Boosting the economy through recycling
Leeuna Foster
August 03, 2008
Did the recent economic stimulus package actually help boost the economy, or did it just add to our current problems and confusion?
When the news was announced that the US Government would be mailing out stimulus checks from the IRS, I never realized how difficult it would be to decide how to spend it. After all, I've never had a problem with spending money before. In fact I think I was born with a natural talent for such things.
However, this money was special. It was supposed to go toward stimulating the weakening economy in the United States.
Since I am very civic minded (on occasion) I wanted to do my best to be a good American and help our country out any way I could.
Here's the thing. First of all, I figured if I spent the money at one of the department stores...I don't want to mention any names so I'll just call it Mal-Wart...where basically everything is made in China, would this not be helping to stimulate the economy in China? If I used the money to buy food it would be the same thing since almost everything we eat is imported from another country, even the wheat for our daily bread. And haven't they been trying to poison us with their food lately? They killed a number of our pets last year with their poison wheat gluten filled dog food. Should we pay them for this?
On the other hand, if I bought gas for my car with the money, then it would go to benefit the foreign oil companies who are already robbing us blind as bats with their $125.00 per barrel for crude oil. (that was the cost per barrel at the time of this writing. It may have doubled by the time you read the column). In fact gas prices are rising so rapidly that some oil companies have now purchased digital signs that announce the current price per gallon. I passed a convenience store the other day and when I saw the sign I thought it was a clock. It read 405. I thought I was late for supper.
In addition to gas purchasing, everything we buy from a factory these days is wrapped in that indestructible plastic packaging that's impossible to open without power tools. Plastic is made from crude oil, so therefore anything we buy that's new contributes to the foreign oil companies as well.
What a dilemma. I racked my brain until I came up with the following plan. I decided to spend the money at the Salvation Army Thrift Store. After all, recycling helps everybody. By recycling, we're helping save the planet from unwanted items that would otherwise be thrown into the landfills where they'll remain for centuries until someone drags them out and reads the label and asks, "What does Made-In-China mean?"
Buying used or pre-owned items also saves us money, and by buying from the Salvation Army Thrift Stores the money goes toward helping feed the hungry and the homeless. Even though it eventually will go toward buying imported food it will still benefit the people in America a little bit on its way from my hand to theirs.
But possibly, the real reason is because a thrift store, a flea market or a yard sale is about the only place a couple hundred dollars will buy anything these days.
And besides that, I like wearing name brand clothing without having to pay name brand prices. I'm not too proud to wear "hand me down" clothing. Who am I kidding?
Who are they kidding? Did it really cure the ailing economy, or was it more like placing a band aid on a serious stab wound? I think Russell Roberts, a professor at George Mason University explained it best when he said: "It's like taking a bucket of water from the deep end of a pool and dumping it into the shallow end. Funny thing—the water in the shallow end doesn't get any deeper."
When the news was announced that the US Government would be mailing out stimulus checks from the IRS, I never realized how difficult it would be to decide how to spend it. After all, I've never had a problem with spending money before. In fact I think I was born with a natural talent for such things.
However, this money was special. It was supposed to go toward stimulating the weakening economy in the United States.
Since I am very civic minded (on occasion) I wanted to do my best to be a good American and help our country out any way I could.
Here's the thing. First of all, I figured if I spent the money at one of the department stores...I don't want to mention any names so I'll just call it Mal-Wart...where basically everything is made in China, would this not be helping to stimulate the economy in China? If I used the money to buy food it would be the same thing since almost everything we eat is imported from another country, even the wheat for our daily bread. And haven't they been trying to poison us with their food lately? They killed a number of our pets last year with their poison wheat gluten filled dog food. Should we pay them for this?
On the other hand, if I bought gas for my car with the money, then it would go to benefit the foreign oil companies who are already robbing us blind as bats with their $125.00 per barrel for crude oil. (that was the cost per barrel at the time of this writing. It may have doubled by the time you read the column). In fact gas prices are rising so rapidly that some oil companies have now purchased digital signs that announce the current price per gallon. I passed a convenience store the other day and when I saw the sign I thought it was a clock. It read 405. I thought I was late for supper.
In addition to gas purchasing, everything we buy from a factory these days is wrapped in that indestructible plastic packaging that's impossible to open without power tools. Plastic is made from crude oil, so therefore anything we buy that's new contributes to the foreign oil companies as well.
What a dilemma. I racked my brain until I came up with the following plan. I decided to spend the money at the Salvation Army Thrift Store. After all, recycling helps everybody. By recycling, we're helping save the planet from unwanted items that would otherwise be thrown into the landfills where they'll remain for centuries until someone drags them out and reads the label and asks, "What does Made-In-China mean?"
Buying used or pre-owned items also saves us money, and by buying from the Salvation Army Thrift Stores the money goes toward helping feed the hungry and the homeless. Even though it eventually will go toward buying imported food it will still benefit the people in America a little bit on its way from my hand to theirs.
But possibly, the real reason is because a thrift store, a flea market or a yard sale is about the only place a couple hundred dollars will buy anything these days.
And besides that, I like wearing name brand clothing without having to pay name brand prices. I'm not too proud to wear "hand me down" clothing. Who am I kidding?
Who are they kidding? Did it really cure the ailing economy, or was it more like placing a band aid on a serious stab wound? I think Russell Roberts, a professor at George Mason University explained it best when he said: "It's like taking a bucket of water from the deep end of a pool and dumping it into the shallow end. Funny thing—the water in the shallow end doesn't get any deeper."
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