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Galahad, Alberta | I think that there is a change in life style coming that is going to hit the North American consumer like a freight train. The US and Canada enjoy the cheapest food in the world. Thus there is a lot of disposable capital left for cheap, made in China, Walmart toys, Nintendo Wii's, and Volvo station wagons for soccer moms to drive. I won't even get into housing payments. People are going to have to make painful choices between putting fuel in those stegosaurus sized suv's and putting food on the table. Choices between buying a bunch of crappy toys and buying bread. People will have to prioritize their spending, something that most don't know how to do, and it's going to hurt. I've long said that food is power, that keeping the cost of food down keeps a government in power. Bread and circuses worked for the Romans for a while, but it eventually caught up with them. It will in N. America too.
300 million people on this continent are going to have to decide that food, clothing and shelter, are more important than flat screens, breast implants and sports cars. I'm glad that I am in the business of providing an "essential need" and not "toys that people want."
I know that I sure don't want to be the government in power when the feces hits the oscillator, because for too long most people think it's their god given right to buy what they want, when ever they want. If they don't have the money to buy their toys because they had to pay for basics, look out. The poverty line is going to rise a long way, and a lot of people are going to be homeless. The rising cost of energy is putting pressures onto the consumer that I don't feel can be handled by a significant portion of the public. It will be ugly.
Just my rambling thoughts, worth what you paid for it. Rant over, flame away.
Rosco
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Change in attitudes
