{ How You Can Save The Economy }

If you read my blog regularly you know that I was not in favor of the bail out of big business congress put together a few weeks ago. I haven't changed my position. I still feel that if left alone our market economy will sort itself out and that no matter how big a company, we are a nation of hard working people who are capable of filling the voids left by industry failures. It will hurt in the short come but be better in the long run. I say this knowing that my very income is dependent on a thriving economy...no revenue for my clients means no income for me...but I have faith in the ideology of the fair market economy.

Today as I watch the market plummet yet again I still haven't waivered in my opinion and here's why: this country was built on small businesses...I mean really really small. You bought eggs from your neighbor who bought bread from you, etc. etc. The industrial revolution happened and gradually over more than a century we have been lured away from the true market economy. While we are all saving our pennies and hoping that our jobs are safe, I honestly believe that we all have the power to save this economy...one little transaction at a time. Shop with people or companies you know and like. Support your neighbors and neighborhood businesses. Make an extra effort, especially at Christmas, to make every purchase MATTER. My holiday spending budget has always been small but this year every gift I give has been purchased at stores that I want to have survive this economy. Quit wandering the malls or shopping at the box stores because you get more for less. Instead, THINK about the businesses you love and shop there...every little bit matters. The actual gifts that I am giving are small memento gifts, picked very thoughtfully to convey an emotion or a memory a private joke, and most are practical. I'm giving in other ways too. I am giving donations (and some are not large) to charities that matter to me or to my loved ones. If you can't spare monetary donations, give your time to charities instead. Your local food banks are busier now then ever. Show up and help out. An hour a month is greatly appreciated and it's an hour more than they would have had without you.
Like I said, with a little thought and a commitment to philosophy you hold the power to shape the economy...it really is that simple...but then again, the best ideas always are the most simple.