The Captain has long argued that Americans have too much money.
Take, for example, the cost of a new car. Since the COVID-19 pandemic temporarily shut down production, the price of new cars has soared! A new Jeep Wrangler runs upward of $60,000 now!
Looks like the Captain won’t ever be buying “new”.
A new iPhone costs more than a thousand dollars!
But you can make monthly payments.
In addition to your monthly service bill.
And people still upgrade every year!
And this! A trip to Disney World in Orlando, FL for a single day costs as much as $198 per person. But one cannot see all of Disney in a day, so plan on multiple days.
For a family of four on a three-day adventure at the House of the Mouse, tickets alone can run upwards of $2,400! Don’t forget to figure in the cost of a hotel in the greater Orlando area, the inflated price of, well, EVERYTHING – because, “tourists”, ya know – and the astronomical prices of everything within the gates of the Magic Kingdom.
Well, don’t come bitchin’ to the Captain because your taxes are too high or because gasoline is $3 per gallon or because eggs cost $5 per dozen!
You can afford Disney World, you can afford a dozen eggs!
CAPTAIN'S NOTE: Frankly, the Captain would prefer saving his money for those
$400 per night stays at Margaritaville Beach Hotels. But that's just me...
But that’s all for “the common man”. If we move out into the “real world” we’ll find people with even more money to burn.
At the recent VIP preview event of the Miami Art Wynwood Festival [I say that as if I know what that is] there was a porcelain “Balloon Dog” sculpture by artist Jeff Koons.
The sculpture, shown on the left in the photo above, is shaped like one of those balloon animals a circus clown might create for a child and measured 16” tall and 19” long.
And although 799 copies were made (the Captain has a smaller knock-off I paid 5 bucks for), this particular piece was valued at $42,000!
Actually, that’s what it was insured for.
We know this because during the VIP preview event, the porcelain balloon dog was broken!
Gasp!
The horrors!
Where’s Billy?
Who let the dogs out!?!
At first it was reported that an art critic “accidentally” kicked the pedestal on which the sculpture was displayed.
Later reports claim the woman actually “poked” the porcelain dog and knocked it over.
Either way, my parents would have handed me my little pirate-butt on fire if I had done this!
Seriously!
And in the professional art world – supposedly “high society” – who goes to a fine art display and “pokes” the art!?!
Okay, yes. Never mind.
It could have been an accident...
But this blog is about how Americans have too much money. So here it comes…
After the broken pieces were swept up, art collector Stephen Gamson immediately made an offer to buy the pieces!
Yes, a pile of shattered porcelain!
It was not disclosed what his offer was, but he said the pieces are worth a whole lot more than before because “there is now a story behind them”.
And, perhaps, because there are now only 798 existing copies in the world.
Supply & demand, I suppose.
And now there appears to be the likelihood of a bidding war as others want to get in on the action!
In a land where 37.9 million people live at or below the poverty level…
In a land where people still have to fight to be paid a living wage…
In a land where it’s difficult now for even two household incomes to afford a mortgage…
…this guy’s buying a pile of broken porcelain and calling it “art”!
That’s it!
I’m done!
I can’t take it anymore!
The Captain is selling a kidney and going to Disneyland!
