We're trained to admire two-bit con artists for their chutzpah and their hustle, until there's a Trump in the White House and a generation of kids who only want to be influencers and YouTubers.

And while we all try to scam our way to a golden ticket because it's the only apparent option, the politicians working their own scams try to keep us from noticing that we're in the midst of an unprecedented environmental civilizational collapse.