Back in 1903, one-hundred and twenty-two years ago, a lady named Georgist Lizze Magie introduced a game that she titled, “The Landlord’s Game.” The objective was to make clear that those who rented property to tenants would eventually take them down into poverty.

In 1930, Parker Brothers, who then owned the game rights, called it Monopoly. The game has been used in many college financial classes to give players the sense of owning property and manipulating it when another game piece lands on your property. In the end some are rich with play money and others are broke.

In 1940 the game’s cover box showed a cartoon image of a heavy set, big mustache man who was unofficially named Rich Uncle or Penny Bags. Once again, the game emboldened the players to become rich by taking other players’ money. I very much doubt anyone reading this story has not played the game at some point in your life. Did you finish rich, or did some money bags player at the board take everything you had? The game is supposed to be fun and competitive and not real.

Today America has become the Monopoly board and is now going to be called Trumpnoply. And our rich uncle Penny Bags manipulates the game board from his throne in Washington DC. Every time you roll the dice, and get a good spot to land on, the game master changes the rules. Suddenly he is firing you and sending you into Trumpnoply Jail for simply doing your job.

The game has two sets of cards that players can draw from and find advantages on the board or something is taken away. The Chance cards often tell you to advance on the board or even get out of jail. In the game of Trumpnoply you will draw a card that tells you if you offer endless praise to Penny Bags, you will advance up the ladder in his game. If you draw a card that tells you to do your job well, and you look into Penny Bag’s past practices, you will be denied your pass into government buildings.

If you draw a card that gets you out of jail free, and you were in the Capitol Building on January 6. Penny Bags Attorney General will call out to you, “Come on down and pick up your Medal of Honor and a check from the American People.”

Now, if you are a military person who has served our country faithfully for your entire career and you pick up the card of chance it will say. “Grab your duffel bag and get out of the Pentagon. Don’t pass Go and forget your country’s honor.”

The other cards on the board are the Community Chest Cards. They often say that you must pay or sacrifice something to Penny Bags. The kids in America just selected a card that tells them the programs that help to ensure they get one good meal a day is government waste, maybe even fraud to the American people. Another card say’s the Education department is a waste of taxpayers’ money and needs to be closed down, it is stamped with approval from (DOGE) Department of Government Efficiency. There is no doubt that a tightening of this department would bring improvements. But to throw the baby out with the wash, is not good for the future of our country’s youth.

Now the biggest card on the table is coated in GOLD, the TARIFFS Card. It gives Penny Bags the ability to play with the world’s economy and all of the citizens in this country. Penny Bags goes to bed and thinks for a moment, “I am going to put a tariff on the entire world, that sounds like fun.” The next person draws a card and it says, “Your Retirement Plan just crashed, shut up and take your medicine and don’t be Yippie.”

It seems to me that Penny Bags enjoys playing the game with our money, I am sure he doesn’t have any of his money in the game. He thinks we are stupid and doesn’t understand he doesn’t have our best interest at heart. I really believe he sees this as the greatest game of Trumpnoply ever played, he says it’s “A Beautiful Thing.” This win will place Penny Bags in the Hall of fame for DEAL MAKERS.

Each of us must decide if the game is being played for our advantage, or for the glory of Penny Bags. For the benefit of our country, I hope his tariff actions will improve the trade deficiencies with other countries. But, when Penny Bags upsets the entire world with tariffs on and off, which inject so many uncertainties into our worldwide confidence, our country’s stability, and dollar value, which was once the strongest currency supporting the global economy, has gone too far. Where are the men and women, whom we have elected to place a guiding hand on the control of our country, gone? This is not a monarchy, or is it? Is this what America voted for?

Years ago, Washington leaders decided to take our economy worldwide. Ross Perot once said “That sucking sound” was his way of expressing where our economy was going. He was right! For just a moment be still, then cup your hand and place it next to your ear. “That sucking sound is your life savings and our country’s long-term stability going to jail in the game of Trumpnoply.” At least that is how I see it Through the Lens.