancy, Barney, and Christopher to tell us how much corn we are going to have to fork over to the grasshopper,

The Ant and the Grasshopper
In a field one summer’s day a Grasshopper was hopping about, chirping and singing to its heart’s content. An Ant passed by, bearing along with great toil an ear of corn he was taking to the nest.
“Why not come and chat with me,” said the Grasshopper, “instead of toiling and moiling in that way?”
“I am helping to lay up food for the winter,” said the Ant, “and recommend you to do the same.”
“Why bother about winter?” said the Grasshopper; “we have got plenty of food at present.” But the Ant went on its way and continued its toil. When the winter came the Grasshopper had no food, and found itself dying of hunger, while it saw the ants distributing every day corn and grain from the stores they had collected in the summer. Then the Grasshopper knew:
“IT IS BEST TO PREPARE FOR THE DAYS OF NECESSITY.”