Economy....bad news

This morning Bill was reading one of those bad news articles:

 the world economy is bad,

 the American economy is worse,

and the St. Louis economy is the worst.

Such information is belittling, because what can I do to effect a change? I mean really.  It sounds like the sky is falling and all I can do is read about it.

Then I remember what I've learned this year.  I can't make much of an impact on a big scale, but everyday with every dollar I spend I can make a small difference here at home. Don't forget: at a local store at least 70% of those dollars stay right here, instead of 40% of a chain store sales and nothing from internet commerce. I'm no economist, but wouldn't all that extra money in the local St. Louis bucket be a good thing?

This is something Lindi sent me a few months ago, I guess it says the same thing with a slight twist.

Generally, I'm coming to believe a bad economy might be a good thing if in the process we are able to return to a simpler life filled with less stuff and rush and more friendship and community.  And so let's keep doing what we can to keep those friends and that community here at home in St. Louis.