You probably remember the instructive old Aesop’s fable about the lazy grasshopper who dilly-dallied all summer, ignoring the warning of the industrious ant, who busily gathered food for winter.
We were reminded of that because of a federal program to use taxpayers’ money to help some people “winterize” their homes to avoid drafts – and higher heating bills – in winter.
Of course, it’s wise to winterize. But is it the responsibility of the government – taxpayers – to subsidize “grasshoppers” who don’t prepare for winter?
There is a lot of wisdom in Aesop’s fables, but there are lots of people who have ignored those lessons.
And there are lots of people who insist upon ignoring our Constitution’s limits on government’s powers and responsibilities – preferring to call upon “ants” to do things that “grasshoppers” should be doing and paying for themselves.