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The Essence of
Insanity
Editor’s Note: We
received this Monday. As before, it was from a “no-rely” email address.
Wish I could tell you more, folks, but I don’t have a clue. Anyway,
here’s the message:
To the citizens of Darke County,
I like to hang out. I love to visit public meetings of your elected
officials – among them your commissioners and city and village
councils. I also like to stop by your bars and clubs… places where
people gather.
And listen.
I thought about some of the things I heard. Then I thought of this
email that’s been floating around the Internet…
“And it came to pass in the Age of Insanity that the people of the Land
known as Utopia, having lost their morals, their initiative, and their
will to defend their liberties, chose as their Supreme Leader a person
known as ‘The One.’
“He emerged from the vapors with a message that had no meaning; but he
hypnotized the people telling them, ‘I am sent to save you.’ My lack of
experience, my questionable ethics, my monstrous ego, and my
association with evildoers are of no consequence. I shall save you.
“And the people rejoiced, for even though they knew not what ‘The One’
would do, he had promised that it was good; and they believed.
“And ‘The One’ said ‘I shall give 95 percent of you lower taxes.’ And
one lone voice said, ‘But 40 percent of us don't pay any taxes.’ So
‘The One’ said, ‘Then I shall give you some of the taxes the
aristocracy will have to pay!’
“And the people said, ‘Hallelujah! Show us the money!’
“And one skeptic said ‘But that isn’t possible. I don’t believe you.’
‘The One’ banished him from Utopia.
“‘The One’ said ‘I shall give everyone 40 acres and a tractor, a
chicken in every pot, two cars in every garage, and a television in
every room.’
“And the people said, ‘Give me some of that!’
“Then he said, ‘I shall penalize employers who don’t give you jobs.’
“But the people said ‘We don’t want jobs. We want government to care
for us.’
“And ‘The One’ said ‘Your worries are over. I am ‘The One.’ You don’t
have to work. I will care for you.
“And the people danced in the streets. And they made ‘The One’ king.
“And so it came to pass that the people stopped working and pledged
allegiance to ‘The One,’ and some employers, faced with fewer workers,
began to produce less. Others simply gave up and went out of business,
and Utopia’s economy sank like unto a rock dropped from a cliff.
“And the people said, ‘Your majesty, you promised us a television in
every room, but there none to be had. And when we seek to buy food, we
don’t have enough money.’
“Then ‘The One’ said, ‘I am the ‘the One’- and I'm here to save you! I
shall fine the Aristocrats who stop producing and bring food from other
lands; and we shall print more money so everyone will have enough!’
“But the leaders of other lands said unto him. ‘Your money is not worth
a pile of camel dung! If you wish what we produce, you will have to pay
more.’
“And ‘The One’ went into back rooms and spoke with his advisors. And
they reached agreement, and ‘The One’ went on national television to
proclaim his edict…
“‘The leaders of other lands are being unfair and must be taught ‘The
Way’. We will sit down and talk with them, but if they won’t listen,
then we must show them.’
“And the people again danced in the streets shouting ‘Hallelujah, ‘The
One’ will save us. And we can eat again and watch our televisions. Long
live ‘The One!’
“Then ‘The One’ said, ‘But you must help. It will take time.’ And ‘The
One’ outlined what the people must do… they must work and build
machines so that Utopia can teach its neighbors to share in their
wealth. Survival requires sacrifice and hard work.
“And the people, seeing the light, cried out, ‘Alas, alas!! What have
we done?’ But yea verily, it was too late. And they were conscripted
into Service to ‘The One’ and had to sacrifice all they had come to
love. The people cried out in anguish, ‘Give us back our nation and our
pride and our hope!!’
“But it was too late, and their homeland was no more.”
Yeah. I changed it a little. We know for whom it was written, but have
we thought about what we ask for?
‘The One’ could be any chosen leader… Fortunately, we’ve not had one
smart or powerful enough to give us everything we want.
The quotation “A government big enough to meet all your needs is big
enough to take everything you have” is often attributed to my old
friend, TJ (you might know him, Thomas Jefferson).
He and I had many conversations over the years… he never said that to
me. But he could have. He was an intelligent man and fearful for our
future.
Knowing the price, yet continually asking our leaders to give us more
is, to me, the essence of insanity.
Respectfully,
The Darke Knight
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