As I see it, the problem is that the vast majority of the money I spend goes directly to the 1%. Aside from the occasional local restaurant, most of my money goes to fill ups from the oil companies, I mostly buy groceries from a large (Chinese-owned) chain, I enjoy going to Costco, my clothes come from stores that are located all across the country, and on and on and on. How is anyone aside from the 1% really supposed to benefit much from all that money? Sure, all those places employ people, but not at a very high rate of pay - too much of that money goes to the 1% of people that run and own the companies we've all heard of.
So I decided this weekend that I would try to spend more of my money in places where it'll benefit the 99% more directly. I went to a privately owned grocery store in town that doesn't have as good of a selection, or strawberry jelly in the quantity I'm used to, but the price was actually OK at the end. We're interested in buying more of our veggies and meats from farms in the area, and there are too many hairstylists in town to justify anymore trips to the Hair Cuttery. The only problem is that it can be pricey doing the right thing. My shoes are pretty worn out and not looking very presentable. Instead of buying a new pair, I thought I'd try taking them to the cobbler in town. A new pair is $100 at Rockport, but after some haggling, new soles on the pair I have are going to be $75 (ack!) and insoles will be another $12... The Boston area is pricey, but I was expecting a lot more savings compared to a new pair of shoes. I'll see how well they hold out. To see if I'm getting too ripped off, I'm taking a similar pair of shoes in to the other cobbler in town next weekend.
Taxing the 1% so that the government can give the cobbler benefits when he goes out of business is not a very efficient way of redistributing the wealth. Keeping those shops in business maintains a demand for skilled labor, keeps the moms and pops off the welfare roles, and keeps the quaint downtowns more vibrant, which increases property values.
Are you planning to head down to the buggy whip store next? The reasons cobblers go out of business is because it's more cost effective for the consumer to simply buy a new pair of shoes (as you are finding out). A smart cobbler would either figure out how to outsource his repairs or use his skills for something more productive (maybe repairing sails/sailboat parts or creating highly specialized athletic footwear that can be sold for a premium).
ReplyDeleteI'm sure your "local foods" experiment will have similar results. It's beyond absurd that people are still trying to "farm" in New England. A short growing season, rocky, rugged soil, and high labor costs don't exactly lead to a successful farming business. The ones that exist are able to only because they are getting some absurd tax subsidy from the local town or state (at the expense of everyone in the town) or they are doing it as a hobby because they like it. When you buy from a farmer in California you benefit him, plus all the middlemen that work to get the food to you, plus the scientists that figure out how to keep it fresh for this long journey. When you buy local, you support a stubborn idiot with an outdated business model.
When you make a purchase from a publicly traded business, you benefit the shareholders (who aren't necessarily 1%ers, they might just be yourself via your 401k).
Ha - I like the buggy whip store reference. Yeah, I may be conducting an experiment in futility. Hey, there's another thing I have in common with Occupy...
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