Boost the economy, buy a light bulb

Rocky shares the following letter, which is partly based on Keynesian economic principles articulated in the Broken Window Parable of Frederic Bastiat from an 1850 essay:

Dear Fellow American:

Almost ten percent of us are unemployed, and the economy is a mess. The ninety percent of us that still have a job are scared, and we read about the government borrowing and spending trillions of dollars as a “stimulus” to the economy. That debt will either be a burden to our children, or it will be wiped out by an inflation that destroys the value of our savings even more.

We can do something that is good for us, good for the economy and good for our children. Buy a lightbulb! Buy a toothbrush! Buy some laundry detergent!

This is not a joke. Please allow me to explain.

We all use some of the following:
1. Lightbulbs
2. Toothpaste / toothbrush
3. Laundry detergent, soap, shampoo.
4. Razors, shaving cream
5. Plastic bags, aluminum foil
6. Kitchen glassware, forks, knives
7. Canned tuna, canned coffee
8. Batteries
9. Paperclips, staples, paper, pens
10. Blank computer CD’s

The money in our savings accounts are not earning any interest. So let’s spend some money on these things since we know that we will need them. Since they don’t ever spoil, let’s buy them NOW. Let’s buy enough so that we won’t need to buy more for the next year or two or three.

If every working American stocks up, there will be an immediate benefit to the economy. Factories that make them will stay open. Jobs will be saved. And if prices rise (which they probably will) over the next year or two, we will have saved money too. If you can find these items Made in America, even better. But it doesn’t really matter. We live in a global economy, and what’s good for the world is good for America.

March 1, 2009 is “Buy a light bulb day.” Please join us as we jump start the economy without the government’s involvement. Please share this message with your friends, family and co-workers.

Thank you for your time.

Brought to you by “BALBOA”
( Buy-A-Light-Bulb, Boost-America )