Affairs of State

photography by Rich Begany

Even the most solemn occasions in a capitalist society are open to making a profit. When you see the president signing those new Acts of Congress on the Oval Office desk why does he only use twenty different pens.

Of course one goes to the Library of Congress, another to the White House archives, yet another for the Presidential Library. But why not a set of three for QVC, a matching pair for WalMart, an exclusive limited edition for your local bodega? You get the picture.