A FISH TALE
The financial troubles in Europe bring back memories of the fairy tale about the starving people on an isolated Pacific island.
Some of the natives stood by the pier and waited for their next arrival of free fish. No shipments ever came.
The natives who learned how to fish ate well and eventually ruled the island.
An analysis of the European situation is not off base.
A lot of voters in Europe want the rich nations to underwrite the losses of the big debtor nations so that life can go on as before. They remind you of the starving natives who stood by the pier waiting for a second gift of fish that never came.
The unpopular view that the nearly-bankrupt-nations must change their lifestyle and borrowing/ spending habits reminds you of the natives who opted to learn to fish.
Parallel to the fish story ends there because everybody gets one vote. Those who were at the pier outnumbered those who wanted to learn to fish. But each vote counted the same.
America, itself, is not absolved. Haven’t we really borrowed ourselves thin to support the “entitlements” that were given to us in the past partly to buy our vote (with our own tax money or credit) and partly out of good intentions but would allow unintended results for greed--by those who saw a chance to personally profit from a well intended idea.
Here’s to those in the world who elect to learn to fish. May they become the leaders of the future.
