If the old saying that “good fences make good neighbors” is true, I would like to put up the Berlin Wall between myself and some of mine. For the most part, Casa De Seigler sits in the midst of a peaceful, faux-suburban oasis from the mean and multicultural streets of Hogwaller. But this past weekend, some of that urban violence that you hear about on the news visited itself upon our fair island of calm, and I’m seriously rethinking the benefits of free room and board when I live next door to either the Hatfields or the McCoys.

I’m not at liberty to say just what happened, because for one thing I wasn’t there, and I don’t want to speak out of turn. Also, there’s a good chance that, if those relatives of mine immediately involved don’t want to involve the law, their closest descendants just might. But I am able to talk about it, without mentioning names, in regards to discussing that age-old quandary of “does money make you happier?” Yes, it does make you happy to some degree, but in this case it just makes some people trigger-happy.

I’ve often wondered if, were my family name “Rockefeller,” “Gates,” or “Clampett,” would I be happier with the money that came with such names. You see a lot on TV about the spoiled rich offspring of the rich and famous, and I’m sure that their hedonism and wanton disregard for others is assuaged by the endless amounts of money that they can use to resolve any issues. But if I had been born with a silver spoon in my mouth, I doubt that I’d be savvy enough to avoid choking on it.

As a famous and wise philosopher often said, I am what I am. And what I am is the son of a family that, while not socially prominent in our little corner of the world, has a hell of a lot more character than some of the families that surround us. Well, some of us do have character, and some of us are characters. I leave it to those who know me personally to determine which category I fall in.

All the money in the world, and the social clout that comes with it, can’t obscure the fact that some people with money shouldn’t be left unsupervised in a pillow factory or they might hurt themselves and others. And for those who may be related to such folks, and feel an obligation to help them get out of such jams, I understand but I don’t condone. Alex Smith was charged with rape decades ago, but his well-connected family helped him escape justice for a time and live the high life in Europe, while his victim had to wait for her day in court. That he finally got hauled before a judge is a miracle.

I’m not trying to bash all rich people, just the ones who think that their wealth and status give them the right (or even the duty) to treat others as merely supporting cast members in the story of their lives. If that’s what you have to be to be rich and respected in this world, I’ll take the lowly “underclass” world any day over that. A lot of people with money do a lot of good in this world, but not too many of them live in my neighborhood. Maybe it’s time someone called them out on that. When you’re isolated in your well-stocked fortress, you can’t see what’s wrong with your behavior in regards to your fellow man. Maybe that nearsightedness is punishment enough, but I prefer to let the courts decide that. For the time being, I’d just like to say that some people are rich in monetary terms but poor when it comes to character. You can’t take it with you, and you can’t bribe your way into the afterlife with it, either.