Money Makes the World Go Down

Money, money, money. Big sigh. Isn't it truly the root of most evil? There is evil to be found sprouting out from other sources, therefore I won't point my spindly mad finger solely in the direction of one of the oldest cliche's in memory. Money has been, and will continue to be, a means to enact great deeds. Individuals with an abundance of it have saved land from becoming yet another concrete highway or gated community; built necessary hospital wings; saved millions of lives through genuine charitable contributions. Money provides the means to fix potholes in the roads...and, of course, makes it possible to build the roads in the first place…that is, IF the country, state, county or city can afford to do those things. Having money puts food on the table...if one has a table to put it on.

We could list thousands of reasons why money is important and what the use of it has done to improve all aspects of life. No question. There is a positive result when handled with care.

On the personal side of monetary wealth, if one is rich, money will provide a form of freedom to handle almost all of life’s pleasures, as well as to easily traverse unexpected expenditures caused by illness, accidents of all kinds, annoying former paramour’s with a damning little video on the verge of going viral….

Without going into a history lesson on the origins of money as we know it today, it is helpful to step back to observe what money actually means, as I believe modern culture has lost touch with the basic point when we toss around little cards of plastic and the paper and copper and silver and gold of exchange becomes a foggy memory.

Money is merely a tool of exchange. You give me this, I’ll give you that. Having something to give to another for a service or product has been part of life from the beginning. We all know this fact. Before we began using tangible “money,” there was a barter system. Hey, I need wood for my fire. You have the wood, I have the fire (as it were). Grateful exchanges were created as each one fulfilled the others’ needs. Everyone gained and all were happy ever-after. That is, until the one with the wood decided to slip a few little pieces of kindling in-between the larger pieces, resulting in an uneven, unethical barter.

Knowing the truth that within a non-monetary structure, inequality, cons and scams were already in action, why would I choose to flog on money, then? Isn't it back to the familiar refrain of "it's just human nature" that some people will be honest and others won't? Yes and no. As the population of the world increases, demand for services, products and food does likewise. Money, then, the "having" of it and the "non-having" of "it", becomes frighteningly muy importante'.

Jumping into what is now a fact that as with numerous third-world countries, the gap between the wealthy and those in poverty in the U.S. is widening and dividing our country all the way from the hallowed halls of Washington DC to the fallow strip malls of ghetto-land, and is why the debate and debacle over the tax cuts is key to what the future may bring (or not) for all of us, rich or poor...or in-between.

Nothing has "trickled-down" to those in need unless the hole in that thinking is alleviated through individual charities, altruistic millionaires, and what our government placed into law years  ago - Social Security. Medicare. And more.

Now we see a government willing to put what remains as a way to avoid excessive crime and illness once again on the public chopping block of a primitive mind-set to throw away what works to, instead, keep our wealthy happy and fat...or kept fit by the whip of a zealous personal trainer. Yes indeed, let's continue to have Investment Bankers run our economy. That really makes sense, doesn't it? What is the priority of banks other than to make money for themselves? Who can invest if they don't have enough money for groceries? And, with the exception here and there of the wealthiest percentage of the country donating perhaps a 1/3rd (or more) of their income to help others, does it make more than a small ripple in the grand waters between who we are indebted to as a country and the obligations we must keep in order to fulfill our monetary pay-back promises? (Hey, I like Chinese food, I really do...but after an hour I want a roast chicken with mashed potatoes.)

One thing I just absolutely love to hear is how our government spends money on providing plastic surgery to various "key witnesses" in the Witness Protection Program so that we can put a low-life like Jon Gotti in prison for being a ruthless mafioso. That's right. Do you remember how we shelled out thousands of dollars to give "Sammy the Bull" a new face prior to his testimony against Gotti? Wow! That was a great way to spend money, wasn't it? Sure, the amount was small in comparison to the national debt - then and now - but each little nonsensical expenditure adds-up. But no, let's pay our government doctors to reconstruct faces and remove damning gang-based tattoos from a jerk who wants to look less threatening when he appears in court. Yep. That's another issue in the news right now...that we know about concerning money spent on such procedures.

But heaven forbid we retain Social Security! Or Medicare. Gotta make cuts there, don't we? Gotta raise the age of retirement, too. Say what? These fools don't get it...or do they? LOWER the retirement age, give jobs to the younger jobless or under-employed college graduates who are currently flipping burgers and delivering pizzas to stay afloat, who will be paying into FICA with high-paying jobs, which will save Social Security in both the short and long-term. That makes sense, doesn't it? Create openings for the newbies to bolster the economy and save SSA. Oh, but that's too sensible. Too easy.

On second thought, I need a little plastic surgery, dental work, and a handler to ensure my safety and privacy. Perhaps I should start hanging out with scary criminals, gain a lot of dirt on them, and run straight to the feds for shelter and healthcare, along with those neat little cosmetic procedures don't ya' think? Then I wouldn't need Social Security when I "retire" and my healthcare would be well taken care of, wouldn't it? After all, bringing down a mob boss is far more important than tossing seniors to an early grave through lack of money and all of the ramifications such stress would cause.

More on this topic to come......