The Norman Transcript

March 21, 2010

Mini-fable sheds light on country’s broken government


The Norman Transcript

Norman — Editor, The Transcript:

There seems to be a consensus in the country that government is broken. The most obvious part would be Congress. Their actions remind me of a mini-fable:

Once upon a time there were a bunch of guys who got into a good running car with a full tank of gas. They started their journey vowing to do better than the last guys who used it because they had a better plan. As they drove, it became obvious that too many problems were developing and gas was low. Then the car landed in a ditch.

Along came another bunch of guys who volunteered to help get the car out of the ditch with their new ideas. They jumped in the front seat and the others the back seat. The drivers initiated new ways — some worked, many were stalled because the back-seat drivers were incessantly chanting to use their ideas that ran them in the ditch in the first place.

Now, an old proverb says: “If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you always got.”

So, what happened to the car? — I forgot.

LORAINE FRANK

Norman