Letting Them Eat Cake

MSN Money pointed me to an interesting editorial in Forbes magazine. The author is pointing out the plusses to the recession. For people that have money. It is all things we have heard before – the deals are out there, the service is better, etc. My opinion is that she is half correct, and half unbelievably insensitive.

I have said for months that as long as I have my job I will be just fine and I am grateful to have it. I still very much believe that even the people that have done a decent job of saving aren’t much more than one catastrophe away from financial ruin. I have said that I am spending money, probably more money than I would have a year ago, because my house needs work, because I can and because there are businesses that I want to support. And seriously, my house needs work.

For me, the interesting thing about the article was not the points that it makes, but the debate in the comments – both on the Forbes site and the MSN site. Some are trashing her, some just saying “you’ll get yours” and some…are agreeing with her. For a few, it is pointing fingers at people that weren’t (willing or) able to save well. For others, it was just the pleasure of reading a positive perspective. I guess we aren’t so much in this together anymore.