Summary: An op-Ed about Paul Ryan.

It was midnight. When Merrill Lynch announced it’s shotgun wedding to Bank of America, I was in a bar with Sunday night friends. When Lehman Brothers announced it’s bankruptcy – I was in a taxi storming down Madison Avenue with a wealthy friend. We started talking about the collapse. I remember vividly aghast, stating “the street looks so alive, but all these stores will shutter in the next few months”. I walked down Madison months later and sure enough – “For Rent Signs” replaced luxury monikers.

In the past year, we’ve seen the real estate market bounce back with full force. Largely because cities and small towns across the nation have emptied out and people with hopes for a better job have come to the cities, NYC being a prime destination for those who’ve felt stuck in their small markets. I’ve seen this happen a lot, especially with ASMP and in dive bars where creatives’ huddle. During and after the Depression, the cities recovered quicker and faster then the suburbs.

“What happens when Editors and PR Girls reach a certain age.” I’m at Woodbury Commons having Margaritas at the Applebees chatting with a friend who’s just received a promotion, friends shop for seasons old sale items. We’re frank about salaries, pitching and possibilities. He’s just received a promotion. But at 40, neither one of us know where to go beyond Editor-In-Chief. A goal that seems almost unattainable to many, but will be in his grasp. Another friend works for a Gossip rag, churning out blog posts like a sweatshop worker makes cheap shirts. We both pop into IM almost daily, wondering about our fate as a freelancer. I realize at some point, that because a generation behind me, hasn’t gotten paid, rates stay the same, because as I develop more skill and savvy, it’s still not enough for salary comps.
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Tags: Bank of America, column, Madison Avenue, Mitt Romney, mittens, obama, paul ryan, republican, social security, Woodbury Commons