Sunday Rerun: Dress Up!

 The United States Senate, that august body of sobersided ladies and gentlemen dedicated only to the public weal, was conducting hearings two years ago in the Banking Committee about the Equifax data breach.

Former Equifax CEO Richard Smith (if that is his real name) testified about the data leak that caused the personal banking information of 145 million people to get into evil hands. As in "Smith's" prior testimony before the House Energy and Commerce Committee, he claimed "full responsibility."

He also scheduled appearances to sing "Mea Culpa" to the junior varsity soccer team of Salmon P. Chase High School in Blue Earth, Minnesota, the Wednesday Afternoon Reading Club of Conway, Arkansas, and the staff of the E. Z. Bucks payday loan company in Twitty, Mississippi.

But for "Smith's" boffo Senate appearance, a spectator enjoyed the show in a black silk top hat, big bushy white mustache, and monocle sat in the crowd, swabbing away forehead sweat with gag paper money.  It was a simulacrum of the man we all know as Rich Uncle Pennybags from the Monopoly game show.

Ms Werner in costume

The Moneybags effigy is all part of the protest of the group known as Americans for Financial Reform. The Monopoly "man" is actually a female, one Amanda Werner, who wishes to make known her group's opposition to the forced arbitration clauses that the big banks use to limit consumers' (our) right to fight things out in court with them.



But I hasten to point out something almost as important as the fight against the pythons of capitalism, who seek daily at every turn to squeeze the middle class out of every nickel they can force us to cough up.

The Monopoly Man did not have a monocle!

Nor did Scrooge McDuck, who wore pince-nez spectacles.

People always confuse Monopoly Guy with Mr Peanut, the beloved mascot of the Planters Nut company.

That's a monocle!