When someone tells you “no price is too high,” you can be almost certain the person is wrong.
We learn in this Newsweek column that a college professor agreed to pay $11,000 in veterinary bills for his ailing cat. A high price? Yes. An exceedingly high price? Many of us would say yes; others might say no.
What is clear is that there is a price that’s too high. Each individual determines that price.
The most cold-hearted pet owner might pay nothing to address his cat’s medical problems. Many others would draw the line far below $11,000. Some with the means to pay for more treatment would likely spend far more. But every one of these people has a price beyond which he’s not willing to pay.
Let’s illustrate the point with an absurd example. Do you believe we should spend the Gross Domestic Product of the United States to save Fluffy’s life for 30 seconds? If you answered yes, please seek psychiatric help. If you answered no, then you know that there is a price that’s too high.
