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July 20, 2011 |  2:43 pm  Riots in Greece  Baby boomers are
greedy. It seems to be all I hear anymore. And what's worse, the
wealthiest among them are reluctant to leave an inheritance to
their children. Some of those polled say it's for fear that
their adult children will squander the money it took a lifetime
to earn. But in real life, the reason I've heard most often is
"hey, you can't take it with you." The "it" being money.  To be
clear: I don't object to consumer spending, especially when it's
done offline and in the real world. These days, spending money
is good for the economy -- and a way we can all do our part to
contribute to the recovery. What troubles me is the selfish and
shortsighted mentality about not leaving any money behind. What
happened to taking care of your children, to leaving a legacy?
To read Thomas L. Friedman's most recent column in the New York
Times, the