Never mind all that. Linda Lay
went on NBC's Today show twice this
week - twice - to complain about
how poor she and her husband are going to be now that "everything" they have is "gone."
Well, not "everything," it turns out. Even if they file for bankruptcy, under Texas law they get to keep the $7 million luxury apartment they own in Houston.
And not quite "gone," either.
Of the three properties they own in Aspen, Colo., so far reportedly only two are for sale - for $6 million each. There are other properties and other assets, as one might expect of someone like Ken Lay, who reportedly got about $200 million from Enron over the last few years.
But now, to hear his wife tell it, all their poor family will have left is that paltry apartment in Houston. She even dragged their grown children (from each of their previous marriages) on camera to sit around and look mournful.
And who's to blame for it all? According to Linda, the truth is that Ken, the big lug, is just plain dumb. She didn't say it in so many words, but between sobs she told interviewer Lisa Myers that her husband had no idea what was going on at Enron. No idea! He thought everything was just fine!
So at least we know what Ken Lay's defense is going to be as he embarks on his new career of testifying before Congress and defending himself against lawsuits, at least according to his wife: sheer stupidity. Thanks a lot, hon.
The nation has far more pressing issues than Mrs. Lay's pathetic soap opera, but perhaps she has inadvertently offered an entertaining escape for us all. Texas hasn't looked so tacky since J.R. ruled primetime TV. And though whether the Lays have any money left is still questionable, whether they have any class isn't.
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