Middle-class peeves cost more money than exists

A simple thing prompted this inquiry: a recent story by Forbes that we happened upon, in which we encountered the startling news that this year's National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournament will cost US businesses billions in lost productivity. The figures come courtesy of consulting outfit Challenger, Gray and Christmas - and Forbes, to its credit, expressed skepticism about them.

This led us to wonder just how much money is lost to enjoyable things that finger-wagging middle-class farts disapprove of, such as smoking, drinking, gambling, overeating, watching sports, and the like. The figures we obtained (about which more below), are staggering.

Thomas C. Greene

I love this story. Next time you read a story about the cost to society of something the cultural brownshirts don't like, keep this little tidbit in mind.