I dunno. Every time I've had free drinks and people waiting on me hand & foot it was pretty cool. Ego? What ego? Scratch me over there right now! And don't stop till I tell you. I don't need an ego trip to know what feels good.
The only real problem is that most of the rest of us pay for these things with our own money. Guilty feelings either obscured or forgotten ~ at least for the moment, "Hey it's my dime," I can spend it the way I want.
Nick, are you saying this holiday on Mackinac is on the clock for our congress-critters? If so, something is totally wrong.
I'm bracing myself for whatever it is that comes next as Michigan downsizes itself, as we all know it must. I've got my money and my own personal reputation riding on this country, this state, and my city, while trying to revive a 60+ year old Detroit business.
We've cut so deep, none of you would believe it. 'Nobody would do that' is what you would say. But we're improving. My advice to anyone doing what I'm doing would be to cut bait. Run for the exits and don't look back! But it's our customers that give me faith.