Richistan

You have got to see this! I was listening to NPR (Don't flame me, I was only listening to learn the enemy's plans. And where do you think Rush gets all his material?)

At any rate I was listening to a show called Market Place, its supposed to be your superficial market round up show but they were discussing the recent brouhaha over how many houses McCain owned. They got around to pointing out that both McCain and Obama have done pretty well then brought up a book called Richistan by Robert Frank. Mr. Frank divides the rich into Upper Richistan (Over $100 million) and Lower Richistan (Over $10 million) anybody below $10 mega large is merely affluent.

As an example of some one living in Upper Richistan they offered Ed and Edwina Rogers. The Rogers are "Super Lobbyist" so I assume the made that large pile lobbying, if so maybe things are even more out of control in Washington than we all suspect. I'm sorry I can't be more snarky, Mrs. Rogers comes across as a pleasant, down to earth lady with just one tiny little quirk. She wraps gifts in money.

Not Republic of Tonga notes either, she uses American dollars, the old lucky buck, the diaper, the green back, add your own favorite nickname. She buys rolls of dollars from the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and cuts them into the appropriate sized squares for whatever trinket she is wrapping.

I know its just paper, just paper backed by the full faith and credit of the United States and we all know what a joke that is! She made the money honestly, undermining the integrity of politicians so she can do with it as she pleases. I'm sure the Fed is happy to print more, so where's the beef?

A commentator on the Market Place was troubled by the piece:

Mr. Frank has wonderful credentials, with numerous awards to his credit and he is a well known expert in economics. Right? So he needs a second job as a political hack for the Left? How come?

Of course Mr. Frank wasn't involved in the video piece he just wrote a book about the rich but he's correct about Mrs Rogers' practice about using dollars to wrap stuff. If you ever needed an image to get people on the barricades this one fills the bill. If you ever needed a metaphor for a dysfunctional economy this is one to put next to the wheelbarrows full of Wiemar Republic notes the Germans had to push around to purchase bread or Marie Antoinette suggesting the sans culottes eat cake. We all know how Hitler and Robespierre used those metaphors and how that worked to the betterment of man.

At a time when people are losing homes, we are losing our manufacturing base and shipping billions to oil sheiks and rogue states for oil perhaps its time to be a little circumspect in the vulgar displays of wealth.

Ah who am I kidding. It's Thermidor! I'll see you on the barricades.