This economy reminds me of my toothless grandfather who cut the edges of sliced white bread. As long as you ignore the millions of Americans who are perishing economically at the margins, everything is fine and will be fine. Simply cut away from concern and consciousness the margins of society, and the white center–the crustless Wonder Bread–becomes uniformly appealing.

As long as power, influence and privilege remain insulated from the reality of the lower classes, and the lower classes continue to remain aloof from voting, and apparently unaware of how they are manipulated to vote against their own interests, change will not be beneficial.

There are times when crimes and sins lose their taint. As soon as the suffering classes realize this and stop supporting demagogues, Elmer Gantrys, Ellsworth Tooeys and tin men, things may begin to change for the better. In the meantime, I’m betting on power retaining itself.

– Raphael O’Suna,   Haiku