Clearing One's Debts....or Not

Like many others, I like to do a bit of tidying up before the New Year....no, not the major clutter-clearing project that I've been putting off, but the low-hanging fruit of year-end charitable contributions (both money and used articles), paying off medical bills that required extensive analysis, and dumping magazines that I never got around to reading.

Concerning the second item, paying off one's debts--even small ones--is liberating. They nag at your humble observer's conscience, and reminder notices are a cause of ongoing stress.

(Image from Fox News)

That's why I never understand rich people who don't pay debts that they can easily handle (unless they're questionable or there's some moral principle involved). Carly Fiorina, ex-HP CEO and failed California Republican candidate for the Senate, is gearing up for a Presidential run [bold added]:

In 2010, Fiorina and husband Frank claimed a combined net worth of $30 million to $120 million....her 2010 campaign still owes $486,418 to creditors. Who wants a deadbeat for president?

Like the evil George Wickham in “Pride and Prejudice,” Fiorina skipped California owing buckets of cash to her one-time pals. She owes $60,000 to former campaign manager Marty Wilson, who now works for the California Chamber of Commerce, and another $20,000 to his former communications firm. She shorted her lawyer Ben Ginsberg, formerly of Patton Boggs, to the tune of $44,000. She owes $3,750 to a former press secretary, $5,000 to another communications aide and $7,500 to her erstwhile political director. She stiffed political consultant Joe Shumate, who died in 2010, to the tune of $30,000. (Yes, she stiffed a stiff — even though she lauded Shumate as a “trusted adviser and friend” upon his death.)

Based on this track record, why would any political consultants or lawyers do any paid work for her?

it takes a certain kind of brass to not pay off your political operatives, and then set up shop to run for the highest office in the land. [Former campaign manager Marty] Wilson isn’t sure who will want to work for Fiorina, but he does offer a suggestion for Fiorina 2.0: Ask for the money up front.

"Neither a borrower, nor a lender be; For loan oft loses both itself and friend." In Carly Fiorina's case she'll lose a lot of votes, too.