A penny for your thoughts, even if pennies don’t exist anymore (2026)

I have been looking for a quote by someone, I think it is Conrad Black. I have never been able to find the citation in question. It was in the 90s, and the author was saying something like, ‘It’s about time that the rich can finally go out and enjoy their money.’ For him to say that, there must have been pressure questioning inequalities and for the wealthy to tone down their fancies. Something that made him feel uncomfortable, which is funny in itself. I can’t remember the circumstances surrounding this, but I know that time is gone. The rich are all out now. It’s the richer, the better; the richer, the closer to God; let’s get oligarchy if we can, and so on.

I see posts on Facebook from some American friends enjoying life on their sailboats or in their private pools, having the time of their lives, and I wonder what parallel world they live in. Yes, the stock markets are doing really well, and it is a golden time for them, but a little restraint would be appropriate, no?