The thing is, I can’t help but think that too much fantasy (Disney or otherwise) is bad for the country. Disney has become synonymous with consumption, gluttony even. A weeklong Disney World vacation for a family of four, including lodging and travel, runs $3,000 to $7,000 –– and can go as high as $12,000. Too many families put at least part of that on their credit cards. Add to that all the souvenirs –– the tchotchkes –– that are so easily snatched up at the park only to be thoughtlessly discarded later, and there, in a nutshell, you have one of the biggest problems that ails our country –– wasteful overspending.

Fantasy is fine, even necessary. We mustn’t forget reality, though. Balance, as Aristotle might say, is the key to happiness.

Scott Brinton is senior editor of the Bellmore and Merrick Heralds and an adjunct professor at the Hofstra University Herbert School of Communication. Comments? SBrinton@

liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 203. Follow him on Twitter @scottbrinton1.