Tom Ridge, pauper

as noted by the econ prof I never had by virtue of attending U of Texas instead of Berkeley, Brad DeLong,

Tom Ridge Is Leaving the Administration: Archive Entry From Brad DeLong's Webjournal:

A nice catch from Jeffrey Dubner of The American Prospect. Tom Ridge is not leaving the administration to spend more time with his family; he is leaving the administration to spend more money on his family:


TAPPED: July 2004 Archives: STANDARD OF LIVING. I've got no speculation as to the reason Tom Ridge has made it public that he's likely to step down from his post as Secretary of Homeland Security after the November election. But the given explanation seems a bit off-message for the Bush-Cheney reelect campaign:


Ridge, 58, has explained to colleagues that he needs to earn money to comfortably put his two children, Tommy Jr. and Lesley, through college, officials said. Both are now teenagers. Ridge earns $175,700 a year as a Cabinet secretary.


Ridge doesn't need to spend more time with his family -- he just needs to spend more money on his family. Even Ridge's salary, which on its own puts his family among the top 5 percent of household incomes, isn't enough to pay for college. So much for the idea that families would "start to see some relief on the tuition front."

yes, the tears are about to flow any second. Wait for them. In the interim, Mr. Ridge should start placing money in Vegas, picking when next the "Terror Alert" will be change to some darker, more sinister shade. I would guess somewhere in late October, or even early November.