Fine Ants and Finance

 

 

Fine Ants and Finance

What have they in common?

Or, what have they in contrast

Lest we have forgotten?

 

Well, they sound alike

If only at first

But if pronounced properly.

This must be reversed.

 

One we could do without,

Of one we are in dire need,

They both cost us some trouble;

One very much indeed.

 

 

One befriends the poor

The other is of the rich,

One is needed to deal with one

According to the script.

 

One is often lagging

Especially for the poor

Who are frustrated with the other

Creating many a door.

 

 

So many spots of entry

Besides window and door,

And through the many crevices

Found in any floor.

 

Regarding fine ants,

Such a lack is appreciated

While re the other ‘sound alike’,

On more we are fixated.

 

A little more is the cry

For the wretched poor

While for the filthiest of the rich,

Just a billion more.

 

 

Much there is in contrast,

In common, not a lot,

But having a lot of one of them

Puts us in a good spot.

 

 

Not so with the other

And you know which one,

It’s the one we have the most of

That we wish was gone.

 

Stewart Russell © May 26, 2025

 

Presidents and Precedents

 

 

Presidents and precedents

Sound pretty close, don’t they?

In concept too, I must admit

They are similar in some ways.

 

In America, for example

Take the last two Presidents

Obama and Trump are who I mean

Both were precedents.

 

Setting precedents and becoming Presidents

As in Presidents Trump and Obama

May at times be well and good

But is never without its drama.

 

 

Obama, as far as we can tell

Was the first black President,

Trump was a first too as it happened:

Not one but two impeachments.

 

That Trump was the worst President

Is the opinion of many,

And who can compare with President Trump?

For some, there isn’t any.

 

As President he set a precedent

To make America great again,

For many that was wonderful news

But for others it meant more pain.

 

Obama on the other hand

Established Obama care,

For many this was seen as a precedent

In putting so many on welfare.

 

 

Trump was determined to wipe it out

Along with the Obama name

But he ended up hurting himself

As President with a one-term fame.

 

So Presidents do set precedents

Sometimes to their own demise,

Trump apparently was one of these

Though not so in some people’s eyes.

 

For many he was not a puppet

To be manipulated by the informal powers,

To many he was no politician

But the man who owns Trump Towers.

 

Maybe therein was his mistake,

Trying to make America his enterprise

Since it appears in many corners

For this he was sorely despised.

 

 

Precedents can be good or bad

And so too can be Presidents,

This is borne out in the public polls

Depending on the people’s bent.

 

Trump will go down as the underdog

That won at tremendous odds

But was ousted after just one term

Making the claims that he was robbed.

 

He claimed the election was stolen

And allegedly incited a riot

In the hallowed chambers of Capitol Hill

Disturbing its peace and quiet.

 

Whether he was robbed or not

I certainly would not know

But I do know he set a precedent

By not going when he should go.

 

Somebody once said

The voice of the people is the voice of God,

While I do not necessarily agree

The vote is still the people’s call.

 

 

A precedent may set a President apart

And that may be for good or ill

But whether he goes or whether he stays

Is the people’s choice still.

 

Presidents and precedents

Sound alike, don’t they?

But please don’t mistake one for the other

They are different in some ways.

 

Stewart Russell © February 20, 2021