50 $ Lesson

(Copied from an E-mail and slightly edited)

>   The $50 Lesson

> Recently, while I was working in the flower beds in the front yard,

> my neighbors stopped to chat as they returned home from walking their   dog.

>

> During our friendly conversation, I asked their 12 year old daughter

> what she wanted to be when she grows up. She said she wanted to be

> President some day.

>

> Both of her parents - liberal Democrats - were standing there, so I

> asked her, "If you were President what would be the first thing you   would

> do?"

>

> She replied, "I'd give food and houses to all the homeless   people."

>

> Her parents beamed with pride!

>

> "Wow...what a worthy goal!" I said. "But you don't have   to wait

> until you're President to do that!" I told her.

>

> "What do you mean?" she replied.

>

> So I told her, "You can come over to my house and mow the lawn,   pull

> weeds, and trim my hedge, and I'll pay you $50. Then you can go over to

> the grocery store where the homeless guy hangs out, and you can give him

> the $50 to use toward food and a new house."

>

> She thought that over for a few seconds, then she looked me straight

> in the eye and asked, "Why doesn't the homeless guy come over and   do the

> work, and you can just pay him the $50?"

>

> I said, "Welcome to the Tea Party."

>

> Her parents aren't speaking to me.