Stranger in a Strange Land

Visible billionaires: These people are just filthy rich. Those in the actual ruling class are far richer, and invisible.

   I wonder how many of you reading this agree with the above? In order to best fit this narrative you have to be someone who dismisses this current economic, financial and political system. Everywhere I look I see how corporate driven America is owned by the Super Rich. By Super Rich I must categorize it as those who are at least mega millionaires and usually own the means of production, commerce and the means of shelter. Of course the Super Rich rely on those below their caste to carry on with tightening the reins on us working stiffs. Small business owners who are selfish and self centered fit into this category. A great anecdote is about what happened to a local woodworking craftsman who worked for a cabinet business. The company had three or four men like himself who worked on salary. When business was doing well the owner, instead of compensating his men, went and bought Mercedes Benz cars for himself, his wife and their two children. Of course, to save money he put them all ' On the books' regardless of whether any of them actually worked there.

I look around me and all I see is great wealth in the hands in less than 1 % of our populace. I see just about everyone on the boob tube earning millions for but a few hours of work each day or maybe each week. Sports teams are owned by billionaires, with their majority of players millionaires. As a kid I remember knowing that my favorite Brooklyn Dodgers players had to work during the off season to supplement their salary. I see the mainstream media that carries these sports earning billions each year. You want go to a major league baseball game? For a seat in the ' ozone layer bleachers ' you will pay $ $30 to $ 50... for one game! You got kids who want to go? Add that cost on for each kid, plus the parking charge, the program charges, and the hot dogs, soda , popcorn and beer. A family of four might fork out $ 300 for one damn game!

Big Pharma has so much money, along with the car insurance companies, that both industries just saturate the airwaves with their commercials. The former push the hell out of so many drugs that seem to do as much harm with side effects as they do with helping the patient's affliction. Big Pharma has many doctors on their ' Payroll' with all kinds of perks and bonuses. I recall, perhaps 15 years ago, how my family doc actually got paid $100 to take a one minute phone call from a Big Pharma salesperson. Look at the Opioid crisis and see how many physicians were getting paid off to push that addiction... all in the name of healing and helping. Look how long it took for marijuana to become more respectable, while Oxy and Fentanyl were at the pharmacy ready to be picked up with a script. As to the car insurance clown show, why in the hell do we need private insurers of any type?  They are simply gambling  enterprises. You buy insurance to offset the gamble of having an accident ,serious health condition or climate attack on your home. Yet, the insurance industry rakes in the zillions!

Politics is in reality the truest clown show. Look at who we have on both sides of the aisle. Do you think most of these people really care about you? Their first objective is to get themselves re-elected. Secondly, it is to make sure that their campaign donors, the big money ones, get taken care of via legislation or lack of legislation. Of course, once many of them leave office, they make sure they get juicy jobs as lobbyists or working for some Think Tank... usually subsidized by the Super Rich of both political persuasions. Nowadays, in addition to many politicians being lawyers, the new thing is to elect ex CIA, NSA or military personnel. This is why we have so many elected officials who reflect the views held by this Military Industrial Empire. Today's drink of choice is the Kool Aid for the new Cold War with Russia and China. The good ole days of the ' War on Terror' are fading gang. Most of the members of the so called 'Progressive Caucus' of the Democratic Party keep supporting increases in military spending  for the Ukraine, bastion of democracy... and home to 21st Century Neo Nazis. Of course, their bastard sibling, the Republicans, are pushing for pre-emptive war with Iran... and then China. And they call me strange?

Those like me who see through all the aforementioned scams, we will continue to be called ' Strange' by our neighbors and fellow citizens. God forbid you espouse Socialism and cuts in the mad, insane militarism while holding the Super Rich accountable, beginning with their wallets...

PA Farruggio

April, 2023