Whuffie would be a terrible currency

The story of ``meritocracy'' - a society that migrates wealth, status, and decision-making power into the hands of the most capable - is seductive. But many of meritocracy's losers love it, too. In the words of John Steinbeck, ``Socialism never took root in America because the poor see themselves not as an exploited proletariat but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires.'' Meritocracy is a tautology, of course. They can go spectacularly bankrupt, financially ruining their investors, and promptl