Wednesday, June 17, 2009

American Spirit

A major news network just did a story that is heart-warming to my generation. Go here and read it.

I'm filled with hope that not just the economy can recover, but that the next generation will grow up with a new (old) concept of ownership, responsibility of self, respect for hard, hard work, and will renew and re-prove the belief that the dreams of home, wealth, and family can be HAD NOW through perseverance, dogged determination, creativity, and the humility to dig through someone's trash rather than swipe a card they can't pay off.

Long live Craigslist & Freecycle! I believe they are the gateway into a new economy, one that is built on True Free Trade. :D

1 comment:

Hosanna said...

Very nifty. I had heard about them before, something on talk radio or the net somewhere..... I think the "credit" thing is out, and the save, pay cash, do it yourself thing is IN.
This year, Kevin went to a farm auction and bought four or five broken, very cheap pieces of equipment, for $100, $50, $25. He brought them home, repaired and replaced things on them, made sure they worked, put them on Craigslist, and sold every one for a huge profit. At the auction, these things were going to the junk dealers who would scrap them out and junk them! Now, they're being used on farms to make hay and harvest crops. And, Kevin sold them to people at a fair price and the people were happy to find a used piece of equipment that worked, for less than $20,000.....
I myself went on Craigslist and found a vintage spindle bed for $20 - I bought it, and am painting it white for the guest room. I vowed that everything in the house would be bought on craigslist, freecycle, thrift stores, yard sales, etc. And so far I have done that. I have even got things from the dump, like my chair (story on my blog), a pillow-top mattress cover, paintings, jars, bird feeders, an antique oil lamp,guitar, weed eater, etc. Our dump encourages folks to share things, and there is a building on the site for people to place anything they no longer want, and you can just go right in and take whatever you like. Free. And the stuff I have gotten this way isn't junk! They're really nice things. I think it is fun; it is a challenge. Enough of my ramblings, though. Great article; thanks.