After mildly slamming my good friend...

[Uncle Bill]

...Franco for his constant harping about what "REALLY" needs to happen in this country, I must fess up that I don't disagree with him. He's correct, but his timing is wrong. We can't install new "iceberg sensing" equipment in the Titanic as we are veering toward that huge 'berg', although I suspect there were many that screamed for that need as they attempted to navigate the north Atlantic. That can do that later, if we can steer the ship away from the killer burgs in front of us and survive the danger before us...that's what must be focused on at this time. THEN, we can address the "Big Picture".

Certainly many of us have gotten the various emails about the need to replace ALL 535 in the nations capitol. The theory is correct, but getting it done is a different story. Short of insurrection, it can't be done with a meat clever, or bludgeon. Like correcting the major entitlements...SS...Medicare and Medicaid, which we all know need to be salvaged, but the only realistic way it will happen is incrementally. Same is true for the welfare programs like baby-payments, food stamps, and all the SFN crowd's freebies.

So how do we Git-R-Done?

A few years ago, I was sent an excellant idea that is very illustrative and understandable. It points out how to go about making a complete change incrementally...it was dubbed Psychology 101: Enjoy.

UB

If you start with a cage containing five monkeys and inside the cage, hang a banana on a string from the top and then you place a set of stairs under the banana, before long a monkey will go to the stairs and climb toward the banana.

As soon as he touches the stairs, you spray all the other monkeys with cold water.

After a while another monkey makes an attempt with same result ... all the other monkeys are sprayed with cold water.

Pretty soon when another monkey tries to climb the stairs, the other monkeys will try to prevent it.

Now, put the cold water away. Remove one monkey from the cage and replace it with a new one.

The new monkey sees the banana and attempts to climb the stairs.To his shock, all of the other monkeys beat the crap out of him. After another attempt and attack, he knows that if he tries to climb the stairs he will be assaulted.

Next, remove another of the original five monkeys, replacing it with a new one. The newcomer goes to the stairs and is attacked. The previous newcomer takes part in the punishment...... with enthusiasm.

Then, replace a third original monkey with a new one, followed by the fourth, then the fifth. Every time the newest monkey takes to the stairs he is attacked.

Now, the monkeys that are beating him up have no idea why they were not permitted to climb the stairs. Neither do they know why they are participating in the beating of the newest monkey.

Finally, having replaced all of the original monkeys, none of the remaining monkeys will have ever been sprayed with cold water. Nevertheless, not one of the monkeys will try to climb the stairway for the banana.

Why, you ask? Because in their minds...that is the way it has always been!

This, my friends, is how Congress operates... and this is why, from time to time:

ALL of the monkeys need to be REPLACED AT THE SAME TIME .

[charly_t]

Am stealing this to share with friends and family ! Thank you.

[Jswann]

That made more sense to me than anything I have read in a while!!!! Laymen's terms!! Good stuff!!

[Franco]

Just as long as we get the right monkeys in Congress and Tarzan in the White House!

[charly_t]

Just as long as we get the right monkeys in Congress and Tarzan in the White House!

Good one !

Isn't it the honest truth............'The right monkeys' will be hard to find I fear. And if we found them they wouldn't be willing to run I'd guess. Neighbor says put all names 'in hat', pull one out and say to that person 'you are it for this term'.

[road kill]

Term Limits!!!!!!!!

[BonMallari]

don't they eat monkeys in Kenya and Indonesia....

[road kill]

don't they eat monkeys in Kenya and Indonesia....

Dogs!!!

Obama said so.............

[Gerry Clinchy]

Did anyone else notice how the media and "old-timers" in Congress both treated the 2010 "freshman class" when these new members bucked the establishment to vote the way their consituents had elected them to vote? I did. They were called "obstructionists".

I'd be willing to give those fellas a chance at another term when they can have some support from new electees, of the same mind, vote their conscience with new electees of the same mind (especially since a House term is only 2 years).

If, originally, one had replaced 3 monkeys, instead of just one, the new monkeys could have had a chance to defend themselves.

Then one has to assess who is holding the hose with the cold water ... and fix that so that the new monkeys have a fighting chance to convince the old monkeys that change is possible.