Once upon a time there was a little red hen who scratched about the
barnyard until she uncovered some grains of wheat. She called out to her
neighbors and said, “If we plant this wheat, we shall have bread to eat.
Who will help me plant it?”
“Not I,” said the cow.
“Not I,” said the duck.
“Not I,” said the pig.
“Not I,” said the goose.
“Then I will,” said the little red hen and she did. The wheat grew tall
and ripened into golden grain. “Who will help me reap my wheat?” asked
the little red hen.
“Not I,” said the duck.
“Out of my classification,” said the pig.
“I’d lose my seniority,” said the cow.
“I’d lose my unemployment compensation,” said the goose.
“Then I will,” said the little red hen and she did.
At last it came to bake the bread. “Who will help me bake the bread?”
asked the little red hen.
“That would be overtime for me,” said the cow.
“I’d lose my welfare benefits,” said the duck.
“I’m a dropout and never learned how,” said the pig.
“If I am only a helper, that’s discrimination,” said the goose.
“Then I will,” said the little hen.
She baked five loaves of bread help them up for her neighbors to see.
They all wanted some and, in fact, demanded a share. But the little red
hen said, “No, I can eat the five loaves myself.”
“Excess profits!” cried the cow.
“Capitalist leech!” screamed the duck.
“I demand equal rights!’ yelled the goose.
The pig just grunted. Then the neighbors started making “UNFAIR” signs
and marched ‘round and ‘round the little red hen, shouting obscenities.
When the government agent came, he said to the little hen, “You must not
be greedy.”
“But I earned the bread,” said the little red hen.
“Exactly,” said the agent. “That is the wonderful free enterprise
system. Anyone in the barnyard can earn as much as he wants. But under
our modern government regulations, the productive worker must divide
their product equally with the idle.”
And they all lived happily ever after, including the little red hen, who
smiled and chuckled, “I am grateful, I am grateful.” But her neighbors
wondered why she never made bread again.
This modern version of a well-know fable was written by William P. Drake
some years ago. When your kids ask the difference between capitalism and
socialism, hand them this story.
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