Say, just for yucks, that you decide to throw a big party to celebrate a major event, like the 250th anniversary of something. You make up a long guest list of celebrities and let everyone know who’s invited, before you send out the invites. But when you start actually inviting people you are mortified that hardly anyone wants to come. You are so embarrassed that you decide the best way to make yourself feel better is to publicly label the invitees who declined, the select group whom you so desperately wanted to come to your party, as losers, worthless nobodies who didn’t deserve to be invited in the first place. You publicly smear them in every way you can imagine. You finally decide that you are going to just change the party to something else, just pretend it wan’t really a party, instead it’s a rally, and you are the only guest. And you are gonna be there with bells on!
Or say you want to make yourself look like a real patron of the arts, even though you actually don’t give a rats ass about something that is not a money maker, something that exists solely to give people joy, a concept completely anathema to you. You certainly don’t want to donate money to it, what a waste! No, you do what you do best, you slap your moniker on one of the most prestigious arts venues in the country. Et voila!
Or, maybe you feel like the house you are living in free of charge isn’t big and grand enough, so without consulting the owners, you tear down half of it to make a huge party room. The owners find out and are furious. Not only because they liked the house as it was but then got the bill for the demolition, and are going to be stuck with the party room construction costs. Neither of which they approved or wanted. Unfortunately for them, your lease is not up until 2026 and trying to evict you is nothing short of impossible.
Then there is the repainting of the reflecting pool, damned shame it’s not a “self-reflecting” pool. You don’t like how it looks, too drab, not enough pizzaz, so you hire a pal who paints swimming pools in a no-bid contract. By now you have learned that you can do what you like with other people’s money and without their approval. So you decide to go for it, act fast before anyone gets up a head of steam! Before anyone realizes what’s going on, you’ve set your reservoir dog in action, and surprise, surprise, the cost doubles! But who cares, it’s not your money, and although there’s a great deal of tut-tutting, there’s nothing to really stop you. Just remember not to dive in head first.
But to be safe, you dial it back a bit, while still making yourself feel good, and have huge banners with your scowling visage glaring down upon the masses, hung all around town. They probably didn’t cost all that much, compared to your other pet projects, but they do give off a definite north korea vibe. Not really something that the average person in a democracy is probably too keen on. So what.
But it’s not about them, your employers and your landlords. It’s all about you. And as long as they, through their representatives, don’t say no, you are going to do whatever you want with their money, their property and their country.
Suckers.
.
my jaundiced eye 