E PLURIBUS HUMDRUM

BANZAI7 NEWS--Exactly what do those symbols on the US dollar signify? The two circular drawings on the reverse of the bill are actually parts of the two-sided Great Seal of the United States.

According to the State Department, which has been the official trustee of the seal since 1789, both the obverse (front) and reverse (back) of the seal are rich with symbolism. The obverse picturing the eagle is easy to explain. The bird holds 13 arrows to show the nation’s strength in war, but it also grasps an olive branch with 13 leaves and 13 olives that symbolize the importance of peace. (The recurring number 13, which also appears in the stripes on the eagle’s shield and the constellation of stars over its head, is a nod to the original 13 states.) The shield floats unsupported over the eagle as a reminder that Americans should rely on their own virtue and strength. [Source: Mental Floss.com]

The symbolism of the pyramid on the seal’s reverse is more complex. The pyramid symbolizes the pseudo-invincibility of American financial institutions. It has 13 steps symbolizing the 13 tranches of a AAA rated CDO. The designers apparently thought all risk had been sliced and diced from the number 13. The all-seeing Eye of the Federal Reserve Bank at the top of the pyramid symbolizes the divine bailouts the early Americans would need in establishing institutions too big to fail.

The financial overtones don’t stop with the unblinking eye, though. The Latin motto Annuit Ceptis appears over the pyramid; it translates into “He [God] has favored our corrupt and opaque system.” The scroll underneath the pyramid reads Novus Ordo Seclorum, or “A new order of the ages,” which was meant to signify the dawn of asset bubbles, finder's fees and guaranteed bonuses.