Talk about making hay if the sun shines through and through.

In 1696, William III introduced the ‘window tax.’ It was crystal clear that this dark tax was viewed with great disfavor being as it was based on the number of windows in a given home. Think of it as a first-generation progressive tax, which suited the extravagant era’s buildout of country estates. The more windows in a home, the wealthier the ostentatious occupants were, to say nothing of cheerier and healthier (did Vitamin D supplements exist back then?). So why not pony up more in taxes to help your sovereign offset the scourge of coin clipping?

Coin what?

Back in the day, coins were minted in pure precious metals. This prompted petty pilfers to shave, file and clip the edges off those coveted coins. Combine enduring effort with a red-hot melting pot and voila, fraudulent fortunes followed. The pinchers’ progeny were no doubt among the pioneers committing counterfeit currency capers.

These days we embrace the despicable denigration of our currencies. We go so far as to lavish the loftiest positions in the modern world on those whose most lauded accomplishments have been earned in laureates, not the legal authority to levy, well, anything.

‘Tis true, central bankers have assumed more power than our politicians. The question is where this will lead us all against the backdrop of a world where inequality has boiled over into illegality and depravity for our fellow man.

As all market watchers are aware, the British general elections are to be held Thursday. Intriguingly, some three million newly-registered voters will cast their calls for the first time. This should be a worrying factoid for Theresa May; the UK’s youngest voters were largely opposed to exiting the European Union last June.

The arguably inconsistent and unreliable polls will have certainly given Prime Minister Theresa May pause. One June 4th, May’s Conservative party looked to secure 354 seats, above and beyond the 326 needed for a Parliamentary majority. By Tuesday, other polls showed her party’s prospects had dwindled to 305 seats.

Intuition suggests Saturday night’s horrific terrorist attacks on London Bridge (pictured front and center in this week’s image) and a nearby neighborhood would have solidified Conservative’s lead. But the polls counterintuitively indicate a move in the opposite direction. Though impossible to predict, the least hyperbolic within the political analyst arena give the Conservatives better than even odds of winning a majority, or at the very least forming a coalition that accomplishes the next best thing.