Feb
16th
How to save OUR country.
By Master of Her Domain
I've been doing some thinking, and have come up with a few ways
that WE, the average citizen, can take our country back and help us
recover from the economic crisis. In this blog I'd like to focus on
one simple thing that we can all do to kick this recession to the
curb.
Since it's tax time, a lot of us will be getting refunds. Some of us will get $500, some will get $8500, and most of us will spend it. Instead of blowing it on something that will not benefit our economy in any REAL way (a television, a new set of golf clubs, a brand new car), why not spend it on something that WILL help re-energize our local economy?
Let's get one thing straight here- as much as the politicians in Washington say they want to help us, the fact is simple- we need to do it ourselves. So, let's compare what we do with our money now, and what we could do that might make a real difference.
Now, we get a few bucks, we run out and get the cool new phone, or the nice television set. That money goes to the stores we buy it from, which pay their employees less than stellar wages, offer little opportunity for advancement, and are generally 'meh'. The money also goes to manufacturers, mostly in China. It goes to the 'brands' that sell their wares. When it comes down to it, a very small percentage actually ends up back in our local communities.
What we could do is simple. Spend that money on goods and services offered by local stores and providers. I'll give you a great example. My uncle owns a pest control company. He employs a small workforce, but could employ more. He pays them well, treats them with respect, and runs a tight ship- everything we should want to invest in. He charges a flat fee for a year's worth of service. Let's say 20 people chose to utilize his services instead of buying a plasma tv this year- that means another employee hired, more money spent in local shops, and a stronger local economy. Multiply that by the millions and we are back in business.
I know a lot of people will say 'Stop berating the big box stores! They employ a lot of people!'. Well, the problem is, as illustrated above, the MAJORITY of the money you spend goes elsewhere. Far, far away.
What if we keep it local? What if we say 'Va fangul' to the banks, the Wall Street fatties, the nay-sayers, the depressing 'oh, we're all gonna die' folks? What if we take our fate in our own hands, and get it right for once?
This is the truth, so listen up. No one but US cares about our survival. No Washington politician cares. No big shot Wall Street guy cares. No dividend-receiving old fogy cares. All they seem to care about is how those 30 stocks are doing, what the 'consumer confidence number' is, and what their mistress wants for a snack. CONSUMER confidence? Who wants to be a consumer? I don't. You shouldn't either.
Let's stop consuming, let's start UTILIZING. Utilize our local talent, local farms, local land, local brains, local people! Pay a person, not a brand. Not some dude who does not care if this country lives or dies.
Just a thought.
JM
Since it's tax time, a lot of us will be getting refunds. Some of us will get $500, some will get $8500, and most of us will spend it. Instead of blowing it on something that will not benefit our economy in any REAL way (a television, a new set of golf clubs, a brand new car), why not spend it on something that WILL help re-energize our local economy?
Let's get one thing straight here- as much as the politicians in Washington say they want to help us, the fact is simple- we need to do it ourselves. So, let's compare what we do with our money now, and what we could do that might make a real difference.
Now, we get a few bucks, we run out and get the cool new phone, or the nice television set. That money goes to the stores we buy it from, which pay their employees less than stellar wages, offer little opportunity for advancement, and are generally 'meh'. The money also goes to manufacturers, mostly in China. It goes to the 'brands' that sell their wares. When it comes down to it, a very small percentage actually ends up back in our local communities.
What we could do is simple. Spend that money on goods and services offered by local stores and providers. I'll give you a great example. My uncle owns a pest control company. He employs a small workforce, but could employ more. He pays them well, treats them with respect, and runs a tight ship- everything we should want to invest in. He charges a flat fee for a year's worth of service. Let's say 20 people chose to utilize his services instead of buying a plasma tv this year- that means another employee hired, more money spent in local shops, and a stronger local economy. Multiply that by the millions and we are back in business.
I know a lot of people will say 'Stop berating the big box stores! They employ a lot of people!'. Well, the problem is, as illustrated above, the MAJORITY of the money you spend goes elsewhere. Far, far away.
What if we keep it local? What if we say 'Va fangul' to the banks, the Wall Street fatties, the nay-sayers, the depressing 'oh, we're all gonna die' folks? What if we take our fate in our own hands, and get it right for once?
This is the truth, so listen up. No one but US cares about our survival. No Washington politician cares. No big shot Wall Street guy cares. No dividend-receiving old fogy cares. All they seem to care about is how those 30 stocks are doing, what the 'consumer confidence number' is, and what their mistress wants for a snack. CONSUMER confidence? Who wants to be a consumer? I don't. You shouldn't either.
Let's stop consuming, let's start UTILIZING. Utilize our local talent, local farms, local land, local brains, local people! Pay a person, not a brand. Not some dude who does not care if this country lives or dies.
Just a thought.
JM
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