The Retail Apocalypse (major stores closing)

[Xolodno]

73. Nice rant...but you're not telling this economist anything new....

...No. That is not the problem. The problem is our values. We think "stuff" as a symbol of how developed we are, and its not true. We don't put a proportionate value on city, state, national parks, etc. Or value of not having a homeless problem, a healthy populace due to socialized health care, etc.

Using my boat example, why own a boat if you are going to use it once or maybe twice a year? It would be cheaper to rent one. But having that money pit in your driveway in front of your neighbors is a status symbol. I'll go further and say even in Economics we don't place appropriate value of NOT acquiring "stuff". Keeping our environment in good order should have a high value.

But at the same time, we reward an environments destruction or people living worse lives. Someone is going to get Nobel Prize once they figure all this out and GDP growth is no the barometer.