The view from the golf course.

• Author: Peters, Charles
• Position: TILTING at windmills - Ben Bernanke speaking at expensive resorts - Brief article

To understand why Washington's big shots don't feel the pain the recession has inflicted on the average citizen, it helps to know a little about the Bacara Resort & Spa near Santa Barbara, California, where Ben Bernanke recently went to speak at a conference sponsored by the San Francisco Fed. Suites can cost as much as $2,000 a night, according to Bacara's Web site, and "every one of the 311 rooms and 49 special suites is like the rest of the resort: luxurious, understated, intimate and relaxed. Every room features a private patio or balcony."

After doing his duty in Santa Barbara, Bernanke flew to the Boston Fed's conference at the Wequassett Inn on...