Friday, August 10, 2012

Monkeys and Parliament

Monkeys and Parliament
with acknowledgement to Peter Mullins.


 If you start with a cage containing five monkeys and inside the
 cage, hang a banana on a string from the top and then you place a set
 of stairs under the banana, before long a monkey will go to the
 stairs and climb toward the banana.

 As soon as he touches the stairs, you spray all the other monkeys
 with cold water.

 After a while another monkey makes an attempt with same result ...
 all the other monkeys are sprayed with cold water. Pretty soon when
 another monkey tries to climb the stairs, the other monkeys will try
 to prevent it.

 Now, put the cold water away.

 Remove one monkey from the cage and replace it with a new one.
 The new monkey sees the banana and attempts to climb the
 stairs.To his shock, all of the other monkeys beat the crap out of
 him. After another attempt and attack, he knows that if he tries to
 climb the stairs he will be assaulted.

 Next, remove another of the original five monkeys, replacing it
 with a new one.

 The newcomer goes to the stairs and is attacked. The previous
 newcomer takes part in the punishment...... with enthusiasm, because
 he is now part of the "team".

 Then, replace a third original monkey with a new one, followed by
 the fourth, then the fifth. Every time the newest monkey takes to the
 stairs he is attacked.

 Now, the monkeys that are beating him up have no idea why they
 were not permitted to climb the stairs. Neither do they know why they
 are participating in the beating of the newest monkey.

 Finally, having replaced all of the original monkeys, none of the
 remaining monkeys will have ever been sprayed with cold water.
 Nevertheless, not one of the monkeys will try to climb the stairway
 for the banana.

 Why, you ask? Because in their minds...that is the way it has
 always been!
   
This, my friends, is how Parliament operates... and this is
 why, from time to time:

 ALL of the monkeys need to be REPLACED AT THE SAME TIME.

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

What have we learned in 2,067 years?


What have we learned in 2,067 years?  


Here it is:

  "The budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled,
    public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be
    tempered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should
    be curtailed lest Rome become bankrupt. People must again learn to
    work, instead of living on public assistance."
                                           -   Cicero    - 55 BC

So, evidently nothing.......