The theme of the New York Times today is that rich old white people love to be reminded what it's like to be poor.

In one story, millionaires party at an expensive, exclusive dude ranch owned by a Rockefeller. An old white doctor says he likes it because he connects emotionally with the outdoors. I can sympathize: I mean, it's totally hard to relax when the poolboy keeps asking if you want another drink.

At the J Bar L, you round up cattle, go on hikes, ride a horse. For no room service and no spa, you pay four hundred dollars a day. You live like a poor person. In Manhattan you can do the same thing for fifteen bucks at the Tenement Museum. Me, I was horrified to discover the cramped, pestilence-ridden flat they preserved was nicer than my place. Seriously, half the New Yorkers on my tour tried to put down a deposit. This dude ranch seems like another confirmation that, added to the list of everything that's been priced out of reach of regular folk, we now have "former homesteaders' cabins" and "meals of rice and beans served from chuckwagons."

In the second story, a retired white dentist builds an entire Wild West town in his backyard. He's got twenty-two faux buildings, thirty-four wagons, five log cabins, and a ridiculously understanding wife. It's what would happen if you gave Carrie Bradshaw shots of testosterone. There's no pavement, no running water, and you have to leave your house to pee.

His tale teaches us why rich people don't get divorced as often as poor folk. When the poor have arguments, their resolutions are often tenuous. "Okay, I'll keep Little Britttani out of your hair for an hour or two," the trailer park mom promises, "but save me a golddamn Colt 45."

Rich whites, though, compromise on a grander scale. "If you let me build an authentic Wild West town on our country property," the dentist says, "I'll build you a twelve-thousand-foot limestone house in town."

Still, in the end it's inspiring. Once again the Times reminds us that the American Dream is still alive, though it's slid a bit downscale. Work hard, lad, and if you're lucky, one day maybe you too will be able to enjoy all those things that used to be reserved exclusively for the poor.