Elites reward each other, while the rest of us get by

'Rules for thee, but not for me' seems to be the most apt description of the era in which we live. From meaningless titles to parked investigations, how sweet it is to be the 1%.

Ask yourself: “Did I break the law today?” and for the vast majority of us (who aren’t Tren de Aragua members) the answer will be “No.”

But, are you certain you didn’t break the law today? Do you even know ‘the law?’

In his book, Three Felonies a Day, civil liberties lawyer Harvey Silverglate wrote:

It is only a slight exaggeration to say that the average busy professional in this country wakes up in the morning, goes to work, comes home, takes care of personal and family obligations, and then goes to sleep, unaware that he or she likely committed several federal crimes that day.

Silverglate’s premise is, simply, that federal criminal laws have become so numerous and broad that prosecutors can find a crime to apply to any of us on any given day.

Still, most of us do our best to stay on the right side of the law. We obey speed limits, park between the lines, and think twice before posting anything online that might offend or cross a line.

Society’s elites, however, seem to live by another set of rules altogether — one where consequences are optional, investigations can be ‘parked,’ and titles and rewards are handed out for the good deed of controlling the masses.

Take Prince Andrew, for example. For years, the FBI has been investigating his ‘friendship’ with Jeffrey Epstein. But now, that investigation has reportedly been shelved — much to the chagrin of the agents who worked the case.

That’s right: shelved, parked, swept under the rug. Not enough “new evidence” the FBI said. So there IS evidence. It’s just not new enough? The rest of us get parking tickets and have FBI agents show up at our door for Facebook posts, but when you're a royal who allegedly engaged in less-than savory activities with minors on secret islands facilitated by a known pedophile, things have a way of quietly disappearing.

Meanwhile, Andrew’s nephew William was busy yesterday honoring Jacinda Ardern, the so-called “Queen of Lockdowns.” You know, the one who sealed off New Zealand so tightly that some joked she’d never let anyone out again. The same Ardern who declared her government the single source of truth, while dismissing all else as conspiracy. Now, she’s been made a dame, rewarded with a shiny new sash and title for controlling the public and serving the interests of the elite.

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These stories drive home a simple truth: we live in different worlds. In one world, the rich and powerful evade consequences for their actions, no matter how harmful those actions are to the public. In fact, they’re rewarded.

In the other world — the one the rest of us inhabit — we’re expected to follow the rules, face the consequences, and shut up. Keep calm and carry on.

When was the last time someone “parked” an investigation into your wrongdoings? When did you last get rewarded for making life harder for everyone else?

We know this isn’t a new phenomenon. We know readers will be quick to remind us of Caligula or Henry VIII — corrupt leaders are nothing new. But what we’re seeing now is part of a much larger, growing indifference from those in power. They’ve doubled down on protecting themselves, shielding their friends, and expecting us to just carry on as though this is all normal.

The pandemic was the perfect example of this divide. Elites doubled their wealth, hosted lavish, drug-fueled sex parties, traveled to and fro on their private jets, and took saline shots while the rest of us lost jobs, homes, loved ones, and even lined up to take a ‘safe and effective’ jab. Then, as if to rub salt in the wound, they expect us to thank them for the crumbs they toss our way.

At some point, a higher form of justice will even the score, and the powerful will finally face the consequences they’ve long evaded. Until and unless that happens, we just have to acknowledge the reality: this is the way things have always been. Corrupt leaders protect their own and ordinary people struggle to get by — it’s a tale as old as time.

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