Patronage. . .

(Patronage. . .)

Before he was a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, Michaelangelo was a Rennaissance artist. While he originally styled himself as a sculptor, he is perhaps best known for painting those themed Frescos on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. An arduous task in any context, raising the scaffolding alone took months before a single image could be crafted. Now, why would an otherwise fashioner of clay or otherwise malleable materials to compose what is perhaps the most famous example of Rennaissance art ? Michaelangelo had a patron, Pope Julius II. It was Julius' desire to have the Chapel, the traditional place where the Conclave, where the College of Cardinals convenes to Elect a new Pope, transformed with Michaelangelo's paintings, showing's Julius' influence.

Throughout time, if the so-called "starving artist" preferred to not starve, he or she will engage a patron. In this day and age, a patron could be referred to as a political doner. Like Pope Julius who wanted the Sistine Chapel, or Democrats who need to be bankrolled. As has been revealed recently, they can take money from all types, regardless of how crocked the source.

Crypto wiz kid, starts his own exchange called FTX, made billions of dollars, named Sam Bankman-Fried. One could see his altruism because he donated some $40 million to as worthy a cause as the Democrats. But Fried had only a house of cards. FTX was a Ponzi scheme and Fried is now facing several criminal charges that amounts to fraud and money laundering as he clients were taken to the cleaners. Bankman-Fried is facing life in prison.

Fried's money went some way to buy the Senate this time. Now that malfeasance has been revealed, however, would recipient Democrats feel compelled to return these ill-gotten gains ? For honesty's sake, and in this the Christmas Season, it would be the right thing to do. It would appear, however that Fried and his slush fund was their slush fund and therefore a necessary evil. And, truth be told, Family Guy's Peter Griffin re-painted the Sistine Chapel with pictures of wrestling legend Andre "the Giant."