While piracy rules, in the more successful pirate  states we have a wondrous variety of local presentations, each disguised by priests and bureaucrats so as to spare the tender consciences of the young and most of the middling sort from needing to confront the raw evil with which the system operates on their behalf. But the pirate crews, aka "investors", "TBTF executives", the important positions in the domestic government, such as Secretary of Treasury, Chairman of the Federal Reserve, etc. and military, diplomatic and intelligence officials, all involved with trade, along with those who oversee the domestic looting are chosen for their lack of conscience, variously displayed, as ranging from gusto to discretion. As part of the pirate's crews they are entitled to a greater share of the take and superfluous or ineffective crew members are appropriately "handled".

The analysis becomes so much easier when we dispense with the pretense.

"It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."