Uncle Scrooge vs Uncle Sam

Growing up, one of my sisters was fairly serious from an early age. She was playful too, but she always had a bit more awareness of the temporariness of childhood.  We were raised in a household where there was no TV viewing during the week. We were allowed to watch on Friday nights and Saturdays. In the era where every child watched Saturday morning cartoons, we all had our favorites. This sister did not. She would choose a good book over a silly cartoon every time. UNLESS, the cartoon was about Uncle Scrooge McDuck.  He who was so wealthy he had his own money building!

I think,

in the beginning, it wasn't the riches which attracted. It was that Uncle Scrooge had no patience for
Uncle Donald's  pursuit of foolish endeavors. Not to mention his poor example for nephews Huey, Dewey and Louey.  Mostly I think she liked the equation. Uncle Scrooge was the smartest and the most disciplined and had the rewards to prove it. This particular sister also loved monopoly the best of all the games; until she played Risk. World domination was vastly more satisfying than  taking over Park Place with hotels. Early on she got the equation of money, power and autonomy.

No, she did not grow up to have her very own money building. Nor, piles of money big enough to ski down.
She did however follow Scrooge's example of being informed, hard working and always in pursuit of security.
I am not sure, but I think of all the cartoon characters, Uncle Scrooge was the only one who could have been Catholic in her view. Between the Church's teachings and Uncle Scrooge's examples, she's done very well.
She shares well with others too, I have a treasured Fendi  clutch she brought from Europe with love.

I also liked Uncle Scrooge, but at some point in our youth her reasons for liking Uncle Scrooge the most seemed ...burdensome. As we matured, her focus did not alter much and neither did mine. While I am not a frivolous person there are some subjects I don't cotton too all that well. Understanding the world wide money games is at the top of the charts. I intensely loathe the world population being treated as cannon fodder while the players ..... play.  I have known for a very long time, I cannot change the game. No surprise. I hated the game of Risk too. One holiday, long after we were grown and fledged, we had so many gathered around we played in teams, There came a time when I could make a big play. I saw the play, understood the play and just did not want to take it.
" Make the play Fishy!", she hissed into my ear.
" No".
" Don't be stupid."
"No"
" ATTACK!"
Yes, I knew it was the winning decision.  Maybe it was growing up in a house with a Dad who had served in a war or maybe because I worked in hospitals and witnessed horrific injuries or maybe it was from dating a man who came home from a war looking whole but forever maimed. Whatever the reason lurking in my psyche I could not bring myself to initiate a move which, in play, would result in the death of thousands.
I put the dice down and said,
" I hate this".
So I withdrew and she prevailed.
In my family, an absence of the killer instinct is a sign of weakness. There is no question there is a kill or be killed reality  out there. Certainly all the survival of the fittest examples were presented to me when parents tried hard to encourage me to step up my toughness and deal.  Once my Dad, in frustration said, " Fishy, you have got to get a handle on this aspect of life. It is part of life.  You cannot  avoid this responsibility to look a thing in the eye and know it's truth". He had long since given up on the hope of a " killer" instinct ever showing up in my persona but  think he still had hopes of at least a "survival" instinct. 

Today I read an article by a CEO of one of America's largest energy companies. He is asking Americans to  be more informed , to research , understand and endorse the Freedom to Invest Act.  He states there is a log jam of more than one trillion dollars of  American owned company profits they are  eager to invest here at home. That is American companies wanting to invest their profits in America.  They cannot do so because in order to bring the money back to the States they would be heavily taxed by Uncle Sam. Our companies have already paid taxes on these funds in the countries in which the profits were generated.  The USA does have the 2nd highest corporate tax rate in the world. This  serves as a  severe disincentive to US companies who actually want to bring their money home.  It is estimated, had the 2009 Recovery Act adopted this policy, America would have benefited from over $565 billion of repatriated earnings, creating 2.6 million jobs and would have reduced the deficit by an average of $46 billion per year.  I agree there is some gamesmanship to these statements.  If you read history, then you know Congress did do this in 2004 and the results were huge reinvestments, job gains, funds for financing  R&D projects and increased GDP. Not too bad. 
I think Uncle Scrooge would approve.
Uncle Sam does not.
Uncle Scrooge has a money building.
Uncle Sam has a debt building.

Gulp.

Later today, I saw the president of the United States hold a conference to say it's my way or nothing. I have veto power and I will use it. He accuses others of gamesmanship with a sleight of speech beyond measure. It made me sick, to see this man mock the seriousness of our situation which he helped orchestrate. It made me sick to stand there thinking how sad it is our Executive Branch  is not as wise as a cartoon . Sicker still to know for some, it is the game which matters most. To those players, if all I believe and hold dear is to be lost to their game, well they are okay with that.  I felt sad too   hearing the network  Alpha Barbies explain to me
" what this  all means to the American family."
I know what it means.
I know how the game of Risk is played.
I still hate it.