Yes, I’m back. And yes, I know you missed me.

Although I normally blame my absences from lack of inspiration, I attribute the latest one to the lack of time. There were big topics I wanted to tackle over the past weeks but they required a larger commitment than I could afford for me to do them any justice. Those of you who noticed my absence from school may argue that going to one class in two weeks frees up a lot of time. You may have a point. But in my defence, I would like to make it publicly known that I spend my time at home doing the readings and questions assigned [something I know those who go to class may not necessarily do] because I perceive the incremental benefit of going to certain classes too small to be worth my time. Besides, I enjoy sleeping in, waking up at noon to watch What Not to Wear on TLC, then spend the rest of the afternoon flipping through Ellen, poker, The View, Oprah, Little People Big World, etc., and taking mid-afternoon naps. In private, I refer to myself as a professional multi-tasking procrastinator. I think I’ll go get a business card made. Well, maybe later.

After I pat myself on the shoulder for writing the longest non-relevant opening paragraph EVER [like anyone can know that, Napoleon], I’d like to turn your attention to how we have failed ourselves in the economic and societal framework [this may be my best segue yet]. Before I start, I have to make it clear that none of the issues I raise in this entry are based on fact. Research is for chumps.

Each type of economy and state has its unique pros and cons. The only thing they share is failed implementation in their idealistic form. I propose that we, the people, have let ourselves down in both systems. The beauty of a democratic and capitalistic system is that the power lies with the people. On Election Day, we vote for who we want to represent our interests in Office. Once they are in Office, the members must act on our behalf or risk losing their seats next term. In addition, anytime the people have an issue with the government’s actions, we have the option, nay, the right and responsibility, to gather forces and act as a unit to strike down issues that work against our interests. With businesses and corporations, vendors must sell high quality goods at the best price in order to attract business. We vote for the vendors we want to deal with by spending money on their products/services. This all sounds fine and dandy but you and I both know that this just simply isn't the case. Something has gone wrong somewhere. It is now impossible to avoid being dragged into heated discussions about Wal-Mart’s destruction of America, tax breaks for the wealthy, high price of oil, lying politicians [are there any other kind?], destruction of the environment, etc. If these things are getting people talking, whether or not their opinions are correct in the micro or macro sense, why aren’t they doing something? They have two weapons. One, they have the inherent power to force the government to implement regulations to protect the things corporations aren’t concerned with [albeit with less power as it trudges through the bureaucracy], such as local culture or environment protection. Two, they can choose to spend their money elsewhere.

So why do the problems they’ve been complaining about still exist? Because [thank goodness for the deceiving politicians and the greedy corporations] the people are lazy. Those who take the time to make themselves aware of and educated in today’s issues and ways to combat them are few. Heck, I am in the same boat. I could only guess how many signatures are needed to start a petition and who to send them to [and given my ‘guess the number of jelly beans in the jar’ record, I’m no good at guessing]. The one thing I do is withhold my spending at stores whose ethics I disagree with. Wal-Mart came up with a GREAT business model. They are widely successful and, as I see it, within the letter of the law. They are one of the major corporations that are responsible for the shift away from local small businesses to large multi-national ones. Some may argue that the small towns will lose their culture and their local businesses need to be protected to provide quality jobs for its citizens. Fair enough. They are entitled to their opinion. They are also responsible for being good citizens and consumers that indicate their choices by the voting power given to them. They can ask the government for legislation to protect or subsidize the small businesses. They can continue spending their dollars at the local stores rather than shopping at Wal-Mart. But to my knowledge, this hasn’t happened anywhere [recall that I only do passive, hands-behind-my-head research]. They have let themselves down and should stop complaining that the system has failed them when they have clearly chosen to be lured by the cheap prices away from their morals.

On my part, I make the effort to not shop at Wal-Mart. Although I admire them on the business side, I disagree with their actions on the touchy-feely subjects. I know that I alone can do no good. But I have exercised my power and it is up to the others join me. As for Election Day, I make it a point to vote for the lesser evil. As South Park puts it, even though an election is often between a douche bag and a giant turd, you still have to vote.

Note: I have always been under the impression that all Wal-Mart goods are the cheapest. This, in fact, is a clever misconception. Their advertised and lowest-of-the-line goods are usually the cheapest [i.e. crappy DVD player for $19.97]. Their job is to lure you to the high-end items within that line that are not necessarily the cheapest [i.e. quality DVD player for $129.97 compared to $109.97 elsewhere].