Dipping your beak

When people save their money and don't buy stuff, the economy stalls.

When they stay at home and buy essentials only, and don't go on holiday or eat out, or dress up and paint the town red, the economy misses a beat.

Spend all the money you have, and then spend all the money you don't have, by borrowing, and the economy goes into extra high gear.

Our world economy driven by spending.

When I read the news about the latest ridiculous scandel over some missing billions in the state department I just think, what if we got it all wrong.

When the public anger rises, over some expose', and the politicians are forced to create a commission of enquiry. They spend almost as much as was missing in the first place, and the public is entertained for a few years by the expensive, protracted and daily news cycle worthy blow by blow TV extravaganzas. Much like the  Ceasars appeased the masses at the Roman coliseum, we all love a good fight. 

The  accused are  finally interviewed and they have their day in court. The trial is delayed for decades and all the while the accused lives in his plush kingdom. The trial, when it happens, costs more than the original amount plus all the expenses, to date.

The money that is generated by the investigation and the legal machine  is more than they could have imagined in peacetime.

This is a war, of sorts.

The news exposes corruption and this triggers a feeding frenzy. The politicians appoint commissions and soon the courts and the everyone in the system gets to dip their beak.

Everyone gets a chance to feed at the table.

All that money is injected into the markets and the cycle is complete.

Not much different had the money  not been misappropriated and injected into the economy. The man on the street would in either case have been fed crumbs. 

Instead of the lions share of the wealth going to the Rockerfellas, it went to Mike whathisname and his friends. 

Wealth migrates to the wealthy one percent, either way. At least this way we get to see a few new faces at the masters table. 

M Parak 

Maputo 

June 2021.