A long time ago in the land of Snerk,
most of its citizens went to work.
They worked all week without a fuss.
Most of them for forty hours plus!
If along his commute, a Snerkian passed a fellow who
was in need of a shirt or some food or some shoes.
From an early age, that Snerkian was taught
to give from the gains that his hard work had brought.
For one day he knew that he too might be stuck
like that poor fellow Snerkian down on his luck.
When he would give, he would give all he could.
And he found in return that it made him feel good!
Now the leaders of Snerk saw a flaw with this scheme.
With all of that giving, who needed their teams?
So when election time came, the Snerkian leaders said, “Hey,
it’s not decent for Snerkians begging this way!”
“We’ll set up a system with no questions asked.
We’ll provide for the unlucky, we’re up to the task.
We’ll give them a shirt and some food and some shoes.
We’ll take care of their needs, what wonderful news!”
So the Snerkians being a most trusting lot
voted them in, but were surprised what they got.
In order to give what the leaders said they could,
another system was started “for the Snerkian good.”
Now this system, as the Snerkians soon found,
was developed to help spread their earnings around.
If a Snerkian worked a job for more pay,
then more of his money was taken away!
Some of that money did provide for the poor.
But a lot of it was used to provide for much more!
The leadership hired Snerkians to write some new laws.
And their systems kept growing, and the systems had flaws!
As new leaders came and old leaders went,
the leaders lost track of all they had spent.
For the new systems had grown so big in size
that the “down on their luck” needn’t work their whole lives!
And those Snerkians who were working forty hours plus,
began to complain and create quite a fuss!
“Why do all of you on the leadership team
spend so much of our money on this ridiculous scheme?”
“The poor are no longer just down on their luck.
You’ve made them dependent and now they’re all stuck!
Free food, shirts, and shoes are too common in Snerk.
But NOT for those Snerkians who do all the work!”
And as they complained, the leadership laughed,
for they knew working Snerkians now made up less than half!
Their votes didn’t matter, the leaders couldn’t lose!
Their votes came from the fifty-one percent receiving free shoes!
They turned on the workers and called them all greedy.
“They are the ones who don’t care for the needy!
Keep voting for us, we’ll cure all of your needs!
Once they are met, we’ll give you baubles and beads!”
Unfortunately for Snerk, it was revealed too late
that these new systems caused the Snerkians to hate!
Those who received and refused to work
believed that the rest were all greedy jerks!
And the anger that built from all those who paid
was because of the systems that the leadership made.
For in the new systems all the workers got stuck,
and it became far better to be down on your luck!
About Mark Iannantuoni
