GONDOLA GOSSIP

by: Staff Writer

Let's face it like Forrest Gump once famously said… "stupid is as stupid does". Sometimes we really should stop and ask ourselves how stupid do our politicians and corporations think we are? I mean really. How many times do you need to hear about a "road map to victory" or "acceptable loses or levels" to figure it out. It's about what they can get away with… or what we are willing to continue to let them get away with.

Think about it. If we elect politicians funded by the wealthiest individuals and corporations do they work for those of us who elected them or those who line their pockets and pay their bills? This is why we are always talking about draining the swamp. In the day of consolidation and corporate mergers it seems less and less opportunities and advancement exist. While technology eliminates jobs so do mergers and buyouts. If my company buys your company I probably don't need two of everything and every position. So where there used to be two good paying jobs at two companies there is now one company with one job, but it still does business under two names. This effectively reduces labor cost while multiplying profit at the same time. Great for the greedy few at the top not so great for their employees and society as a whole. It's kind of hard to sell more and raise prices if less and less people can afford to make those purchases.

Enter the art of distraction by division. The rich and powerful want you to believe they are the solution, instead of the cause of the problem. It's not personal it's just business, but is that really true? Is it simply business to shift the blame and turn people against one another to profit more when you already make more than enough? Words like nepotism and terms like the "good ole boy network" are still alive and well today. We want to believe that the best and brightest can rise to the top, but the top of what is now the question. If you are not rich to start with than it is unlikely you are at the top if someone else is signing your paycheck. And like we said with mergers and consolidations it's more and more likely there will continue to be fewer and fewer people who sign checks while these richest of the rich keep growing their generational wealth.

Ever hear the expression "money makes money"? Than why do most of us still fall for the get an education, work your ass off and you'll be rewarded at a later time song and dance? Because we are stupid. Conquerors through history have used three justifications… their god, their government or their greed. No matter how bright you are if you have student loans… like to live in a house… want to eat food, etc… you'll end up indentured to a rich person or company before you even know it. These entities want to get you into debt that way you are working for them one way or another. Your freedom beyond choosing where you apply is an illusion. And barriers to competition litter the landscape of capitalism ensuring those at the top stay there with little opposition. This should really come as no surprise, and more and more people are waking up to it and catching on.

The real evil here is greed aka the rich. Not the working man, woman or genderless… it's not the black, white or brown person… not the Christian, Jew or Muslim,  not the poor, elderly or disabled either. These are labels used by the rich and privileged to distract you from the fact they are in charge… they do not pay their employees fair, they do not pay their fair share in taxes and often they get free meals, vacations, etc when they can afford to pay for whatever they want. So think about it before you fall for it again… they are telling you the truth. White privilege is one of those lies, just like blacks are criminals, immigrants want free stuff and these stigmas go on and on to turn people against each other. They want you to think you're not getting yours because someone else, someone less deserving, took it form you… that's what they want you to believe. And they are right, except they blame others for what they steal. What's worse is people still fall for it.

In ski towns you don't have to look far to see over worked and underpaid white folks just like anyone else. So stop with the white privilege nonsense. Rich white people exploit poor white people just like anyone else. The rich are privileged and they come from all around the nation and the world… and they are not all white. Rich families are rich families and they own politicians just like they own cars and houses. They use them when they want and how they want. Don't fool yourself into believing a republican or democrat label makes a difference either. When was the last time you recall the poor do-gooder or politician getting nominated… never-mind get elected. Maybe you've seen the smartest and hardest working rewarded by getting the top job? Or do you just watch more and more nepotism, cronyism and the status quo?

The real truth here is an ugly one. No one is saying scrap it all and go with socialism or communism… these terms are only used by the rich to create fear among the stupid. What people are saying is that the gap between the rich and everyone else has gotten out of control. Asking the richest individuals and companies to pay their fair share is where it has to start. But the only way that happens is by not allowing the richest among us to divide the rest of us with labels, lies and BS. Since we have been doing it their way for a while, maybe it's time to tell the rich and their politicians to go sell stupid somewhere else… cause we ain't buying it anymore!