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Bye American

Kip Ward

Posted: 11.07.2009 / 7:25 PM PST

 

 

As I write this, lightening cracks the air and the thunder sounds like squadrons of jets making low flybys with some of them crashing…  The rain is far beyond buckets pushed into frenzy by wicked Sou’wester winds.  It’s now winter on the Oregon coast.

We had interesting guests this last week.  Dante Chinni and a group from PBS showed up at the hotel, cameras in tow, on a mission to discover how our little town is coping with the “great recession”.  They were a delightful group; but they hogged the last of the good fall weather. 

I don’t know what Dante and his group took back to the city with them.  Whatever it may have been I hope it was what they came for.  What they (Dante, Anna, Joanne, Ray and Malcolm) left, besides a phone charger and sunglasses, was the impression that they are incredibly decent and caring people.   We were all very sad to see them go. 

So how is this town dealing with the economy?  The short answer is that we are learning.  We are learning how to count on each other and how to work together to pass around every dollar that comes into this town.  After all every dollar that leaves town is one less that makes the rounds.  It is starting to work but we have a very long way to go.   We all tend to make decisions based upon habit rather than thought.

But change we must, because in this economy we must support each other or many of us will most certainly disappear.  This market is an uncaring and soulless hunter.   

What we find true locally may also be true on a national scale.  The dollars we have “saved” buying sometimes poorly manufactured or unsafe goods overseas have cost America many of its good paying jobs.  Now many of us can’t afford to buy the “good stuff;” our own stuff.  And our money just keeps pouring into the Pacific. 

It’s crazy that we have let this happen to us, but this economic psychosis is on a role and if we don’t break the cycle it could end up rolling right over all of us. 

Should American products have to compete? Of course they should, but I guess in the final analysis it is up to each of us to spend thoughtfully. If the products are close in quality and price maybe we should give ourselves the benefit of the doubt. Do we send our dollars overseas or do we reinvest them here at home?  Do we give our money to entities that don’t care a lick about us or do we spend it with our neighbors and friends who support our schools and volunteer in our communities? 

Whenever we have a choice maybe we should take a minute and just think about it.