Friday, August 15, 2008

Thoughts on the Ecomony...

Yes, we're home, and YES, I have a million pictures to post and share. For now I'm doing laundry, prepping the house for company, and feeling a bit sad for my dear friend is moving away Monday.

However, my sweet sister-in-law sent me an article that you may appreciate as well as I did. I see these changes happening, see folks walking and riding bikes more, we eat out less and are more careful planning our trips and wish dearly for public transit!

Food for thought;



Finding Good, Even in a Recession


It's pretty hard to find anything good about gasoline prices hovering at an all-time high in the U.S., but I know that my grandmother would find something positive to point out. That's just the way she was. She could always find a rainbow no matter how dark the storm.

I thought about her recently when I read about professors Michael Morrisey, Ph.D. of the University of Alabama and David Grabowski, Ph.D. of Harvard Medical School. They studied traffic fatalities from 1985 to 2006 when the price of gas hit $2.50 a gallon. They've found that for every 10 percent increase in gas prices, there's been a 2.3 percent decline in auto-related deaths. Now that gas prices have pierced the $4-a-gallon mark, they expect to see a drop of about 1,000 deaths per month. In those terms, it's pretty difficult to loathe the high cost of gas. Well, maybe not loathe it quite as much.

There's also another good thing about rising gas costs. People are shifting where they want to live and shop so they stay closer to work and home. That means that some blighted areas close to inner cities are getting revitalized, all because of the high cost of gas.

By staying closer to home, shoppers are helping out the smaller local stores that struggle to survive. That's what is happening in Thomasville, Alabama, a town that was slowly dying and now is seeing a major resurgence. In fact, the once-sleepy town is experiencing traffic jams on its main street from shoppers who can no longer afford the gas to drive many miles away to a big, fancy mall.

If it's any further consolation for the poor economy, Americans are racking up debt at a slower pace these days because it's getting increasingly difficult to acquire new credit.

We're also eating out less which, I can only assume, means we're cooking at home more. Could it be that this slowing economy might actually be good for families by bringing them back to the dinner table?

There are a few economists who argue that a recession could make us healthier. When times are economically tough, they say, we take better care of ourselves, are more likely to look after others and, surprisingly, we become less anxious. Edward Glaeser, economics professor at Harvard, says that a recession becomes a time of possibility, despite the inevitable human suffering that accompanies it.

I don't know all the ways the slumping housing market, high gas prices and soaring food prices are affecting you specifically. I do know this: in every difficult situation, there is always a bright spot, be it ever so tiny. If we look deeply enough, we will find something for which to give thanks. Even in a recession.

4 comments:

Sarah Vertner said...

I am no material girl, but this is a material world....

Its so good to hear such a positive perspective.

Cathy said...

I'm going to miss you so much. Oh and it's starting to really hit Billy, how much he's going to miss Ralph (men usually won't say these things to one another, though:))

And I love that article. This is how I'm feeling about moving into our apartment. Mortgage + rent = being REALLY creative:) and making our own fun!

Hazel M. Wheeler said...

This is not just a silver lining, it's golden. As someone who walks and buses most of the time, not driving also has a lot of great benefits: you get to know your neighbors; you get to know your neighborhood, admiring gardens and meeting friendly cats; you get to really see all the lovely things people often miss when their eyes are focused on the road. As consumers, when times are tight, we shop better, we eat better... I think we just THINK better. Our kids are thankful when we slow down. Our hearts are thankful when we count the blessings around us, the ones we are often too busy too see. Golden lining, truly.

Ms Eva said...

Amanda! I'm so excited that you visited my blog and left a comment. I didn't realize you had a blog yourself. Very cool. I look forward to getting to know you better via your little corner of the web ;) and at our CM book club. I can't wait for next week! :)