Celebrating this Land of Absurdity

Myths and Legends

“Myths and legends die hard in America,” remarked Hunter S. Thompson in The Great Shark Hunt, nearly 40-years ago.

Uncompromising independence, rugged individualism, and unbounded personal freedom were once ideals essential to the American character. According to popular American folklore, they still are. We have some reservations.

In practice, the principles that gave rise to the great myths and legends of America died long ago. Freedom. Liberty. Independence. Limited representative government. Sound money. Private property rights. A humble and esteemable populace. Avoidance of foreign entanglements. Rafting down the Mississippi River.

Money Sucking Vortex

These concepts, in reality, faded away from daily life over the last century like stars in the morning. Over the last 100 years Washington has become a sort of money sucking vortex. At the Capitol Building sits a cadre of legislatures and an army of staffers working up new laws to take your money.

New rules, proposed rules, and notices are published daily in the Federal Register. A quick read of the daily publication – presently about 80,000 pages – will enlighten and alarm you to the vast array of agencies, departments, and commissions and their vast array of daily nonsense.

At least we know there will never be a crash anymore. The financial system has been rendered perfectly safe!

With all these rules, it’s become near impossible to earn an honest living, and set aside a few bucks, without the IRS making a federal case out of it. Was overtime pay properly reported? Were company sponsored parking lot fees disclosed as taxable benefits?

Celebrating this Land of Absurdity

We’re not here to bemoan America’s devolution into absurdity. The truth bites.  So why adhere to it when it’s much, much more agreeable to believe myths and legends?

Thus for one day we’ll not grumble that our government is broke and our leaders are imposters.  Nor will we complain that an unelected committee creates digital monetary credits with a few key strokes and then uses it to make interest bearing loans to the government.  Instead, we’ll celebrate America for what it is.

In essence, America today is a land of absurdity where lunatics thrive and screwballs flourish.  It’s a place where freaks and weirdos succeed in symbiotic disharmony.  It’s a place where someone like Kim Kardashian can get rich by publicly behaving like an idiot.