In Part I of our series, we discuss higher math beyond the grasp of most little people.

When elected to office, one is bestowed with great powers. One of those powers is extreme mathematical prowess. This is exemplified in the dismissal of second- or higher-order effects.

For example, in a transaction, all that matters is me in the here and now. If you give me money, that is good. If you beat your grandmother and stole her money to give it to me, so what. All I care about is instant gratification. All I need to know is that I am richer. Robbing a bank, increasing the national debt, further bankrupting the state, defrauding naïve investors . . . It’s all the same. If you satisfy my gimmes, I’m happy, and I shall call anybody stupid that tries to make me think about anything besides the cash landing in my hand.

This lesson may sound simple, and you might say the math is a whole lot easier than you had in economics class. Perhaps. But there is a bit of English involved, too. You must state that getting money for me in the here and now is fiscally responsible. Can you say that? Say it with me, “Phys-i-cal-ly re-spon-si-ble.”

And always, always, always, say you are excited.