As NPR has reported, our U.S. government is paying millions of dollars so that flocks of chickens can lead a life of leisure.  They won't tell us how much they are spending.  They won't tell us how many chickens there are.  They won't even tell us where the chickens are.  Millions of chickens are living off of our tax dollars.

As chickens are wont to do, these hens have been laying eggs every day or two.  For many years, most of these eggs were not even used by the government.  They were turned into feed for other animals.  At our expense.

Mad?  Well let's think about it for a minute.  Why would our government do this?

Because, it turns out, eggs are the most crucial ingredient in many vaccines.  Now, pharmaceutical companies can make arrangements to buy eggs for the vaccines that are needed on a regular basis (such as childhood vaccines for mumps, measles, etc., yearly flu vaccines, shingles vaccines, and others).  But every once in a while, a new disease pops up for which no plans have been made in advance, and consequently no eggs are available.  Anthrax, a few years ago, and now COVID-19.

So, when a vaccine is formulated, we'll have the eggs we need to produce it, thanks to the government.  Even if our enemies want to disrupt our supply, they won't be able to find the secret chickens in their secret chicken coops.

Make no mistake, though, this is socialism.  The government has decided where and how to spend our money in order to protect society.  Whether we like it, or not.

It is the same reason our Centers for Disease Control had a pandemic response team, until President Trump did away with it 2 years before COVID-19 arrived.  It's why the CDC had a representative in China to help look out for diseases emerging from that country, until President Trump did away with that position a couple of months before COVID-19 emerged.

So, please, don't tell President Trump about the secret chickens.  He would no doubt have them turned into McNuggets and Egg McMuffins before we could use them for a vaccine.  He's a businessman, don't you know.

The first job of government is to protect its citizens.  We pay the Fire Department even on days when there are no fires.  We pay the military even on days when there are no wars.  And we pay our chickens, even on days when there are no pandemics.  Government is not a business.  To treat it that way is to be penny wise and pound foolish.  Except that the costs are measured in lives, not dollars.

Bill Roberts
Fannin County, Texas