It's All About Money

"It's all about money," screeched the female caller on C-Span this morning. "This nation is obsessed with money!"

Well, yes. Yes it is. Such is the fate of a nation where the only things which are free are opinions and gossip. Nowhere in the world can one get everything they want or need with only a wink and a smile. Every good or service requires the exchange of some form of currency.

Almost everyone is obsessed with money, from the rich man who wants more, to the poor man who wants what the rich man has, to the politician who promises a handout in some form or other to everyone who falls beneath a certain income level, while speaking with hatred about those who are settled above it. The conundrum of America is that we appreciate the riches amassed by the luck of the Poker Star's cards, but resent luck through the stock market. We adore those who entertain us through sports or television or movies and pay them handsomely for their efforts, but despise those who increase their bank accounts by wheeling and dealing behind the curtains of business.

So apparently it isn't money we hate, but how it's earned and who has it that brings a bitter taste to the tongue.

Those who wish to redistribute the wealth failed to learn the simple lesson of Monopoly: someone always loses. Whether through poor management or bad luck, someone is always going to lose to someone else, and suddenly the wealth is no longer evenly distributed.

Of course the only recourse is to have a government which assures no one climb above a specific level, and no one fall beneath another. If the government controls earnings, all will be equal.

And we as citizens will be serfs.

As for me, I'm in the middle. Whether I'm rich or poor depends upon which politician is speaking and what the ultimate goal of that speech is. I'm obsessed with money to the extent that retirement is around the corner, and whether or not I'll live comfortably depends upon how much I amass now, because the very governmental programs intended to help me in my golden years are bankrupt. What amazes me is the number of people who trust this same government to run even more entitlement programs.