Another Cartoon About the Similarity Between Emperor Palpatine and Pope Benedict

This topic was also explored in an earlier post, The Space Pope or Pope as Star Wars Emperor. Posted by Kome on AH.com's thread The Official Political Cartoon Thread.

Why The Pope Retired

(from a link by Beedok in Things that look like alternate history but aren't IIa at AH.com.)

Fringe Pope

Found this in a link from AH discussion, Why Papal Conclave is an affront to Catholic theology and a pathetic electoral system, posted by Enigmajones. Pope Michael, who has about "30 "solid" followers" is one of two existing American anti-popes, there were 2 others but they resigned or died.

The Space Pope or Pope as Star Wars Emperor

On AH.com there is a thread about a piece of Star Wars technology ending up in our universe, His Holiness's Super Star Destroyer. In which Polish Eagle wonders:

WI, tomorrow, the Super Star Destroyer Executor is ISOT'd into geosynchronous orbit around Earth, and the crew is completely convinced that Pope Benedict XVI is actually Emperor Palpatine?

Inspired by some pictures that emphasize the similarity between the Emperor and the Pope.

This would make Benedict XVI AKA "Ratzinger the Enforcer" AKA “Panzerkardinal” AKA "God's Rottweiler", ttthhhheeee Space Pope.

Higher Costs and Less Value

In the recent controversy about the US government forcing pay ceilings on bailed out bankers and the UK enacting similar punitive schemes on banks they bought many have complained that banks will be unable to recruit or keep the talented, see Living On Half A Million In NYC. The apologists for the corrupt and/or incompetent bankers complain that quality has a price and no one is willing to work for nothing. However when one looks at the sweep of history this is not quite clear.

There have been jobs and sectors that in the past were much more remunerative. But today we see that these jobs will not longer a path to riches can attract as good or even better people. When some jobs are so rewarding a couple things happen society as a whole over invests in these type of jobs. Second such overly rich posts attract people more interested in the the pay than the work or vocation .

Up until recently, less than 200 years ago, there are two types of "public sector" jobs that used to be much more highly rewarded. In the past senior religious and military officials used to be better paid in both relative and absolute terms. Bishops would and could build palaces, administer trusts and sometimes rule in their own right as temporal rulers. see The Barchester Chronicles. Popes used to be able lay up fortunes for themselves, their clans and their "nephews". When the Papacy was rich and powerful the only type of person who crawled his way upwards was someone dedicated to the pursuit wealth and power 24/7. Clerics still aspire to sees and bishoprics however they do so knowing that the reward will be mostly be in heaven then on earth. Successful generals and admirals could make fortunes large enough to keep their families rich for generations, see John Churchill). That was then now senior officers can only make a fortune if take over their governments, like Nasser, Gaddafi, Idi Amin, the Burmese Junta and other assorted thugs and malcontents. However at this point they are no longer strictly military officers and in the case of Nasser not even competent ones.

The message of history is paying fortunes means getting aggressive and ambitious losers.