| Remember the old bromide about the husband who | | | | virtually go out of their minds when the payoff goes |
| says he makes all the big decisions in his family? | | | | to $40 million or more? |
| He speaks for the family on such issues as war and | | | | I suppose it's natural for people to want to better |
| peace, health care, stability in the Middle East or | | | | their lot in life, and a prize in the neighborhood of $1 |
| capital punishment; but he allows his wife to make | | | | million (sounds like a Triple A zone to me) would |
| such small decisions as whether the family should buy | | | | certainly do that! But those who shun the $1 million |
| a new car or a used one, go on vacation to Hawaii or | | | | payoffs while going bananas over the multi-million |
| stay home, remain in town or move to Arizona. | | | | payoffs are obviously looking for something more -- |
| That story came to mind this week as my thoughts | | | | something I fear they'll never find. |
| turned to the many little things we run into daily that | | | | A wealthy businessman interviewed by Barbara |
| make us want to sit right down and fire off a letter | | | | Walters recently acknowledged that his first $1 million |
| to the editor of our local paper. | | | | eliminated his concerns about money, but he asserted |
| Here's a sampling of such little things that occasionally | | | | unequivocally that money doesn't make one happy. |
| run through my mind: | | | | The only people who think money buys happiness, he |
| * It's nice that Connecticut has made available those | | | | said, are the people who don't have money. |
| good-looking Save the Sound license plates, but it | | | | "If this country can send a man to the moon," we |
| gets my dander up when I see those old | | | | still hear every now and then, "then it can afford the |
| blue-and-white plates that have faded so much that | | | | measly $2 billion for (my favorite project)!" |
| one can barely read the number from three feet | | | | I wonder if anyone really believes that cliche. The |
| away. It's not hard to imagine someone -- witnessing | | | | truth is that, even if we had no space program, the |
| a bank robber making his escape by car in broad | | | | billions of dollars spent on it (or, alternatively, foreign |
| daylight -- shouting to passersby: Get that license | | | | aid) still would not be available for that favorite |
| plate number! Fat chance! | | | | project. |
| * Why do football teams often play dull, uninspired | | | | The truth of the matter is that we don't want to |
| and generally ineffective offense for three and | | | | spend money for many of these unfunded programs. |
| two-thirds quarters, and only then go into what they | | | | If we really wanted to help the homeless, provide |
| like to call their "two-minute drill" and begin to play | | | | better housing and better jobs for the poor, or |
| effective, inspired and interesting football -- often | | | | provide health care to needy Americans, we would |
| extracting victory from the jaws of defeat? There's | | | | do just that! |
| no defensible reason for a team not to play its best | | | | If you uncover the solutions to these mysteries in |
| for all four quarters. | | | | your crystal ball, I'd be delighted to be enlightened! |
| * Why is it that so many people regularly by Lotto | | | | I wrote this column as a "My View" for The Hour |
| tickets in the hope of winning $1 million or so, but | | | | newspaper of Norwalk, Conn., on Dec. 3, 1994. |