Turn on the prudent ant thy heedful eyes. Observe her labors, sluggard, and be wise.

-- Samuel Johnson

Let's check the mail.

My Sunday comparisons of all these bailout requests with the old story of the hardworking ant and the labor-challenged grasshopper brought several responses.

One was from Tracy Walsh , of Edgefield County, who suggested an idea from the updated version of Aesop's famous fable. She writes: "In the Disney/Pixar's children's movie It's a Bug's Life , the ants gather the courage to revolt against the grasshoppers. I think it's time we little, hard-working ants follow the example and start a revolution for economic freedom. That's the only way those grasshoppers will learn their lessons."

And when I pointed out that in the fable's older version, the grasshopper starved, but in newer versions, the ant bails him out, it prompted the Rev. Dan White to quote the late Southern Baptist evangelist Vance Havner, who once said: " 'If they had a social gospel in the days of the prodigal son, somebody would have given him a bed and a sandwich and he never would have gone home.' "

WHAT'S LEFT? My mention of left-handed President-elect Barack Obama brought this comment from Paul Cook , of Augusta: "I am also left-handed," he wrote, "and when someone comments about my being left-handed I usually tell them that some of the finest people I know are left-handed including Harry Truman, my grandson, and myself."

Mr. Cook makes a point -- left handedness seems to have a hereditary aspect, which probably explains why no one in my immediate family is left-handed, but I tried.

When I was growing up, I taught myself to throw a baseball left handed to better copy some of my heroes. To show off during Little League warm-ups, I would flip my glove around and catch with my right hand and throw with my left.

I was fairly smug about it, considering almost no one noticed.

POOR COMPANY: Julie writes that the current economy has given her an idea. "It would be interesting to hear some interviews in regards to stories about the Great Depression," she writes. "I think people would appreciate and find interest in stories such as these."

Julie, we've tried that a few times and can't seem to find that many good interviews. Most Southerners seem to have been living on farms and were "so poor, we didn't know we were poor."

But, you never know. Anyone got a good Depression story?

YULE FUEL: Thanks to all of you who sent in your low gas guesses.

I will say that no one guessed that it would sink below a dollar by Christmas, although it might get close, the experts say.

"Nothing is supporting a rise in crude oil at this time of year," Gregg Laskoski, managing director, public relations, for AAA Auto Club South said in a weekend e-mail. "So, there is no reason for us not to believe that prices will continue to drop throughout the rest of the year."

It might be cheaper for Santa to drive than to use the sleigh.

TODAY'S JOKE: Seth Benson shares this.

Two mothers are talking about getting children out of bed.

"Do what I do," one told the other. "I throw the cat on my son's bed."

"Why does that wake him up?" the other mom asked.

"It's easy," said the first mom, "he sleeps with the dog."