The rich young man

Why send a bill if the bill is zero?

Which is often the case with corporate organizations such as Kaiser Permanente and Bank of America.

Often such communications, which look and feel like a bill, will have a disclaimer printed in dark black ink, "THIS IS NOT A BILL."

I once got a refund check from Bank of America for $.17. That's seventeen cents.

I didn't know what to do with it.

I took it as a little message: if B of A is this honest with a small depositer, there's no way they could collude with investment bankers and hedge fund managers to bilk their own stockholders and the Feds.

The semiotic is gold: B of A is a completely scrupulous organization, down to the last penny.

Obsequious and unctuous, two of my favorite words, describe so many personal and professional behaviors.

The rich young man sees through everything.