Boss walks up to secretary's desk, drops a spreadsheet on it and exclaims, "what is this expense listed here....six dollars for paper clips....SIX DOLLARS?.....for PAPER CLIPS?....."
Secretary glances at spreadsheet, looks up and replies, "...really? this is a problem? this is a multi billion dollar corporation.....millions and millions of dollars cross your desk every single day.....and you're telling me you're upset about six dollars for paper clips?"
Boss replies, "....millions and millions of dollars....I don't understand any of that....but SIX DOLLARS for PAPER CLIPS?.....THAT I understand!"
That, in a nutshell, boys and girls, is what the American system of governing is all about.
And that's why those who love Bernie Sanders love him like crazy.
And those who hate Bernie Sanders hate him like crazy.
Actually, like a boss.
Bernie is campaigning on a platform that includes free public college tuition and low cost health care to everyone.
Just two of the reasons those who love Bernie love him.
And two of the reasons those who hate him hate him.
(BTW, I'm neither a lover nor a hater, but it does prickle my grammar Nazism that it keeps getting referred to as "free tuition". If it's free, then there IS no tuition. Should be referred to as "free education".)
Those who don't feel the Bern also tend to fall into the category of one trick ponies.
The one trick tends to be posting, complaining and/or memeing their Rhodes Scholar level distilling of Sanders' vision.
And the award for best meme representing the Rhodes Scholar level distilling of Sanders' vision goes to:
This "free shit" characterization, however lacking it might be in finesse, pretty much sums up the simple attitude of the anti-Berns.
If only because the "projected cost" of what Sanders would like to accomplish has been ball parked, often and not just a little hysterically, at 18 trillion bucks.
A pretty big ball park by anyone's standard.
But, speaking of "magic trees", as accomplished illusionists like, say, Penn and Teller have showed us time and time again for years and years and years, what seems to be might not necessarily be what is.
In the world of magic and illusion, there's a little thing they call misdirection.
Put simply, it is the art, and skill, of diverting your attention to something over here so that the magician can be doing something over there.
And then, suddenly, ideally dazzling and delighting you with the exposure of what's going on over there.
Ta da.
Think somebody snapping the fingers of their left hand loudly and often so that you pay no attention to what they're doing with their right hand.
Actually, while we're thinking about it, misdirection is a pretty common methodology in the world of politics, as well.
If the campaign should hit a speed bump regarding a candidate's position on, say, abortion, all said candidate need do is divert your attention to his opponent's position on gun control.
And all those right to bear arms eyes look away from babies and start staring at bullets.
Ta da.
None of this is meant to imply, or even assert, that Bernie Sanders is trying to misdirect us in the slightest.
In fact, it's pretty obvious from the heat that he takes on his stands, that he is a pretty stand up guy when it comes to his intentions.
As far as the 18 trillion dollar elephant in the room is concerned, the real name of the game here isn't misdirection.
It's misappropriation.
And a financial concept so simple in its essence that it is, or at least used to be, taught to children from the first day they seem capable of understanding the difference between a dime and a dollar.
Spending your money only on the things you really need, limiting the amount of money you spend on things you don't need but, just every now and then, want and feel like you deserve.
And, if possible, putting a little away for a rainy day.
The number one radio show in national syndication right now is hosted by a guy named Dave Ramsey.
Dave is a financial consultant and people call in from all over the country asking him for advice and counsel regarding their money. Dave comes off very personable, very knowledgeable, and very willing to offer both on air advice and frequent suggestions that those in need visit his website where his "how to be financially secure" step by step programs are available for purchase via check, debit or credit card.
A lot of people call. And, judging from Dave's success, a lot of people purchase his step by step programs via check, debit or credit card.
And good for Dave.
This is America.
Where figuring out a way to get people to convert their money into your money is a very large piece of the puzzle we call the American dream.
Meanwhile, a friend and colleague of mine remarked, in jest and with all due respect, that he felt like he had zeroed in on the Dave Ramsay premise and with little or no preparation, could probably put together his own version of the number one syndicated radio show in the nation.
It would go something like this.
".....if you can afford something, buy it....and if you can't afford something, don't buy it.....let's go to our next caller...."
Sounds like a hit show to me.
Little short, maybe.
But a hit.
Here's the thing about Bernie Sanders' proposals.
The naysayers are saying nay using terms like "bankrupt", "socialism", "pipe dream" and, of course, the always popular, if not just partly profane, "free shit".
Don't know about the boat, but these folks are most assuredly missing the point.
It's not that America can't afford to send kids to public college at no charge or that we can't afford to provide low, or no, cost health care to our citizens.
The money is there.
It's just being misdirected.
Improper Medicare payments to doctors, hospitals and medical providers---$34 billion.
Fraudulent unemployment benefits to those not qualified---$3 billion.
Social Security payment to the incarcerated...or the dead--- billions.
Fraudulent IRS refunds to prisoners---billions.
That's just a tiny iceberg tip of the waste and/or fraud that most likely numbers in the...wait for it...billions.
Misdirection.
Oh. Scratch that.
Misappropriaton.
And even a boss who doesn't understand millions and millions of dollars crossing his desk but totally gets the outrageousness of blowing six bucks on paper clips can do the simple math....
....that a few billion here, a few billion there and the next thing you know....
...you got 18 trillion.
And free public college education.
And low, or no, cost health care for all citizens.
You don't have to be a Rhodes Scholar...or a Nobel Prize winning economist....or even a Dave Ramsay to understand the simplicity of what Bernie Sanders wants to do.
It's a simple matter of not allowing anybody to blow any more of our money on paper clips.
No comments:
Post a Comment