Pretty much sums it up....

[natickgirl]

My aunt forwarded this to the family website. You may have seen it, but it really rings true (at least, for me) whether it's a "true story" or not...

Catching Wild Pigs

A chemistry professor in a large college had some exchange students in the class. One day while the class was in the lab the Professor noticed one young man (exchange student) who kept rubbing his back, and stretching as if his back hurt.

The professor asked the young man what was the matter. The student told him he had a bullet lodged in his back. He had been shot while fighting communists in his native country who were trying to overthrow his country's government and install a new communist government.

In the midst of his story he looked at the professor and asked a strange question. He asked, 'Do you know how to catch wild pigs?'

The professor thought it was a joke and asked for the punch line. The young man said this was no joke. '

You catch wild pigs by finding a suitable place in the woods and putting corn on the ground.

The pigs find it and begin to come everyday to eat the free corn.

When they are used to coming every day, you put a fence down one side of the place where they are used to coming.

When they get used to the fence, they begin to eat the corn again and you put up another side of the fence.

They get used to that and start to eat again. You continue until you have all four sides of the fence up with a gate in The last side.

The pigs, who are used to the free corn, start to come through the gate to eat, you slam the gate on them and catch the whole herd.

Suddenly the wild pigs have lost their freedom. They run around and around inside the fence, but they are caught. Soon they go back to eating the free corn.

They are so used to it that they have forgotten how to forage in the woods for themselves, so they accept their captivity.

The young man then told the professor that is exactly what he sees happening to America .

The government keeps pushing us toward socialism and keeps spreading the free corn out in the form of programs such as supplemental income, tax credit for unearned income, tobacco subsidies, dairy subsidies, payments not to plant crops (CRP), welfare, medicine, drugs, etc..

While we continually lose our freedoms -- just a little at a time.

One should always remember:
There is no such thing as a free lunch! Also, a politician will never provide a service for you cheaper than you can do it yourself.

Finally , if you see that all of this wonderful government 'help' is a problem confronting the future of democracy in America , you might want to send this on to your friends. If you think the free ride is essential to your way of life then you will probably delete this email, but

God help you when the gate slams shut!

Keep your eyes on the newly elected politicians who are about to slam the gate on America ..

"A government big enough to give you everything you want, is big enough to take away everything you have"

-Thomas Jefferson

[5ft Diva]

This sure puts more meaning into "provident living". Heavenly Father is trying to protect our freedoms or agency (however you want to look at it) by commanding us to be self reliant. At least that's how I see it. What do you think? Am I off base?

[natickgirl]

That's a great way to look at it, and I think you're spot-on. I was thinking more along the lines of not being complacent, and being willing to put forth effort rather than always looking for the easy way. I have met so many people (clients, church members, friends, tenants, even family) who are always looking for a handout.

Case in point: I had two friends in MA who were both on food stamps, gov't insurance, etc. Both were very strong Christians. Both had 4 people in their family--actually one had 3, with another child there part-time. Both were receiving at least $700/month in food stamps, which is nearly twice what my family of 5 spends on food each month. Rather than trying to be frugal, and give the extra back to the state for someone else in need, both families took advantage and bought very expensive organic food ($5.50/gallon for milk!) and pricey pre-packaged and gourmet foods at places like Whole Foods and Trader Joes.

In both cases, the father was out of work, and the mother had previously worked full-time...yet, the mothers would not even consider seeking even part-time employment to help support the family because it would reduce their benefits. Also, in both cases the families took advantage of the nearly free state health care & went took their children to the Dr. for every sore throat. That kind of thinking drives up the cost of healthcare for everyone else. Most people I know who have to pay for their health care make sure their children really are sick before taking them in.

There is so much abuse of the welfare systems (gov't, church, and community sponsored) that it is difficult to weed out those who truly need the help, and those who just want the help because the alternative is too much effort. I guess the best thing we can do is do our best to provide for ourselves, and encourage others to do the same. AND, we need to speak out about the fraud around us & how our freedoms are slowly being taken away in the name of "welfare" and "assistance."

The biggest argument for nationalized health (and other social programs) is that it is a "fair" way of providing for the poor & needy, and that it is the "Christian" and "moral" thing to do. Last time I checked, Jesus encouraged people to care for the poory and needy, but he did not force them to. All comes down to agency, doesn't it!

[5ft Diva]

I think more than we realize. Thanks for sharing those experiences. It helped me visualize.