Once upon a time, there was a little red hen who scratched about the barnyard until she uncovered some grains of wheat. She called her neighbors and said,"If we plant this wheat, we shall have bread to eat. Who will help me plant it?"

"Not I!", said the cow, the duck, the pig, and 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 seniority," said the cow. "I'd lose my unemployment compensation," said the goose.

"Then I'll reap the wheat myself," said the little red hen. And she did.

At last the time came to bake the bread. "Who will help me bake the bread?" asked the little red hen.

"That would be overtime for me," said the cow. "
"I'd lose my welfare benefits," said the duck.

"Then I will," said the little red hen. She baked 5 loaves of bread and held them up for her neighbors to see.

They all wanted some bread, in fact, demanded a share! But the little red hen said,"No, I can eat the 5 loaves myself."

"Excess profits!" cried the cow.
" I demand equal rights!" yelled the goose.
The pig just grunted.

They painted"UNFAIR!" picket signs and marched round and round.

The government agent came. He said to the little red hen," You must not be greedy"

"But I earned the bread!" said the little red hen.

"Exactly," said the agent. " That is the wonderful free enterprise system....anyone in the barnyard can earn as much as he wants, but in our system of modern government regulations, the productive workers must divide their products with the idle."

And they all lived more or less 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 BREAD AGAIN!