Nation needs call to service, not shopping
In last Sunday's Sun Chronicle (Nov. 23), Ned Bristol wrote that "the sooner people go shopping the sooner the world will pull out of the recession." He reminded us that President Bush has urged us to keep shopping in the past and suggested that we would soon be hearing the same message from President-elect Obama.
Well, Obama has been very visible in the last week. He's done three press conferences. He appeared on 60 Minutes. He did an interview with Barbara Walters. He did a radio address to the nation that was also carried on YouTube. I haven't heard him bring up shopping. What I have heard him say is that "the renewal of our economy won't come from policies and plans alone – it will take the hard work, innovation, service, and strength of the American people." He praised those who give of their time and resources to aid their communities and said that is the spirit that will get us through this crisis.
In his comments, Obama recognized a huge and productive part of our economy that is usually ignored by policy makers: the work we do for free. Unpaid labor is not included in the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) which is used to measure the nation's economic well-being. Some of the largest categories of unpaid labor are household work, care of children, and volunteer work done through churches, service organizations, and other non-profits. It's important to consider how citizens can work to help each other get through hard times without any money changing hands, and I'm glad this is a part of Obama's thinking.
Bristol is correct in pointing out that shopping is a big part of our economy. But, in my opinion, the country has become too dependent for its economic vitality on retail consumption, as more productive activities like research, manufacturing, and investments in public infrastructure (like roads and bridges) have declined. For many of us, economic prosperity has already resulted in more material possessions than we really need, and more shopping is not the answer. For others, easy credit has enticed them to shop beyond their ability to pay. More shopping is not the answer for them, either. For some, the urge to shop verges on an addiction, encouraged by stores which have morphed into Disney-like entertainment centers.
In this crisis, many of us want and need to hear a call to service and are ready to make some sacrifices for the greater good. We have heard that call from leaders in the past, such as Lincoln, FDR, and Kennedy, and that is what we want to hear from our leaders now. A call for indiscriminate shopping does not fill that expectation. While more shopping might provide a temporary shot in the arm to retailers, it is not a prescription for the long-term health of our economy.
We will get through this crisis by managing our personal finances prudently, using our labor (whether paid or unpaid) in beneficial ways, and by using our resources more efficiently.
In the Barbara Walters interview, Obama was asked "Are there sacrifices that Americans as individuals can do?" Obama seized this opportunity to begin to challenge us, saying that "each of us have a role to play, in not being wasteful when it comes to energy." He went on to name specific things that citizens could do in this area. I am hopeful that the Obama administration will continue to challenge us to re-tune our economic thinking as individuals and as a nation.
Well, Obama has been very visible in the last week. He's done three press conferences. He appeared on 60 Minutes. He did an interview with Barbara Walters. He did a radio address to the nation that was also carried on YouTube. I haven't heard him bring up shopping. What I have heard him say is that "the renewal of our economy won't come from policies and plans alone – it will take the hard work, innovation, service, and strength of the American people." He praised those who give of their time and resources to aid their communities and said that is the spirit that will get us through this crisis.
In his comments, Obama recognized a huge and productive part of our economy that is usually ignored by policy makers: the work we do for free. Unpaid labor is not included in the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) which is used to measure the nation's economic well-being. Some of the largest categories of unpaid labor are household work, care of children, and volunteer work done through churches, service organizations, and other non-profits. It's important to consider how citizens can work to help each other get through hard times without any money changing hands, and I'm glad this is a part of Obama's thinking.
Bristol is correct in pointing out that shopping is a big part of our economy. But, in my opinion, the country has become too dependent for its economic vitality on retail consumption, as more productive activities like research, manufacturing, and investments in public infrastructure (like roads and bridges) have declined. For many of us, economic prosperity has already resulted in more material possessions than we really need, and more shopping is not the answer. For others, easy credit has enticed them to shop beyond their ability to pay. More shopping is not the answer for them, either. For some, the urge to shop verges on an addiction, encouraged by stores which have morphed into Disney-like entertainment centers.
In this crisis, many of us want and need to hear a call to service and are ready to make some sacrifices for the greater good. We have heard that call from leaders in the past, such as Lincoln, FDR, and Kennedy, and that is what we want to hear from our leaders now. A call for indiscriminate shopping does not fill that expectation. While more shopping might provide a temporary shot in the arm to retailers, it is not a prescription for the long-term health of our economy.
We will get through this crisis by managing our personal finances prudently, using our labor (whether paid or unpaid) in beneficial ways, and by using our resources more efficiently.
In the Barbara Walters interview, Obama was asked "Are there sacrifices that Americans as individuals can do?" Obama seized this opportunity to begin to challenge us, saying that "each of us have a role to play, in not being wasteful when it comes to energy." He went on to name specific things that citizens could do in this area. I am hopeful that the Obama administration will continue to challenge us to re-tune our economic thinking as individuals and as a nation.
--Published in the Attleboro Sun Chronicle, 6 December 2008
posted by Charles Adler at 12:36 PM
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