Friday, February 13, 2009

So the Stimulus is a stress test

We all want something out of this. Less the stress, I would guess. Here in sunny Encinitas, things have the appearance of business as usual even though there are a hell of lot of surfers out for February and the holidays seem to be coming pretty quickly so spending at least on the surface seems normal. But man o' man there are a lot of stores closed or closing and in the ones I visited that are Sales! closing out, people are waiting until the very last minute to make a buy.

Two things might be playing a factor in this: One, no one wants to let go of their cash and Two, a lot of people seem to be noticing that they don't really need the things on sale. It may well be a dawn of a new age. Less is more.

Meanwhile, there is a lot of concern about where the actual stimulus money is going to go and how much of it will actually get to we individuals who know we are going to need help in the near future. Are there going to be more and larger stimulus checks? Or will it show up in the form of better transportation and cheaper and more complete health insurance? Will the jobs that are supposed to appear actually be ones that people will want to work?

I asked the question other day - what is going to be the business/commerce of the 21st century? What will we produce that people need to exist healthily and happily? I think we need to broaden and deepen our commitment to the education of our future citizens. We need life long education for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is the need to learn how to live intelligently with our fellow human beings. But deeper than that we have to acknowledge that the computerization of our culture will lead to more leisure or at least more extra time that we will have to know how to use creatively enough so as to be happy in the result. I know this sounds idealistic but I am a realist. We have to face ourselves and where always wanting more has brought us.

Okay, that's enough for now, I need to research and to think more before I go on.

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