[lbo-talk] conversation on empire

[Doug Henwood]

A conversation the other night at a convenience store in the Fort 
Greene section of Brooklyn:

Customer (of apparent Caribbean origin): "The dollar's no good. The 
euro is very strong."

Clerk (of apparent South Asian origin): "The pound is very strong 
too." [A strength I'd just been very aware of. London prices seem 
like the same numerals as dollar prices, only valued in a currency 
more than 80% more expensive.]

Customer: "It's Bush. Ever since Bush took office, the dollar's been weak."

Me: "It's hard to run an empire on borrowed money. Takes a toll."

Customer & clerk: "Yes, yes."