The Little Red Hen

Once upon a time, there was a little red hen who scratched about until she uncovered some grains of wheat. She called her neighbors and said, "If we plant this wheat, we will have bread to eat. Who will help me plant it?"
"Not I," said the cow.
"Not I," said the duck.
"Not I," said the goose.
"Then I will," said the little red hen. And she did, The wheat grew tall and ripened into golden grain. "Who will help me reap my wheat?", asked the little red hen.
"Not I," said the duck.
"Out of my classification," said the pig.
"I'd lose my unemployment insurance," said the goose.
"Then I will," said the little red hen and she did. At last it came time to bake the bread.
"That's overtime for me," said the cow.
"I'm a dropout and never learned how" said the duck.
"I'd lose my welfare benefits, said the pig.
"If I'm the only the helper, that's discrimination," said the goose.
"Then I will," said the little hen. She baked five loaves and held them up for her neighbors to see. They all wanted some and demanded their share. But the litle red hen said, "No, I can eat the five loaves myself."
"Excess profits!' cried the cow.
"Capitalist leech!" screamed the duck.
"Equal rights!" yelled the goose.
And they painted Unfair picket signs and marched around the little red hen, shouting obscenities.
When the government agent agent came, he said, "You must not be greedy little red hen. This is the wonderful free-enterprise system. Anybody in the barnyard can earn as much as he wants. But under our modern government regulations, the productive workers must divide their product with the idle."
And they lived happily ever after, including the little red hen, who smiled and clucked, "I am grateful. I am grateful."
But her neighbors wondered why she never baked any more bread.
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Bodscobel Dial,June 17, 1975