There is still no free lunch. It’s the hardest lesson Americans absorb, yet still struggle to digest. Free radio, Yahoo, TV, investment counselors, newspapers, Facebook hits, email access, web sites, government speculation on land are always growing, or bidding “ebay” instead of buying local.

Do not bring this street wisdom back upon us. They all tend to fail to make the point in the end in value or loss to us.

Have we learned yet that a ham-on-rye with a sign saying “free” has its own price?

I recall a woman driver in an idling Mercedes on the island a few years ago stuffing into her trunk two empty trash cans that had “free” signs on them. She may have been the last person who sensed the risks of the price on both sides of our dilemma, just in case prices went up.

R.O. Conoley

Sunrise Drive