Bleecker Street Pizza

Money is the root of all evil.
I’ve heard that phrase bandied about since I was a child, and like many things that are a part of your life since you were a child, I actually thought about this phrase, and the meaning of the phrase, very little.

Until today.

I heard a news story about Bleecker Street Pizza, in New York City. Manhattan is still struggling from the devastation that Hurricane Sandy left behind. Most of New York City has no electricity. Transportation has all but come to a complete stop.  Subways, trains, and taxis aren't running, as they are covered in water.  And yet, Bleecker Street Pizza is selling pies in the dark, using flashlights and their gas ovens that are still operational. The story I heard was broadcast on NPR, and they said that no other restaurant was open in the area.  The owner said that he couldn’t remember a time when they had been as busy. Being as busy as they are, that they are the only supplier of pre-made food in the area, and that many people are in a state of fear and need would have many business owners seeing dollar signs.

You don’t think so? Do you remember the Y2K scare? Do you remember gasoline price gouging at that time, when people were so scared that they were willing to pay $7 and up for a gallon of gas? Do you remember when a bottle of water was being sold for $5, and people paid it because they were scared they would have to hide out in their shelters for months after the computer Armageddon? Or how about the regular price gouging that happens at the movie theatre concession stand? Air port food price gouging? Supply is low, demand is high, and Capitalists would have you believe that price must then also go up. And as we all know, Capitalism is the Best Economic System America blah blah blah.

Bleecker Street Pizza is still selling slices for $2.50, no more than any other day.

If money is the root of all evil, is it possible that the absence of money is the root of all goodness? And if that is a little too much for you, maybe we all should start thinking about what we can do for each other rather than what we can do for our personal bank accounts.