The Ants and the Grasshopper
A parable Not for Social Security
I believe we are all like the ants. Who are the grasshoppers?
Most of us have heard of Aesop's fable The Ants and the Grasshopper, which is available via the US Library of Congress here. The Library of Congress presents an interactive book adapted on the book "The Aesop for Children: with Pictures by Milo Winter," published by Rand, McNally & Co in 1919. In the United States, the work is considered to be in the public domain.
Is the fable relevant to America today? The moral of the story is that one should prepare for the future and not rely on others for help.
What is its relationship to our largest social program—Social Security?
I believe Social Security isn’t a handout for grasshoppers. It's a just and necessary system for ants who have worked hard their entire lives and deserve to be secure in their old age.
Urban Americans outnumbered rural Americans for the first time in 1920. Rural Americans left the family farm, seeking jobs in the city. With the departure of young Americans from the family farm, the extended family model fell apart. The majority of grandkids and grandparents no longer shared living space, and fewer younger Americans were there to care for their aging relatives.
Between 1900 and 1930, the average lifespan increased by ten years. Elderly Americans were living longer lives and were now more often by themselves. They required care and resources that were no longer available to them.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt organized and signed the Social Security Act into law in 1935. Social Security is a system of social insurance based on employment. Workers (and corporations) make Social Security contributions, and if they make enough payments during their lives to qualify, they receive Social Security as a benefit when they reach retirement age.
In other words, Social Security is not a grasshopper-feeding program. It's a program for ants who are too old to transport grain.
Farmers and ranchers don't retire; rather, they get too old to work. If their bodies would let them, they would work seemingly forever. When they lose their strength and ability to move as well as they once did, they have to stop working.
Both of my paternal great grandfathers were cattle ranchers. One retired to the rocking chair. He was still able to catch us as we sprinted past his chair, though he walked with a cane. The other fractured his hip while performing chores at the age of 92, never fully recovered, and died a few years later in a nursing home.
Because I grew up in rural America I knew a lot of these old farmers and ranchers, with massive, strong hands. They worked their whole lives, and from what I could tell they loved their work.
Are these farmers and ranchers grasshoppers? (Farmers and ranchers can qualify for Social Security benefits.)
For about a year we had a roofing laborer who lived across the street from us. He was older than I, and kind, but he didn’t make much money. I'd wave to him as he walked downtown to purchase a beer from the corner store in the evening. Later I would see him walking home carrying it.
I don’t know the extent of his troubles, but I know he worked his hands to the bone. I doubt he had much money saved up.
Was he a grasshopper? When he is too old to be a roofer, what would we say he should do?
President FDR created a brilliant system. Is Social Security the most expensive item in the federal government's budget? Yes. It accounts for around 20% of the federal budget.
Where do those dollars come from? They come from contributions working Americans make to their retirements.
Can we eliminate Social Security and reduce the federal budget deficit? No.
Part of the brilliance of FDR's system is that the Social Security program operates outside of the federal budget. Contributions to Social Security are placed in a Trust Fund that can only be used by Social Security. When Social Security payments are reduced or eliminated, the contributions are also reduced or eliminated. As a result, Social Security payments have no effect on the government deficit. We can't slash Social Security payouts and use the money elsewhere in the budget.
I recognize the necessity to shore up Social Security payments and spending. That’s an article for another week. Boomers are a larger generation than those that follow. America needs to grow, and our birth rate alone isn’t high enough to get us there.
A shrinking business is a dying business, and a shrinking nation is a dying nation.
Let’s get back to the ants.
It’s true that in our Social Security system, young ants carry more grain than old ants. Old ants might not be able to carry grain any more at all.
But I believe young ants, young Americans, are still contributing to their own retirements.
Thanks for considering my perspective.
May God bless the United States of America.
Postscript:
A comparison of Google Bard and Bing ChatGPT. I asked both to “write 100 words supporting why the ants should give the grasshopper food”:
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Google Bard:
The ants should give the grasshopper food because it is the right thing to do. The grasshopper did not ask to be born into a world where winter comes and food is scarce. He simply wanted to enjoy the summer while it lasted. The ants, on the other hand, were born with a natural instinct to work hard and store food for the winter. They are not to blame for this, but it does not mean that they should turn their backs on those who are less fortunate.
The ants have more than enough food to survive the winter. They could easily spare some for the grasshopper. In fact, doing so would be a good thing for the ants as well. It would teach them the value of compassion and generosity. It would also show the grasshopper that there is still kindness in the world, even in the midst of winter.
So, the next time you see a grasshopper begging for food, remember the ants and their story. Remember that it is always the right thing to do to help those who are less fortunate.
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ChatGPT, same prompt:
The ants should give the grasshopper food because he is their friend and neighbor. The grasshopper may have been lazy and careless during the summer, but he also brought joy and music to the ants. He did not harm or bother them, but rather entertained them with his songs and stories. The ants have plenty of food to spare, and they can afford to be generous and compassionate. They should not let the grasshopper starve or freeze in the winter, but instead share their food and warmth with him. By doing so, they will show kindness and friendship to the grasshopper.
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I think Bard is a better writing platform, but I noticed right away that Bard’s version is 185 words, not the 100 words requested. The ChatGPT section is 101 words.
And I like the point ChatGPT presents that the grasshopper brought joy and music to the ants. The world would be a terrible place without the Arts.