I'd like to thank some people

I'd like to thank the voice-over guy from the financial planning commercial I heard on the way to my hotel today. He asked a question that really made me think. Would I rather imagine myself in the future sipping cold drinks in a beach chair in some exotic locale or sipping cold drinks in a plastic lawn chair in my back yard. Thank you, sir. That is a fantastic question. Neither. If those are my only two choices, I'll just go off and die now. I imagine myself arm-in-arm with my family giving our lives away as a family. I imagine not having one extra red cent because it has all been used to improve lives and meet needs.

I'd like to thank Wall Street bankers and mortgage lenders and car makers for reminding me how thin the fabric of the "American Dream" is...you have helped me reinforce my belief that it's really all lies and self-deception. While I don't wish misery for anyone, short-term misery can often produce long-term solid growth if we are willing to look at ourselves critically.

So, yeah...thanks.