For what shall it profit a man if he gaineth the whole world, but watcheth the value of that world depreciateth every time he watcheth CNN?
Even in the best of times, money is not backed by anything but faith. Money only has value because people agree it has value. Our entire monetary system is based on agreement, which means that our economy is run on the same basic principle as improv.
Improv's foundation is "Yes, And." Meaning that if you're in a scene with another performer, and you say something like "I see you have a hamburger," the other one is supposed to reply with something like, "Yes, and I've put ketchup on it." Saying, "No, this is a hot dog" or "No, you're a douche bag" might get a laugh, but it kills the scene.
Our improviser-in-chief, Barack Obama, is no stranger to this principle. His campaign slogan, "Yes, We Can" is awfully close to "Yes, And." Plus he's from Chicago, the home of Second City. So while Lincoln is an influence, Belushi must be, too.
When an improv performer asks the audience for a suggestion to start a scene, often someone will "help" the show by shouting out something sexual or scatological, secure in the belief that no one has ever thought of anything that funny before.
This is what Congressional Republicans do. Obama asks for suggestions, but instead of trying to be helpful, they do the legislative equivalent of saying "Blowjob!," "Handjob!" or in the case of Rush Limbaugh, "Rimjob!" Instead of "Yes, And," they say "No, But." (Or is it "No, Butt"?)
While Republicans can't seem to agree on whether they should even agree with anyone, millions of Americans are making daily connections on Facebook. There is no better "economy" anywhere in the world - for an investment of almost no time at all, you can accumulate friends, comments and photos, which, in Facebook terms, can make you rich.
Money is still backed by faith, but right now most of us are atheists. We no longer believe in money, even if we have it. Then there are the agnostics. They say there might be money to believe in, but they're not sure. Finally, there are the financial Scientologists, who believe in Tom Cruise's money.
Obama appears to not only have faith in money, but faith in all Americans, including Republicans. He has so much that he seems to be an ATM of faith. If this financial crisis were an improv show, Obama would play that role perfectly, dispensing various amounts to anyone who came up to him.
Well, this is an improv show. Unlike most improv shows, this time we are all both audience and performer, and the key to regaining faith in money is to practice saying "Yes, and" without shouting "douche bag" every five minutes.