Suze Orman Approves Dog Cloning. Reluctantly.
Financial guru Suze Orman has made quite a name for herself over the past few years as America's advisor on matters of money. With an award winning show on CNBC, numerous New York Times best selling books, and a regular on Oprah, Orman's penny-pinching advice is gaining traction, particularly during this recession.
Orman's niche is to use plain-spoken common sense to berate people into saving money, investing conservatively, and living within their means. Which is why she had such a hard time with a call in viewer who wanted to spend $100,000 on cloning his dog.
During the "Can I Afford It?" segment of her show, viewers can call in and tell Orman what they want to buy - from an Iguana Sunroom to a pet squirrel monkey - and Orman reviews their finances to either "Approve" or "Deny" their request. The viewer wanting to clone his Great Dane T.J. had no debt and a fair amount of equity in a million dollar house, leading a squeamish Orman to "approve" this purchase despite her obvious discomfort.
Orman goes out of her way to not judge people for the purchases that they want to make; she only assesses whether they can afford it. But, given the significant ethical questions with pet cloning and the extent to which ethics has been at the center of the current financial meltdown, perhaps Orman should encourage businesses and consumers alike to think responsibly about not only if they should spend money, but also how they use it. If we've learned anything from the last few months - especially with the mortgage crisis - it's that just because you can do something doesn't mean that you should.
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