Friends, I want to support Louis's comments on the AFFLUENZA program. It was, to my wife and I, pretty superficial. Plus, a lot of attention was given to rightwing religius nuts from Colorado Springs who are preaching less consumerism and more god and family. Also, thow yung women in the wshow, high school students, were praised for rallying around anti-consumerism, after a visit to Mexico. The poor Mexicans were poor but they were so gracious and seemed happy. Well, how they would know that the poor Mexicans were happy is a mystery the show did not bother to explore. Homeless people are often very nice to me, but I would not say that they were happy. This excerpt from the show reminded me of an argument we had with one of my wife's sisters. She said that the poor folks on the Bayou in Louisiana were happy because they got together every sunday and played music. She wished she could be like them. We suggested that she was welcome to live poor if she wanted, but we doubted she would. michael yates
