“Can you explain to me why the billionaires seem to dislike Democracy and why they want to live in a different America?” Bennett asked.
“I don’t know for certain, Mr. Secretary, because I have never been a millionaire, let alone a billionaire. I guess they were conceived and born differently. We ordinary people love a moment of serenity on a lakeshore, or watching the sunset over the mountains, or breathing in the exhilarating breeze that blows our way in the morning, or walking on the beach, mingling with and saying hello to other beachgoers. Billionaires are endowed with extraordinary gifts of money and brains. They probably see only extraordinary things, but not the everyday pleasant things we enjoy, and therefore don’t feel close to us or comfortable with us. They don’t live in downtown New York or San Francisco. They don’t walk down the street to have a cup of coffee, mingling and shooting the breeze with Joes and Janes. They live on a yacht or buy an island to live away from the multitudes, that was why they love Oligarchy or Autocracy.
“Another explanation is that in an Oligarchy or even in an Autocracy or Aristocracy, the rich are always on top and, as history shows, have power over the rest of the populace. In a Democracy, ordinary people can call the rich by their first name, something billionaires would really dislike.”
“Huh, …” grumbled the former secretary.
“Sorry,” Le said, “I did not mean to make light of our country’s current political affairs. As a sincere apology, I would like to add some food for thought.
JOHN P. LE PHONG This excerpt appears on Facebook, thelephongjournal.com, and X
