Yesterday's New York Times ran a front page article about the sqeeze that the recession is puttingon even the affluent. The piece was entitled, "Extravagance Has Its Limits As Belt-Tightening Trickles Up." The reporter interviewed society types in Atlanta.

Here are the two first sentences. (Warning: prepare to be shocked.)

"It is a sign of the times when Sacha Taylor, a fixture on the charity circuit in this gala-happy city, digs out a 10-year-old dress to wear to a recent society party.

"Or when Jennifer Riley, a corporate lawyer, starts patronizing restaurants that take coupons."

(Good Lord!, I think. This has gotten serious!)

(It's hard to communicate sarcasm through the written word. Are you detecting it, though?)

Some of the socialites interviewed earnestly offer the opinion that their new frugality is not simply a temporary, emergency response, but a permanent change. They have reformed from their past behavior of buying much more stuff than they need.

Ms. Riley, though, does not agree. The reporter writes, "Just as she stopped carpooling when gas prices went down, Ms. Riley said, she predicted that eople would start buying again when the economy rebounded. 'That's just my own, maybe, cynical belief,' she said."

Well, call me a cynic too. I kind of suspect that greed is still part of the human condition.