All I Wanted Were Some Ray Bans

 You know, the classic Wayfarer from the eighties (and before).
The inexpensive shades worn in Risky Business and on Miami Vice.
The classics which could be had for less than $50.

 But then along comes Luxottica.
$140.00 for Wayfarers?
And they're not even the same as they used to be.
The frames are a lighter weight and less aggressive in their styling.
So in the end I paid three times as much for a pair of sunglasses that I don't even like half as much.

But I guess that's the New Economy.
We now live in era where the few control the many.
In a time when 'competitors' are all owned by the same company.
In a time where the majority of people settle for Wal-Mart service and standards just to save a few bucks.

 And I don't blame Wal-Mart. (Well, not entirely.)
Wal-Mart was just trying to deliver the most goods and services at the lowest prices.
It's not Wal-Mart's fault that society is driven by quantity and not quality.
It's not Wal-Mart's fault that so many would go broke in an effort to appear rich.

But this economic recovery is just smoke and mirrors.
It's no longer so much about the haves and the have-nots.
Today it's more about those who have credit and those who cannot obtain it.
It seems that actual money is no longer the measure of wealth.

It seems that our whole economy is just a poor imitation of a once affordable and desirable product.