"Our government is unconstitutionally using a fiat currency!" Blank stares.
"All of our currency is debt issued and accordingly we will never be able to pay off the public or private debt!" No response.
"The system is rigged! Our Treasury is no more than a whore, printing money and giving it to the private bankers who privately own what they call the "Federal Reserve". Ho hum.
They just don't get it. Sure, they can blame the banks for making loans to NINJA (No Income No Job or Asset) home buyers and they can understand that these loans were packaged into investments deceptively called "securities" that have transformed their 401k into a 201k, but what they don't seem to get is where this all began was the corruption of their currency marked "FEDERAL RESERVE NOTE".
So how do those who understand, get through the skulls full of mush and flick the switch on whatever so small amount of light is inevitably there? How do we take LETS from an abstract discussion comparing its advantages to the liabilities of a interest based currency? How, how, how................ah, lets play Monopoly.
So the four skulls full of mush are gathered around the table, each on their own side of the board, one with the top hot, the other with the car, it doesn't matter, who really cares, those tokens are just a small bit to distract them from ever thinking that not one of them has any chance of winning in MY game of Monopoly. For you see, MY game of Monopoly is a variant I call "Twist" as in "Federal Reserve Twist".
And so the players select their tokens and inquire as to mine. "Oh, I don't need a token. I am going to be the bank. Just the bank. You get the token and get to go around the board acquiring property. I will just be the bank."
Odd stares. "But how will you play if you don't go around the board."
"Not to worry. I will be just fine. I'n fact I am certain that I will win."
"Posh. How can you win if you don't have a piece and don't move around the board and acquire property?"
"You will see. Now player to my left shall begin."
And the player to my left rolls the dice and moves his thimble to Reading Railroad.
"Ah. I love railroads!"
"I agree. That is a great start to your game. And you would like to buy the Reading Railroad?"
"Why of course."
"But wait! He hasn't any money! None of us have any money! You forgot to give us money at the start of the game!"
"FORGOT! I forgot nothing. The bank never forgets. You think money grows on trees. You want money, then you will have to earn it. He wants Reading Railroad. The Railroad he shall have."
"But how shall he buy it without any money?"
"How shall any of you buy anything without any money?"
"Yes, yes, yes, yes. How shall we buy? How shall we play?" they all ask.
"Well, since you have no money to play, I guess if you want to buy, you shall have to borrow."
"Huh?"
"Yes, you shall have to borrow."
"To heck with that. I will just pass on the railroad and wait until I have some money and pay cash."
"Good for you! Save up and buy. I like the virtuous player. As the banker I can appreciate that."
And the second player rolls. "Snake eyes! One, two, Community Chest." He takes the top card which says, "Life Insurance Matures - collect $100.00"
"Oh yeah. I can now buy Oriental Avenue. Hand it over Mr. Banker!"
"Very well. You are a fortunate chap and leading in the game."
And the third player rolls and moves her shoe. "One, two, three, four, five, six and seven. Chance?" She takes a card. "Pay School Tax of $150."
"But I don't have $150.00"
"Well, you will have to find it or you are out of the game." As the Banker, I had to point that fact out to her.
"Out of the game? But I just started. This isn't fair. How can I really get to play without any money."
"Well, I know a way."
"A way?"
"Yes, a way you can get the money to pay the tax and stay in the game?"
"What is that way?"
"It is the oldest way in the world?"
"Oldest way in the world?! What are you talking about?!"
"You know........what is the oldest way in the world to get your hands on some cash? And there is nothing wrong with that way, especially when it is for the children......it being the school tax and all."
"Why you perv! What am I supposed to do strip off my shirt to get the money to pay the school tax?"
"No. No. No. Think again. What is the oldest way that both men and women got money when they needed it especially in the case of needing it to pay the taxes?"
"Huh?!"
"They went to where the money was and borrowed it from the........"
"The BANKER!"
"Hey, that is what I am here for!"
"You get the money. You pay the tax. The kids stay in school. You stay in the game."
"Great! I think I will stay in the game!"
"You go girl! Here is $150.00 to pay the tax, and by the way I think your luck is going to change with your next turn, so why don't you let me loan you another $1000.00 on top of that?"
"Huh?!"
"Yeah, I'll loan you another $1,000.00 on top of it so that you can buy some of the properties that you land on and collect rent from the other players. That is how the game is played. No?"
"Oh....I get it. Monopoly with a twist. You are like teaching us how real estate investment takes place in the real world. Very cool. I will have to teach this version of the game to my kids. Teach them how to be investors."
"Yes, you are a really good mother. Here, $100.00, $1000.00, $1,200.00. Now pay the $150.00 tax and we will put it in the Community Account."
"Hey wait! I thought you were loaning me $1,300.00 total."
"I did. See I wrote it down right here - $1,300.00 under your name."
"But you only gave me $1,200.00"
"That's right."
"But why? You said you would loan me $1,300.00"
"But I did. And I deducted $100.00 from the $1,300.00"
"What for?"
"My fee."
"Your fee?!"
"Yes. An origination fee."
"Origination fee?"
"Yes. That is customary with all the loans I make. All borrowers are charged the same fee. I don't discriminate. You don't think that is fair."
"Well, not really?! I don't think you really did anything for that fee."
"Well, I did. I made the loan, I recorded it here on my ledger. And bottom line, it is my money, so if you don't like the fee, you can just give it all back."
"But then I can't pay the tax am bankrupt and out of the game."
"Okay."
"But....but....but something doesn't seem quite right."
"Hey. That is how the game is played. The rules are the same for everyone and if you can't run and borrow like the big dogs, you need to stay on the porch."
"Well, I guess I really have no other choice."
"Hey there. You made the right decision. Now you really in the game and look at the deals that are just around the corner. Who is next? Ah, Mr Top Hat."
Top Hat rolls. "One, two, three, four, five. READING RAILROAD. Hahahaha sucker......too bad for you that you didn't buy it. You'd be getting rent. Instead, this baby is mine. Mr. Banker, loan me $200.00."
"Very shrewed Top Hat. I see that you learn from others misfortunes. No let me see how you handle this complexity of the game. I can loan you $200.00 which will need to be $300.00 because I take the, you know, $100.00 origination fee. But for the same fee, I would be happy to loan you a larger amount."
"A larger amount? How much?"
"Up to $2,500.00 and I will include the $100.00 origination fee on the back end of the loan you really get the benefit of a full $2,500.00"
"Hmmmm. Well that makes more sense than paying a $100.00 fee every time I want to borrow. What the heck, you have a deal."
And so the banker records $2,600.00 under Top Hat on the debt ledger.
"Hey Banker! What about us?"
"What about you Mr. Thimble?"
"Can we get the same deal?"
"Why Mr. Thimble, I thought you were the frugal, saving sort, not the borrowing type?"
"Hey Banker, I just lost out on $25.00 in rent. Now I see how this game is played. Give me the $2,500.00"
And this is how Mr Thimble, Ms. Shoe, Mr. Auto and Mr. Top Hat all came to have an amount of $2,600.00 recorded under their name, on Mr. Bankers ledger.
Now fully liquidated with Mr. Bankers funding, the Thimble, Shoe, Auto and Top Hot circled the board in earnest, buying up properties, charging and receiving rents but every time they went around the board and passed go, each paid the Banker the sum of $130.00 representing the 5% interest that Mr. Banker charged on each of their loans.
Mr. Thimble was the first to go bust. He landed on a Boardwalk hotel which had been previously purchased by Mr. Top Hat who had traded Marvin Gardens and two Raildroads with Mrs Shoe to acquire Park Place. Down to his last $100.00 Mr Thimble on his next turn rolled the dice and landed on Baltic Avenue which fortunately for him, he owned. But then Mr. Banker stuck out his hand.
"What?!"
"What are you forgetting my frugal Mr. Thimble?"
"Oh, your payment. But I haven't but a hundred dollars left."
"Well, what are we going to do Mr. Thimble? You know how the game goes, if you can't pay the interest or rent, game over for you. Does anyone want to buy a property from you?"
"Hey, were are kind of cash poor out here. Sure, I just collected the rent for Boardwalk, but I have my interest payment coming up and I've got to keep a reserve to pay fines and any rents that I might be charged."
"Well Thimble, what are we going to do?"
"I guess that I am out. Sorry."
"Tell you what Mr. Thimble, why don't I loan you another $2500.00 so that you can stay pay your interest and stay in the game. That will also enable you to put up some hotels on your properties and with a little luck overtake the others."
"You would do that for me?!"
"Sure. We will call it an investment in your future. I think that you still have one in this game. Your luck is bound to change and one of them is bound to land on one of your improved properties."
"Hey! What about us?"
"What about you?"
"Don't we get the same deal?"
"Hmmmmm. Well, those are the rules. I can change the terms, but I have to change them for everyone and apply them equally."
"Change the terms?! Change them to what?"
"Well, if I am going to keep Thimble in the game and loan him another $2,500.00 when all of that improved property is sitting out there, the risk of him going bankrupt really is greater, so I am going to have to charge a higher interest. And if he gets a higher rate, well, to be fair I have to charge everyone the higher rate."
"What's the rate?"
"Ten Percent."
"Ten percent! That's double."
"Hey. It is double for everyone. That's fair. Tell you what, to make it really fair, I won't even charge any of you any interest for the next 5 turns around the board."
So Thimble and the others lined up at the Bank and each received another $2,500.00 and each had another $2,600.00 recorded against them on the Bankers ledger. And for the next 5 turns they all played, charging and paying rents, collecting from the Community Chest and buying their way out of Jail, but then it hit. The five turns around the board were up and again the Banker held out his hand. "Three hundred and ninety dollars please."
"Wow! That is really going to add up. Fifteen hundred dollars every time we go around the board. Why three trips and that is almost as much money as any of us got from all of our borrowing."
"Don't worry at least one of you will not make it another three trips around the board."
"What?! What makes you say that? How can you know that?"
"You will see. You will see."
Actually, both Mr. Auto and Mr. Thimble went down on the next turn. First, Mr. Auto landed on Pennsylvania Avenue. Mrs Shoe clapped her hands. "Yes, yes, yes. Pay up buddy or you are out. And don't loan him any more money Mr. Banker. I want his properties."
"I like to see a woman happy. No more lending to anyone. Mr. Auto, I think that you are bankrupt, go and hand those properties over to Mrs Shoe."
Mrs Shoe happily stretched out an open hand to Mr. Auto.
"Oh, but wait a second Mrs Shoe. I forgot to mention as it was so obvious but since Mr. Auto is bankrupt, he can't transfer the properties to you without first being released by me."
"Released?!"
"Yeah, released. Since he has never paid any principal back on the properties, I still have a blanket lien for the total amount that he has borrowed on all of his properties. For them to be transfered to an unsecured creditor like yourself, rent is always an unsecured debt, you and I are going to have to do some negotiating."
"What?!"
"I supposed I could take something other than cash, but being that I am a cold hearted, bean counting banker, even more than seeing what's underneath that shirt of yours, I just sort of need to finally get back some principal and clear off some of these balances. So if you want to pay off some Auto's debt, I would be happy to release some of the properties to you."
"But I spent most of my cash putting a hotel on Marvin Gardens. I have to have enough to survive the others players rents if I should land on them."
"You are probably right Mrs Shoe. Hand them over here Mr. Auto."
And that is how Mr. Banker went from owning all the money to now owning all of the property that was formerly owned by Mr. Auto."
"Hey! What about my rent?"
"Rent?"
"For Mr. Auto landing on my Pennsylvania Avenue Hotel. You got all of his properties. Should you at least pay me my rent."
"Where is that in the rules. That is what he owes you. Again, as the Banker, I am the secured creditor and I get paid first. But seeing how Mr. Auto never paid me any principal, everything that he owns is completely mortgage to me and there is no excess. But I tell you what, just to be fair about things, let's have a fair market auction."
"Auction?"
"Yes. Auction. Now what will you bid for all of Mr. Auto's assets? Mrs Shoe?"
"Well, all I have left is $1,500.00. I need to save at least $500.00 of that so I will bid $1000.00."
"Thimble?"
"I have only $900.00 left, so she tops me."
"Mr. Top Hat? You have $3000.00 sitting there. Why don't you."
"Bid $1100.00?"
"There you go."
"Okay, $1,100."
"Very good. It was nice to see the Auction action, but because I am owed $5,200.00, I think I will have to bid the same as a a judgment of my secured blanket interest and take possession of all of Mr. Auto's property. But thank you for bidding."
"So you get all of his properties?"
"Yes. Of course. That is how the game is played. It was my money. I did not get it back, so I get his property."
The three remaining players looked dubious. Mr. Thimble rolled the dice. "One, two, three. Uh oh."
"Ah, I see that you have landed on a property that I recently re-possessed from Mr. Auto. And it has a house on it. Thank you very much."
"Uh oh."
"Uh oh? What?"
"Don't you see it?"
"See what?!"
"We are all screwed. All screwed. He was right. Not only are we going to owe him $390.00 every time we go around the board, but now we are going to be paying him rent if we land on his property."
"Crap! You are right! None of us are going to last more than another turn around the board. He has more cash than all of us combined because each time around the board we pay him interest."
"And you will notice that up until this last turn by Mr. Thimble, I have never collected any rent for any property."
"We have been collecting rent."
"But we have also been paying rent."
"And round and round your money went to each other and the community chest and your taxes and schools."
"But every time we went around, you sucked off five or ten percent of it in interest and you did not return the money to us and you never had to pay the community chest or the taxes or the schools."
"But that is simple. You were players and I was the bank. You played the game under the rules that were set up for you."
"But you set up those rules."
"I tell you what. Let's play again."
"Play again? Why? What's the point? If you start with all of the money and we have to borrow it and fully mortgage our properties to you to acquire them in the first place, and then have to pay interest to you every time that we go around the board, you are always going to end up with all of the property that we buy and improve. Who needs to play again to see that?"
"Mrs Shoe?"
"No. That's obvious now."
"Mr. Auto.?"
"No."
"Mr. Thimble?"
"Hell no! This was a setup! This game is rigged. Why would anyone play it?"
"Because you play it every day?"
"Every day?! What are you talking about?"
.....and so were the eyes of Mr. Thimble, Mr. Auto, Mrs Show and Mr. Top Hat opened to the way the Federal Reserve creates an artificial demand for a valueless means of exchange that results in an unfair competition of those who work and grow and build and buy and sell, even while the value of their product is undermined as the bankers first liberally loan their money into the market and having created an excessive demand for it, then hoard it and watch mere paper increase in value against the value of the land, and crops and the very hands that produced all that men really need.
And once the commodities produced by mens labor is devalued against the currency printed by the financiers, the financiers both quietly and openly acquire the best of the commodities before they again flood the market with excess paper now needed in an even greater amount to re-purchase the commodities.
And what has the banker or financier produced in all of this? The simple answer is nothing. The more serious answer is that the interest they collected was a significant drag on the collective means of production, and worse still a drag that inflicting great trauma to the psyche of every individual, every family and every community which they touched.
Now, return to the simple game of monopoly and grant to each player, without burden of interest, an equal sum of currency with which they can participate in the game. Yes, there will be a winner and losers. But at least the winner is not pre-determined in a rigged game.
"All of our currency is debt issued and accordingly we will never be able to pay off the public or private debt!" No response.
"The system is rigged! Our Treasury is no more than a whore, printing money and giving it to the private bankers who privately own what they call the "Federal Reserve". Ho hum.
They just don't get it. Sure, they can blame the banks for making loans to NINJA (No Income No Job or Asset) home buyers and they can understand that these loans were packaged into investments deceptively called "securities" that have transformed their 401k into a 201k, but what they don't seem to get is where this all began was the corruption of their currency marked "FEDERAL RESERVE NOTE".
So how do those who understand, get through the skulls full of mush and flick the switch on whatever so small amount of light is inevitably there? How do we take LETS from an abstract discussion comparing its advantages to the liabilities of a interest based currency? How, how, how................ah, lets play Monopoly.
So the four skulls full of mush are gathered around the table, each on their own side of the board, one with the top hot, the other with the car, it doesn't matter, who really cares, those tokens are just a small bit to distract them from ever thinking that not one of them has any chance of winning in MY game of Monopoly. For you see, MY game of Monopoly is a variant I call "Twist" as in "Federal Reserve Twist".
And so the players select their tokens and inquire as to mine. "Oh, I don't need a token. I am going to be the bank. Just the bank. You get the token and get to go around the board acquiring property. I will just be the bank."
Odd stares. "But how will you play if you don't go around the board."
"Not to worry. I will be just fine. I'n fact I am certain that I will win."
"Posh. How can you win if you don't have a piece and don't move around the board and acquire property?"
"You will see. Now player to my left shall begin."
And the player to my left rolls the dice and moves his thimble to Reading Railroad.
"Ah. I love railroads!"
"I agree. That is a great start to your game. And you would like to buy the Reading Railroad?"
"Why of course."
"But wait! He hasn't any money! None of us have any money! You forgot to give us money at the start of the game!"
"FORGOT! I forgot nothing. The bank never forgets. You think money grows on trees. You want money, then you will have to earn it. He wants Reading Railroad. The Railroad he shall have."
"But how shall he buy it without any money?"
"How shall any of you buy anything without any money?"
"Yes, yes, yes, yes. How shall we buy? How shall we play?" they all ask.
"Well, since you have no money to play, I guess if you want to buy, you shall have to borrow."
"Huh?"
"Yes, you shall have to borrow."
"To heck with that. I will just pass on the railroad and wait until I have some money and pay cash."
"Good for you! Save up and buy. I like the virtuous player. As the banker I can appreciate that."
And the second player rolls. "Snake eyes! One, two, Community Chest." He takes the top card which says, "Life Insurance Matures - collect $100.00"
"Oh yeah. I can now buy Oriental Avenue. Hand it over Mr. Banker!"
"Very well. You are a fortunate chap and leading in the game."
And the third player rolls and moves her shoe. "One, two, three, four, five, six and seven. Chance?" She takes a card. "Pay School Tax of $150."
"But I don't have $150.00"
"Well, you will have to find it or you are out of the game." As the Banker, I had to point that fact out to her.
"Out of the game? But I just started. This isn't fair. How can I really get to play without any money."
"Well, I know a way."
"A way?"
"Yes, a way you can get the money to pay the tax and stay in the game?"
"What is that way?"
"It is the oldest way in the world?"
"Oldest way in the world?! What are you talking about?!"
"You know........what is the oldest way in the world to get your hands on some cash? And there is nothing wrong with that way, especially when it is for the children......it being the school tax and all."
"Why you perv! What am I supposed to do strip off my shirt to get the money to pay the school tax?"
"No. No. No. Think again. What is the oldest way that both men and women got money when they needed it especially in the case of needing it to pay the taxes?"
"Huh?!"
"They went to where the money was and borrowed it from the........"
"The BANKER!"
"Hey, that is what I am here for!"
"You get the money. You pay the tax. The kids stay in school. You stay in the game."
"Great! I think I will stay in the game!"
"You go girl! Here is $150.00 to pay the tax, and by the way I think your luck is going to change with your next turn, so why don't you let me loan you another $1000.00 on top of that?"
"Huh?!"
"Yeah, I'll loan you another $1,000.00 on top of it so that you can buy some of the properties that you land on and collect rent from the other players. That is how the game is played. No?"
"Oh....I get it. Monopoly with a twist. You are like teaching us how real estate investment takes place in the real world. Very cool. I will have to teach this version of the game to my kids. Teach them how to be investors."
"Yes, you are a really good mother. Here, $100.00, $1000.00, $1,200.00. Now pay the $150.00 tax and we will put it in the Community Account."
"Hey wait! I thought you were loaning me $1,300.00 total."
"I did. See I wrote it down right here - $1,300.00 under your name."
"But you only gave me $1,200.00"
"That's right."
"But why? You said you would loan me $1,300.00"
"But I did. And I deducted $100.00 from the $1,300.00"
"What for?"
"My fee."
"Your fee?!"
"Yes. An origination fee."
"Origination fee?"
"Yes. That is customary with all the loans I make. All borrowers are charged the same fee. I don't discriminate. You don't think that is fair."
"Well, not really?! I don't think you really did anything for that fee."
"Well, I did. I made the loan, I recorded it here on my ledger. And bottom line, it is my money, so if you don't like the fee, you can just give it all back."
"But then I can't pay the tax am bankrupt and out of the game."
"Okay."
"But....but....but something doesn't seem quite right."
"Hey. That is how the game is played. The rules are the same for everyone and if you can't run and borrow like the big dogs, you need to stay on the porch."
"Well, I guess I really have no other choice."
"Hey there. You made the right decision. Now you really in the game and look at the deals that are just around the corner. Who is next? Ah, Mr Top Hat."
Top Hat rolls. "One, two, three, four, five. READING RAILROAD. Hahahaha sucker......too bad for you that you didn't buy it. You'd be getting rent. Instead, this baby is mine. Mr. Banker, loan me $200.00."
"Very shrewed Top Hat. I see that you learn from others misfortunes. No let me see how you handle this complexity of the game. I can loan you $200.00 which will need to be $300.00 because I take the, you know, $100.00 origination fee. But for the same fee, I would be happy to loan you a larger amount."
"A larger amount? How much?"
"Up to $2,500.00 and I will include the $100.00 origination fee on the back end of the loan you really get the benefit of a full $2,500.00"
"Hmmmm. Well that makes more sense than paying a $100.00 fee every time I want to borrow. What the heck, you have a deal."
And so the banker records $2,600.00 under Top Hat on the debt ledger.
"Hey Banker! What about us?"
"What about you Mr. Thimble?"
"Can we get the same deal?"
"Why Mr. Thimble, I thought you were the frugal, saving sort, not the borrowing type?"
"Hey Banker, I just lost out on $25.00 in rent. Now I see how this game is played. Give me the $2,500.00"
And this is how Mr Thimble, Ms. Shoe, Mr. Auto and Mr. Top Hat all came to have an amount of $2,600.00 recorded under their name, on Mr. Bankers ledger.
Now fully liquidated with Mr. Bankers funding, the Thimble, Shoe, Auto and Top Hot circled the board in earnest, buying up properties, charging and receiving rents but every time they went around the board and passed go, each paid the Banker the sum of $130.00 representing the 5% interest that Mr. Banker charged on each of their loans.
Mr. Thimble was the first to go bust. He landed on a Boardwalk hotel which had been previously purchased by Mr. Top Hat who had traded Marvin Gardens and two Raildroads with Mrs Shoe to acquire Park Place. Down to his last $100.00 Mr Thimble on his next turn rolled the dice and landed on Baltic Avenue which fortunately for him, he owned. But then Mr. Banker stuck out his hand.
"What?!"
"What are you forgetting my frugal Mr. Thimble?"
"Oh, your payment. But I haven't but a hundred dollars left."
"Well, what are we going to do Mr. Thimble? You know how the game goes, if you can't pay the interest or rent, game over for you. Does anyone want to buy a property from you?"
"Hey, were are kind of cash poor out here. Sure, I just collected the rent for Boardwalk, but I have my interest payment coming up and I've got to keep a reserve to pay fines and any rents that I might be charged."
"Well Thimble, what are we going to do?"
"I guess that I am out. Sorry."
"Tell you what Mr. Thimble, why don't I loan you another $2500.00 so that you can stay pay your interest and stay in the game. That will also enable you to put up some hotels on your properties and with a little luck overtake the others."
"You would do that for me?!"
"Sure. We will call it an investment in your future. I think that you still have one in this game. Your luck is bound to change and one of them is bound to land on one of your improved properties."
"Hey! What about us?"
"What about you?"
"Don't we get the same deal?"
"Hmmmmm. Well, those are the rules. I can change the terms, but I have to change them for everyone and apply them equally."
"Change the terms?! Change them to what?"
"Well, if I am going to keep Thimble in the game and loan him another $2,500.00 when all of that improved property is sitting out there, the risk of him going bankrupt really is greater, so I am going to have to charge a higher interest. And if he gets a higher rate, well, to be fair I have to charge everyone the higher rate."
"What's the rate?"
"Ten Percent."
"Ten percent! That's double."
"Hey. It is double for everyone. That's fair. Tell you what, to make it really fair, I won't even charge any of you any interest for the next 5 turns around the board."
So Thimble and the others lined up at the Bank and each received another $2,500.00 and each had another $2,600.00 recorded against them on the Bankers ledger. And for the next 5 turns they all played, charging and paying rents, collecting from the Community Chest and buying their way out of Jail, but then it hit. The five turns around the board were up and again the Banker held out his hand. "Three hundred and ninety dollars please."
"Wow! That is really going to add up. Fifteen hundred dollars every time we go around the board. Why three trips and that is almost as much money as any of us got from all of our borrowing."
"Don't worry at least one of you will not make it another three trips around the board."
"What?! What makes you say that? How can you know that?"
"You will see. You will see."
Actually, both Mr. Auto and Mr. Thimble went down on the next turn. First, Mr. Auto landed on Pennsylvania Avenue. Mrs Shoe clapped her hands. "Yes, yes, yes. Pay up buddy or you are out. And don't loan him any more money Mr. Banker. I want his properties."
"I like to see a woman happy. No more lending to anyone. Mr. Auto, I think that you are bankrupt, go and hand those properties over to Mrs Shoe."
Mrs Shoe happily stretched out an open hand to Mr. Auto.
"Oh, but wait a second Mrs Shoe. I forgot to mention as it was so obvious but since Mr. Auto is bankrupt, he can't transfer the properties to you without first being released by me."
"Released?!"
"Yeah, released. Since he has never paid any principal back on the properties, I still have a blanket lien for the total amount that he has borrowed on all of his properties. For them to be transfered to an unsecured creditor like yourself, rent is always an unsecured debt, you and I are going to have to do some negotiating."
"What?!"
"I supposed I could take something other than cash, but being that I am a cold hearted, bean counting banker, even more than seeing what's underneath that shirt of yours, I just sort of need to finally get back some principal and clear off some of these balances. So if you want to pay off some Auto's debt, I would be happy to release some of the properties to you."
"But I spent most of my cash putting a hotel on Marvin Gardens. I have to have enough to survive the others players rents if I should land on them."
"You are probably right Mrs Shoe. Hand them over here Mr. Auto."
And that is how Mr. Banker went from owning all the money to now owning all of the property that was formerly owned by Mr. Auto."
"Hey! What about my rent?"
"Rent?"
"For Mr. Auto landing on my Pennsylvania Avenue Hotel. You got all of his properties. Should you at least pay me my rent."
"Where is that in the rules. That is what he owes you. Again, as the Banker, I am the secured creditor and I get paid first. But seeing how Mr. Auto never paid me any principal, everything that he owns is completely mortgage to me and there is no excess. But I tell you what, just to be fair about things, let's have a fair market auction."
"Auction?"
"Yes. Auction. Now what will you bid for all of Mr. Auto's assets? Mrs Shoe?"
"Well, all I have left is $1,500.00. I need to save at least $500.00 of that so I will bid $1000.00."
"Thimble?"
"I have only $900.00 left, so she tops me."
"Mr. Top Hat? You have $3000.00 sitting there. Why don't you."
"Bid $1100.00?"
"There you go."
"Okay, $1,100."
"Very good. It was nice to see the Auction action, but because I am owed $5,200.00, I think I will have to bid the same as a a judgment of my secured blanket interest and take possession of all of Mr. Auto's property. But thank you for bidding."
"So you get all of his properties?"
"Yes. Of course. That is how the game is played. It was my money. I did not get it back, so I get his property."
The three remaining players looked dubious. Mr. Thimble rolled the dice. "One, two, three. Uh oh."
"Ah, I see that you have landed on a property that I recently re-possessed from Mr. Auto. And it has a house on it. Thank you very much."
"Uh oh."
"Uh oh? What?"
"Don't you see it?"
"See what?!"
"We are all screwed. All screwed. He was right. Not only are we going to owe him $390.00 every time we go around the board, but now we are going to be paying him rent if we land on his property."
"Crap! You are right! None of us are going to last more than another turn around the board. He has more cash than all of us combined because each time around the board we pay him interest."
"And you will notice that up until this last turn by Mr. Thimble, I have never collected any rent for any property."
"We have been collecting rent."
"But we have also been paying rent."
"And round and round your money went to each other and the community chest and your taxes and schools."
"But every time we went around, you sucked off five or ten percent of it in interest and you did not return the money to us and you never had to pay the community chest or the taxes or the schools."
"But that is simple. You were players and I was the bank. You played the game under the rules that were set up for you."
"But you set up those rules."
"I tell you what. Let's play again."
"Play again? Why? What's the point? If you start with all of the money and we have to borrow it and fully mortgage our properties to you to acquire them in the first place, and then have to pay interest to you every time that we go around the board, you are always going to end up with all of the property that we buy and improve. Who needs to play again to see that?"
"Mrs Shoe?"
"No. That's obvious now."
"Mr. Auto.?"
"No."
"Mr. Thimble?"
"Hell no! This was a setup! This game is rigged. Why would anyone play it?"
"Because you play it every day?"
"Every day?! What are you talking about?"
.....and so were the eyes of Mr. Thimble, Mr. Auto, Mrs Show and Mr. Top Hat opened to the way the Federal Reserve creates an artificial demand for a valueless means of exchange that results in an unfair competition of those who work and grow and build and buy and sell, even while the value of their product is undermined as the bankers first liberally loan their money into the market and having created an excessive demand for it, then hoard it and watch mere paper increase in value against the value of the land, and crops and the very hands that produced all that men really need.
And once the commodities produced by mens labor is devalued against the currency printed by the financiers, the financiers both quietly and openly acquire the best of the commodities before they again flood the market with excess paper now needed in an even greater amount to re-purchase the commodities.
And what has the banker or financier produced in all of this? The simple answer is nothing. The more serious answer is that the interest they collected was a significant drag on the collective means of production, and worse still a drag that inflicting great trauma to the psyche of every individual, every family and every community which they touched.
Now, return to the simple game of monopoly and grant to each player, without burden of interest, an equal sum of currency with which they can participate in the game. Yes, there will be a winner and losers. But at least the winner is not pre-determined in a rigged game.
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