Recession? Pay up! Genesis 47.

After toying with his brothers and father for a period of time during which Joseph hides his identity and messes with their collective heads (for reasons I can't think of but will be sure to look up), the whole clan get to move to a nice fertile spot in Egypt and start doing very nicely, thank you. So nicely in fact, that when the paw-paw and fan make close acquaintance in the form of deepened famine in Egypt, they seem to to be the only ones left with food and resource. This allows Joseph to provide for the rest of the starving minions in return for a small price: Their money, livestock, land and services in the form of slavery to Pharaoh. Welcome home totalitarianism, everyone is now literally owned by the state.

Luckily, Joe is the benevolent sort and gives the underlings a means to pull themselves out of the hole they are in (with a small 20% tax to be paid on the results). Sound familiar? Governments around the world have bailed banks and companies out of financial ruin during this wide-spread recession. There is increasing control placed on fiscal activity too. I'm as far from being an economist or political guru as the Zimbabwe dollar is from buying a pancake, but I'm thinking two things here: Firstly, I hope the governments do not get too drunk on the power (see "t" word above), and secondly I hope the price we have to pay for the help is not too high......