Money, money, money.

Ben Franklin, when asked what type of government he and his wigged friends had created responded:  “A Republic. If you can keep it.” Ai says Old Ben was “emphasizing that while they had created a republican form of government, its survival and success would depend on the vigilance and active participation of the citizens over time.”*

It’s safe to say these days it’s a republic if we can afford it. Not only are all politicians for sale, but it’s hard for normal people, everyday people, to live in it.

And what the hell are the people in advertisements smiling about? Bladder leakage, bulging eyes, HIV PrEP, Diabetes…if they aren’t beaming brightly at the beginning of the ad then they  are bursting into song at the end. And dancing.

Thank God for the psoriasis ads, the ones that are SOOO “Done”. It’s kind of nice to see actual people feeling upset about getting a disease. It is strange to read the small print, and even stranger when it’s read to us. I was 72 years on this earth before I knew what the perineum was and how it can become infected. I wonder if there is another, locker word for That Area.

It is also brought to our attention only rich, successful, well-dressed people buy certain cars.  Next time you watch Cadillac, Lexus, and Genesis commercials try to wonder how much the actors got paid, and what they REALLY do for a living wage.

Anyone reading this start out making $1.75 an hour many years ago? Years. One hours work in 1972 won’t get you anything in 2026 except a lottery ticket and a dream. Guess which one you can eat. This is not a complaint about inflation but how long it takes to adjust to the fact a fast-food burger meal costs as much as full 1972 days’ work. Try to budget for your end of life with those thoughts. Adapt, man, adapt.

By the way, men use one razor. An ad for female “hair maintenance” had one actress asking another “You shave down there with your leg razor?” A man can only deduce women may need many different razors. Finally, a good gift idea for when you get a female for Secret Santa.

Internationally, FIFA, look it up, is trying to “monetize” the World Cup of Football.** FIFA wants to offer “shares” in The World Cup so everyone can share in the money grab. A different article in the news feed says the gap in wealth gap between homeowners and home renters is the largest it’s ever been. Wonder which group will be buying World Cup Shares.

It is no secret our Capitalist Republic runs on money, but the sheer, naked greed and selfishness of the Modern Capitalist is driving our republic off the monopoly board and into a “Let’s Outdo The Jones (Musks?)” no-limit, rigged poker game. Imagine there being $100 to support 4 people. One of them uses his wits and legally takes the entire $100 for himself/herself/themselves. It’s like “herd immunity” in pandemics, but in reverse in economics. If a small portion of the population grabs all the $100, it prevents the rest of the population from getting what they need, and The Poor Pandemic starts. “Cost plus” profit margins go by the wayside and a $1 item is sold for as much as The Rich People will pay for it, even if it costs the poorest among us $20.

What happens to religion in all this? Our government is based on God and his commandments, right?

I wonder…google or Ai “The Prosperity Gospel”.

It was never taught in my church school.

*I copied this Google Ai quote from Emma and when it was completed, CoPilot, my Microsoft Ai, said “the paragraph needed to be rewritten in a better form.” Let the games begin.

**Yes, the Original Football. Not our modern, specialized, monetized, Roman Spectacle.