It's been a long time since I played Monopoly. But, AIR, it was kind of old fashioned. Maybe we could update to Monopoly for the New Millennium™ with some new rules.

#1. Any player who accumulates some arbitrarily large amount of assets becomes "Too Big to Fail" (TBF). Players belonging to the TBF Club would still use their own funds for voluntary investments, but the bank would assume any risks for them. Meaning the bank will pay all rents, fines, taxes... for them. Members of the TBF Club must roll any number larger than one to get out of jail, and on each turn they will be allowed six rolls of the dice to do so.

#2. Eventually the bank will run out of bills. Whenever this happens a Correction takes place before the next players turn. In a Correction round, each and every player shall return half (50%) their cash to the bank. In addition, the player with the smallest amount of cash on hand becomes The Deadbeat.

#3. On becoming The Deadbeat, that player must immediately forfeit all properties, excepting that they may keep one property with one motel to live in. Also The Deadbeat has no credit rating and is not allowed to borrow money from anyone until such time as another player becomes The Deadbeat.

don't want the Mexican Flu
sure don't got any Mexican Flu
'Cause whenever you say the word MEXICAN
somebody's mad at you

can't have no flu that's Swine
just can't say that flu is Swine
'cause if people think you get Swine Flu from pigs
then pork they stop buyin'

got no use for H1N1
mighty lame name H1N1
'cause clearly announciating four distinct syllables in one name
just ain't American

pronouncin' H1N1 as Hun Nun is no good
callin' it the Hun Nun Flu just ain't any good
'cause when the Huns and the Nuns are all pissed at you
you know you're probably screwed


call it the Al Quaida Flu
Call it the Al Quiada Flu
for one thing they're already mad at us and for another you never know
when the AQ Flu will turn and kill you

Kitsch

Rob Riemen defines Kitsch as "Beauty deprived of Truth."
And contests that Kitsch will be/is the downfall of Western society.
And says scary things about the preponderance of Kitsch in totalitarianism.

[The Nexus Institute: KITSCH AND THE CRISIS OF THE WEST (pdf!) Also, Word for Word: The Good Society (audio recording.)]

Now there may well be some quibbles depending upon how you define Truth, and whether you think Beauty is even possible without adherence to certain philosophical Truths in the area of aesthetics (which your humble narrator isn't at all qualified to discuss.)

Mr. Reiman seems to prescribe more support for the arts and more emphasis on creativity and the arts in education. An argument I can wholeheartedly embrace, (despite the disclosure I must make: that Mrs. Montag is an Art teacher.) It is an argument made quite eloquently and entertainingly by this guy (video.)

QUESTION: What is Kitsch, and how destructive is it?

Take this Blog. Because "everything that you read here is always the truth," the very worst one might rightfully accuse us of is the peddling of 'Truth deprived of Beauty.' Kitsch?

And what about Gil Thorp? Can I avoid helping to bring about the destruction of Western liberal democracy if I continue to take (admittedly perverse) guilty pleasure from following this comic strip, deprived of both Beauty AND Truth?