9.14.2026 – price of every thing …

price of every thing …
real cost is toil and trouble
of acquiring it

Based on the passage:

The real price of every thing,

what every thing really costs to the man who wants to acquire it,

is the toil and trouble of acquiring it.

From the book, An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations … better known as, The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith (London: W. Strahan and T. Cadell, 1776).

Way back when I was in high school at Grand Rapids Creston, the high school that my Dad graduated from and the high school that my oldest son graduated from and a high school that no longer exists, I got in trouble for something.

This was odd because by the time I got to high school I pretty much knew where the line was and I rarely and I mean rarely crossed that line to where I got into trouble.

Sure there was the bucket of water out the window on to the band in the parking lot and the firecracker in the apple but those were isolated incidents of opportunity.

Anyway, I cannot recall why, but I was required to show up after school and with all the other students guilty of low level crimes, I was given an empty box and sent out to police the school grounds.

The school security guards were out there keeping us at until the time was served and we were all called to the back parking lot to empty our boxes of trash into the bins behind the school.

Along with the trash I picked up, I came across a pop bottle which in Michigan, could be turned in for a 10 cent deposit.

As I emptied by my box, the bottle got away from me and dropped into the bin.

“Oh nutz! ” I yelled and dropped my box and hauled myself up on the lip of the bin and started to dig through the trash, looking for the bottle.

I slipped off the edge of the bin and landed back on my feet outside the bin and I grabbed the edge, ready to try and hop up again when one of the security guards caught my eye.

He gestured to the bin.

“Think about it,” he said.

And paused.

“Is it worth it?”

There are folks today who will list all the benefits that we as a Nation enjoy thanks to the efforts of that man currently in office.

All the benefits.

All of them.

Sorry I am still working on it.

Back in history, President Eisenhower was asked to the list the contributions and accomplishments of Vice President Richard Nixon that had been made as a member of Ike’s administration and Ike responded … “well, if you give me a week or two.“

But as I said, there are folks who CAN list the accomplishments of that man currently in office.

And I will ask.

At what cost?

And when you consider the cost, the real price of every thing, what every thing really costs to the man who wants to acquire it, is the toil and trouble of acquiring it.

I have to ask.

Was it worth it?

Think about it.