THE MAGIC BAG

This story comes from India.

A long time ago, there was a small, weak kingdom in Northern India that bordered on a very powerful one. The king of this land was worried about what to do if one day the big kingdom attacked. So he shared his concern with his ministers.

It so happened that in a faraway city there was a powerful guru who knew many wonderful magic tricks. The king’s Astrologer suggested they ask this wise man for some magic. The king decided to go, and he brought with him four cabinet ministers, the astrologer, and the queen. The trip took many days by horseback.

The guru welcomed them. He was very kind and gave the king a magic bag, telling the King, “Keep this bag with you. Any time you are faced with danger, open it and you will see a piece of paper giving you instructions.”

The king thanked the wise man, and the group went home. But during the long journey home, they became lost in the jungle. After several days of wandering aimlessly, the astrologer reminded the king of the magic bag.

The king opened the bag and withdrew the piece of paper. The instructions said that the ministers should stand at the four corners of a rectangle, the queen in the center, and the astrologer and the king on each end. And in a chorus they should recite, “I become a tiger.”

Suddenly the whole group became a tiger. They were no longer afraid of starving, because the tiger could catch any small animal to eat. But they couldn’t recover their human form. They lost their human consciousness, and forgot about finding a solution for the kingdom.

That is exactly the case of the Obama Administration. The stimulus bill, bailout packages, and other programs - healthcare, energy cap-and-trade, etcetera – are the magic bag. The rationale is that this will save the American economy, but once put into place these programs will consume individual finances and freedom. The Government becomes the tiger; the small animals it feeds upon are the individual citizenry - you and I.

Socialism has no human conscience; individual freedom of choice is subordinate to the government’s priorities. Once implemented, it is nearly impossible to remove. It is unfortunate for America that Mr. Obama does not know the lesson of the Magic Bag.