Barbara Ehrenreich: Home Depot’s CEO-Size Tip

I’m not upset by the $210 million golden parachute Robert Nardelli just received as a send-off from Home Depot. Not at all. To those critics who see it as one more step in the slide from free-market capitalism to wholesale looting, I say: What do you really know about Nardelli’s circumstances? Maybe he has a dozen high-maintenance ex-trophy wives to support, each with a brood of special-needs offspring. Ever think of what that would cost?

Or he may have a rare disease that can be held at bay only by daily infusions of minced fresh gorilla liver. Just try purchasing a gorilla a day for purposes of personal consumption, or any endangered species for that matter. There are the poachers to pay, the smugglers, the doctors and vets. I’m just saying: Don’t start envisioning offshore bank accounts and 50,000 square foot fourth homes until you know the whole story.