Well-heeled Gramm in no position to judge

Terry Cox, Henderson

Thursday, July 17, 2008 | 2:03 a.m.

My 30-year-old son-in-law will be laid off next week. Four of his friends, all pilots, have been laid off this month.

All of these young men have expressed concerns regarding their futures. Former U.S. Sen. Phil Gramm calls that concern whining.

I think it would be safe to say Mr. Gramm makes a very nice seven-figure income. It would probably also be a safe bet to say his well-connected wife also makes seven figures.

It seems to me it takes a lot of guts/hubris/arrogance for people in that position to tell others who are being downsized/laid off/kicked out of their homes to stop whining. That’s really just a nice way of telling them to “shut up.”

I propose a very simple test for Mr. Gramm. Write down the names of your 20 closest friends. Then ask two questions. One, how many are out of work? Two, how many homes do those 20 people own?

If the answer to the first question is less than five and the answer to the second question is more than 20, I suggest Mr. Gramm shut up — immediately.