People are quick to spend money when it’s not their own. Politicians top this list. Government bureaucrats follow them. Then come employees of big corporations and institutions. Pundits, nonprofits, and media have all kinds of grand ideas for “what we should do” about various problems. It always involves spending someone else’s money (euphemistically called “investing”).
I remember going out to a holiday dinner hosted by the owner of a small business where I worked. We went to a nice Italian restaurant. There were 4 employees, the owner, and our spouses. Most of my coworkers ordered drinks, very expensive meals, multiple appetizers and desserts. Then, they got expensive after dinner drinks.
When the bill came due it was well over $1500!
The owner paid and never batted an eye.
But I did. On the way home I said my wife, “I can’t believe how much my coworkers ordered! Not only did they order the most expensive items on the menu, they got after dinner aperitifs and expensive liquor shots. We’re a small, struggling business that can barely make payroll. What were they be thinking?”
She replied, “They were thinking – the company is paying for this.”
It’s easy to spend other people’s money.