Now we really know that the economy is really in serious trouble. That’s because the financial fallout has rippled far beyond investment bankers, home owners and anyone who requires credit lines.
It is now impacting Homecoming, that high school rite of passage that has morphed over the years into a pricey entitlement program with stretch limos, outlandishly expensive dresses, and ever-exotic, ritzy venues.
We’re now seeing local high schools cutting back and even going retro – as in returning the Big Dance to a decorated gym.
Good for them. But this shouldn’t be considered as merely ad hoc cost-cutting to accommodate lean times.
This, frankly, is a teachable moment for the next generation. This shouldn’t be asterisked as the year the prom went cheap. This should be heralded as the year the next generation saw what they can still do if they don’t live beyond their means. And, upon reflection, how they were also a part of the problem.
Hopefully, the next president will rally Americans to live within their means and instill some sense that sacrifice and the good, free life aren’t mutually exclusive.