Let Them Eat Chips

'The American dream' masks very well
the permanent division between rich and poor.
By shouting to all 'You can all can make it to riches' 
nobody gets to escape the advertising pitch.
The message lumps the fool get in with the wise.
Those born with money feel sure they will keep it,
those born with less will see money as attainable.
What both refuse to guess is how much growth,
and new wealth, takes away from old money.

The last U.S. election campaigns cost $18 per person,
or $6 billion dollars overall. The U.K. and Canada
spent £0.50 and $8 canadian dollars per person
on their elections, considerably less.
But then Americans spent $7 billion
in the same election year on potato snacks,
and $8 billion on Halloween. The dream
of continuous conspicuous consumption
may be better value,
compared with choosing leaders, than we thought.