Sandra Myers

The influence of wealth and resources in society is not new. Throughout history, those with access to resources have held power and influence over others. However, through continued business mergers, buyouts and various forms of investment groups, never before has so much power been controlled by so few people.

    These men are the leaders of various investment management firms, hedge funds, private equity firms, sovereign wealth funds, venture capitalists, boutique investment banks and non-governmental organizations. A few of the names are: BlackRock, Blackstone, Elliott Management, Vanguard, Goldman Sachs, Citadel, Carlyle, Bridgewater and more. These men who lead these firms have become their own self-designated gods—the financial controllers and manipulators of the world. When any company (or individual) opens the door to investors, the investor always gets a say in how their money is spent. The investor becomes the controller and holder of the purse strings, with the proverbial and/or literal power of life or death in their hands. The following are just a few examples.

Proxy Wars and Monetization

One example currently unfolding is where Elliott Investment Management, an activist hedge fund, recently bought an 11% percent stake in Southwest Airlines (SWA). Along with this investment came a report outlining the perceived weaknesses and failures by the board and leadership of SWA. In this report are “requests” to “1) Enhance the Board; 2) Upgrade Leadership; 3) Undertake a Comprehensive Business Review” with the intention to create new monetization campaigns—that is, to make the investors more money.

    Elliott Investment saw a weakness (lower than expected profits, meltdown of services during the holidays stranding up to 2 million passengers) in SWA and rushed in to exploit it. Buying 11% ownership is enough to make all other investors sit up and take note; then follows the inside battle to persuade other investors (proxies) to accept their new direction. What’s left of the old board of directors and leadership will get onboard or be shown the door. Perhaps SWA will now start charging for baggage as well as seek out new charges for customers?

    If you don’t travel you may not believe this concerns you. Understand this is merely one small example of what is happening in nearly all areas of our lives. Monetization and control, are the key words. Read on...

Healthcare is being merged, consolidated and centralized, and not for the better. Many private family practices, specialty doctors and hospitals are being bought up by institutional healthcare conglomerates with big investors. What does this mean for you? The investors’ sole purpose is to greater monetize the industry? Will this be at the cost of our health? Obama’s Affordable Care Act already had death panels in place to determine the value of medical treatment for elderly or infirm patients. Now you have investors whose only real concern is making money. So too have pharmaceutical companies been subject to the same demands of their debtors, I mean, investors.

Real Estate is being bought up left and right by billionaire investment groups. It is not just downtown skyscrapers and shopping centers that are being bought up, but individual homes in what was affordable areas. Corporate investors snapped up 15 percent of U.S. homes for sale in the first quarter of 2021 according to an article at Slate.com. So goes it with agricultural properties. We know that Bill Gates is now the largest landholder in the United States. As an aside, agriculture and food manufacturing and production has been bought out by the big conglomerates, who in turn are indebted to their investors.

Politics is another example of making debtors out of its candidates—being controlled by investors. As we head into another presidential election, here are some thoughts to consider: The heads of the investment companies have their favorite “pony” in the race for the presidency, senate or congress. The controllers of the race and ultimately our lives are the investors. It really doesn’t matter who is running—Democrat, Republican, or Independent. The race is really way beyond our control. One article in November 2020 at Forbes.com gives a little overview of how little control we, the people, have in our elections:

    These men are owned—all of them. They are forever in debt to their donor-investors. This is why during the first week in office 24 Executive Orders were signed by Biden. We know Biden doesn’t have the mental acuity to make decisions as leader of the free world. He is but a formality—a face and a signature. Some people say Obama is really running the country. I say it is the financiers who are running the country and Obama is owned by the same. Trump and Kennedy have their masters also. The world is being run by a small mob of exceedingly rich men. (Also: Take a look at the last names of many of the funds’ founders. That, in itself, tells a tale.)

Resisting the Lure

These are but a few illustrations of the commoditization of our lives. Texe Marrs was courted numerous times by would-be sponsors for the ministry. But in godly wisdom Texe knew how easy it would be—lured into the trap of relying on the monies from sponsorship. More importantly, Texe knew that strings would be attached. A sponsor might be uncomfortable with an exposé that Texe wrote or discussed. Then the sponsor could then advise Texe that he shouldn’ talk about that topic under threat of losing funding. If you get to depend on that sponsor for their contribution, you can no longer allow the Holy Spirit to guide you in ALL things. After all, he who has the gold makes the rules.

    Most aspects of your life are now under control of various forms of investment firms. We are subject to the whims of the New Olympians—the god-like men who have reduced this world to their love of money, and our lives have been reduced to faceless commodities to be toyed with, devalued and traded like so many bushels of wheat.

    The Bible tells us of the pitiful fate of these self-perceived god-men who are attempting to create a pitiful kingdom on earth:

    For the rest of us the Bible warns us about the power of the rich and being beholden to our “investors:” “The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.”

A Question for Consideration

Will our vote matter in these upcoming elections? I called these ultra-rich the New Olympians, as in the stories of mythology: the gods were entertained as the mere mortals were danced about like puppets used as toys and playthings for their amusement. I ask the Holy Spirit to guide each of us and remove any scales of deceit covering our eyes, give us wisdom and to draw us closer to our Saviour.