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The Blessed and the Burdened

The Blessed and the Burdened (A Manifesto for the Well Born) It is truly a blessing to be well born. To enter the world through no doing of your own — cradled in safety, fed without fear, taught to speak the right words, walk the right paths, dream the right dreams. You did not choose your fortune, but it chose you. And for others? It chose differently. They are born into the bottom tiers, where the floor is hard, and the ceilings low, where the labor is endless, and the rewards are few. Their backs bear the weight of a world that calls them “unskilled,” “expendable,” “lazy,” though it cannot function without them. Society is not a ladder. It is a machine. And machines require gears — some large, some small, some shining, some worn down to rust. The economy does not ask, “Who deserves to rise?” It asks, “Who will serve where we need them?” This is not a flaw. It is design. If all were equal, who would pick the fruit? Who would sweep the floors? Who would clean the wounds, staff the mid...

The Lottery

🎶  The Lottery (To the tune of “The Bowery”) Lyrics by a Cheapskate Poet-Economist Verse 1 They flash the prize in neon light, While odds go dark and fade from sight. I bought one once, felt rich that day— Then checked the numbers… walked away. The Lottery, the Lottery! They say you’ll win, and they show you grins, The Lottery, the Lottery! I’ll never play that game no more! Verse 2 They said, “It funds the schools, my friend!” But potholes grew and books got penned By lobbyists in tailored suits, While kids still learn in broken boots. The governor smiled, the ads got slick, The jackpot grew—but not too quick. I scratched away my grocery cash, For one more dream, then watched it crash. The Lottery, the Lottery! It lifts the rich and drains the poor! The Lottery, the Lottery! I’ll never play that game no more! Verse 3   (With apologies to hope and reason) They say it’s just a bit of fun— A harmless bet, a dollar run. But fun, my friend, should not require That rent be late an...