Welcome To Chocolateville

The world loves chocolate and it yearned for a chocolate paradise, a place where it could devour all the delicious chocolate it could eat or drink, a place of endless chocolate, happiness and brotherhood.

As a result the United Nations funded the creation of Chocolateville and it was paradise, as people flooded in, for everyone wants to live in paradise.

But then a strange thing happened in paradise: People suddenly became unhappy and began to squabble with each other.

It started when the mayor said, "The United Nations built Chocolateville but we need some basic services. How many of you want to have police, firefighters and paramedics?" Most people said "yes."

"Now," said the mayor, "To pay for police, firefighters and paramedics, we have to tax you." Many people set their chocolate down and began to grumble.

"That's not all," said the mayor. To pay for and maintain schools, hospitals, courts, jails, and other infrastructure, we have to tax you even more."

Now people began to complain loudly.

"We don't want to pay those taxes," they proclaimed. "Let the rich pay the taxes." But like everyone else, the rich didn't want to pay.

Meanwhile another problem arose. The employers that provided most of the jobs in Chocolateville began cutting wages so they could make more money.

When the workers objected, the employers began bringing in immigrants that would work for lower wages.

"No more immigrants in Chocolateville," became the cry of the land. "But we are all immigrants," said the mayor. That logic fell on deaf ears.

"Okay," the mayor replied. "But to stop immigration, we'll need an army."

"Yeah," shouted the people.

"But to have an army means we must tax you a lot more," said the mayor. At that point the crowd fell silent.

"Chocolateville was supposed to be paradise," a woman called out. "Now it will be like any other place. I even saw homeless people today. And we have crime too."

"Well," replied the mayor. "Paradise is what we make of it. Nothing is problem free any more than people are problem free."

"And the services we want cost money, money we must pay, that is reality."

"This is Chocolateville, not Disneyland, but even there people must pay enormous fees to enter, for nothing there or here is free.

"If you want perfection, look to heaven. In the meantime, if you want to live in paradise, it's going to cost you."

Dick