Thanksgiving is upon us. And it's the rare individual among us who doesn't have a lot to be thankful for. As we prepare for Thursday's festivities, I thought it would be nice to ask you what you would put on that list. Personally, here are some of the things that give me a warm and fuzzy:
I am thankful that Bernard Madoff is now a big kingpin in prison, both because it means he is in prison and because I also get a laugh at the mental image of two old farts indulging in a pushing match from which the despicable swindler emerges triumphant. I like to think that a background in high finance prepares you for anything.
I am thankful that most of my friends still have at least modest expense accounts. It means I can still sponge off them now and then.
I am thankful that my house is still worth basically what it was assessed at when I got my mortgage.
I am thankful that Wall Street is still a festering sump pump of illogic, hubris and greed, and will continue to provide me with plenty to write about for the foreseeable future.
I am thankful GM still exists and is making a new Camaro.
I am thankful for Tim Geithner's temper. It makes him do funny, interesting and sometimes very satisfying stuff.
I am thankful that fewer people than ever can talk about the benefits of a deregulated, free-market system without laughing. Of course, I'm not thankful that they'll keep trying until, in the end, they win again.
I am thankful that I haven't needed to speak to a single attorney on a matter of personal importance this past year.
I am thankful that my medical insurance company paid a small percentage of my costs back to me, even if it was under protest and after repeated bludgeoning. Actually, I'm not that thankful. I think they stink. But I'm grateful that I have this opportunity to say so.
I am thankful for newspapers and magazines. I know that every smug aggregator out there must be too, since they provide 95% of all content you get on the web.
And in that regard, last of all, I'm thankful that a new system of communication exists by which I can write whatever the hell I'm thinking on any given day, with no benefit of research, no fact-checking and very little personal responsibility attached. In short, I'm very thankful for the Internet.
How about you? What do you find yourself appreciating at this potentially festive season?