Ellington

Ladies, gentlemen and po' folks, playwright and entrepreneur Pookie Peterz presents his critically acclaimed ghetto-tragedy opera "Porgy and Bush."

The opera opens with Porgy, a recently unemployed factory worker, lamenting the cruel reality of corporate outsourcing.

"Summertime, and the livin' ain't easy. Folk have lost their jobs. Unemployment is high. My job has been outsourced. That's why I ain't been workin'. Can't drive my hoopty 'cause gas prices are high…"

The second act opens with M.C. George Bush accompanied by the White House Staff Community Choir singing an optimistic State of the Union address.

"My fellow Americans, it ain't necessarily so. I was hoping we get out of this hole. But, please let me tell ya, the economy will get better and end all of America's woes."

In Act Three, an army recruiter sings this song to convince some unemployed workers hanging out on the street corner to help rebuild Iraq.

"There's a boat leavin' fo' Iraq this morning'. Come with me! You will make a lot of money. Don't worry about the shootin'. Don't fret about the bombs. We just need some folk like you guys to help clean up the debris."

The opera closes with Porgy waiting in line to apply for unemployment benefits. He and the Enron-WorldCom United Unemployed Choir sing the finale.

"M.C. Bush, where have our jobs gone? Tell us what's going on. How will we pay the rent when our unemployment checks are spent? Maybe our only hope is to register to vote. …"

The End.

Ken Stiggers is a television producer in Jackson.