More Dollar$ than ¢ense

Today in Music History: November 27, 2005

The state of life is a matter of dollar$ and ¢ents. What we wear, what we eat, where and how we live all carry a price tag. For some that price tag is low, others in the middle and there are those at the high end. The key is how those dollar$ and ¢ents are handled. It is important to recognize the ¢ents should not be treated too lightly. There is always that moment when someone is short necessary ¢hange.

This day in music history, November 27, 2005, marks an occasion that definitely warrants a close look at ¢ents in the sense of spending wisely. The event showcases headline performers Aerosmith and 50 Cent among others.  

The two performers took to the stage at New York City's Rainbow Room in the early morning hours of this day along with Don Henley, Joe Walsh and Stevie Nicks.

 The case at hand is not so much on the musicians but the party who paid for the performance and the reason. At a cost of $2 million for a 45-min performance, that must have been some kind of party!  

The event marked the ‘bar mitzvah’ coming-of-age celebration for the 13-yr old daughter of a multimillionaire, which featured her favorite acts.

Bottom Line: Not sure what kind of example was being set for the young teenager, especially taking into account where the money came from and the devastating results for the child and the family.

The father who spent $10 million celebrating his daughter's coming-of-age was defense contractor David H. Brooks, CEO of DHB Industries, a Long Island company that manufactured body armor for the United States military. Two years after the lavish event, Brooks was served with a 71-page federal indictment featuring charges of insider trading, tax evasion and raiding his company's coffers for personal gain—including for the $10 million he used to pay for his daughter's lavish bar mitzvah. 

 David Brooks - before

David Brooks - after

  He was sentenced to 17 years in prison for his role in swindling 

$200 million from his company and its investors.

Did this man have more dollar$ than ¢ense? Um-m-m-m? Looks like he lacked the dollar$ of his own and definitely lacked good judgement and no common ¢ense! Just greed! Not the first nor last of his kind...
Are we as a nation growing deaf to reason?