2012 conventions 2012 election 2013 session arts arts and culture author ballot measures basketball bomb books boy scouts budget bullying business charlie hales children clackamas climate change coal college courts crime culture culture club democrats drugs economy education environment family film fluoride food gay rights guns handguns health health care health insurance high school history housing immigration internet kitzhaber law legislature lgbt literary arts living marijuana marriage media medicine mental health military minor parties mohamed mohamud movies music native americans news newspaper obama olympics oregon our town parenting pers photography police politcs politics port portland portland business journal president prevention public safety religion republicans rnc romney rural salem sam adams sandy hook schools science shooting sports suicide supreme court taxes technology television terrorism theater third parties transportation union university of oregon washington wildfire women

This question of whether an individual does or should feel guilty for saving seems to me to be incredibly wrong and illogical, if the desire is to build a strong, healthy economy and society over the long term.

The question implies that saving damages the economy. The only economy that is damaged by saving, thinking ahead, spending responsibly, and using resources responsibly is an economy that is already sick, and perhaps morbidly so.

If, as a society, we have any care about what we will throw into the laps of the children who come after us, we will let this spend-like-there's-no-tomorrow economy die a very natural death. For those of us who created this particular economy, it will be painful and it will hurt. But if we really care and if we have any logical sense of guilt and remorse, we'll hunker down and take our punches and do our best to create a more sustainable economy going forward.

posted 3 years, 10 months ago
view in context