What an idiotic article. Granite countertops are discretionary consumer spending. People buy them with their own money. They are not purchased by the government

What an idiotic article. Granite countertops are discretionary consumer spending. People buy them with their own money. They are not purchased by the government with taxpayer money. Individuals chose to buy them on their own free will. Unless the writer shows that people are somehow forced or tricked into buying them (and he does not), this is not in any way wasted money, because individuals that buy them presumably get enjoyment out of them that is proportional to their cost. Also his financial analysis is so dumb it is amazing. He bases his estimates on out of thin air numbers thought up by industry insiders, and then compares that to the gulf war which happened 18 years ago without taking account of inflation. So Forbes actually pays someone to write this tripe. This is why magazines are dying.