As of Tuesday, TV and movie writers are on strike. The tense discussions leading up to this impasse terminated in a failure on the part of studios to issue a new contract. It's easy to get lost in the weeds on this story, but one aspect we find interesting is how little value we seem to place in the actual makers of our society, whether they're artists, farmers, or craftsman. On the other hand, we place a high premium on marketing and distribution. We think this imbalance is worth a closer look.