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Really... what demons drive people like David Berkman, who sent me this letter in response to my SmartMoney.com column about the minumum wage.

I can't let your last statement in SmartMoney regarding low income people driving "clunkers" go unanswered. I'm a retired business investor, and consider myself to be very well off. However, I drive a 23 year old car. And no, it's not a classic.

You see, it's never wise to make blanket statements because one day such statements will come back to bite you in the behind, given that we live in a world that is in a constant state of flux. I simply don't value automobiles; they're only a means to get from point A to point B. I'd much rather put my money into a "vehicle" that will MAKE money for me (e.g., stocks and real property). I have nothing against those who love cars, however.

Please try to keep things in proper perspective without offending those who just might be a bit more savvy than yourself.

Aha! Gotcha! Mr. Berkman must be profoundly and smugly satisfied that he has proven himself to be a bit more savvy than me!

But I never used the word "clunker," which he put in quotes. I never said anything about the kind of cars that wealthier people drive -- in fact I never said anything about the cars that all of any particular type of person drives. Here's what I said:

Those with the lowest incomes tend to own the oldest cars in the worst condition.

That's an absolutely true statement, not in the slightest contradicted by Mr. Berkman's example of himself.

What drives someone to bother to find an error that isn't there -- and even it were, an incredibly trivial one -- and send an author an email about it, crowing about how much savvier one is? Mr. Berkman, I have three words for you: "get a life." Oh -- and a new car, too. The new ones are more environmentally friendly, you know.

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