Black Friday Shows Politicians a Reflection of Society

This year, according to the Wall Street Journal and the National Retail Federation, there were 140 million people, or almost 40% of the country, out shopping on Black Friday. The big winners? Gigantic multinational corporations along with their CEO's and shareholders. There were ugly scenes at various department stores around the country as people were fighting each other tooth and nail for the best possible deals. And in some parts of the country, Wal-Mart workers were demanding better wages for themselves.

If anybody wonders why we have such unpopular politicians, then all we have to do is look in the mirror. Congress has record-low approval ratings; Gallup pegged them at about 9% last month. And yet, most Americans believe that their Congressman is not part of the problem, which means that around 90%+ of incumbents will return to office again. There is a big difference between what Americans think of their own representatives and what they think of Congress in general. That is why we continue to have gridlock in Washington.

People may well be outraged at corporatist SCOTUS Justice John Roberts. Based on his Citizens United ruling as well as his Obamacare ruling, among others, Roberts believes that corporations, given their ability to create millions of jobs and keep the economy going, represent the highest form of good. Roberts is normally a moderate to conservative justice. However, when corporations argue before the Supreme Court, Roberts casts that to the winds and makes his ruling based on how it will affect the bottom line regardless of political affiliation. This is why he voted both for Citizens United, which upholds unlimited corporate campaign spending as long as it is not directly given to a candidate, as well as Obamacare, which forces all Americans who can afford it to get health insurance. People for the American Way notes that Roberts sides with the US Chamber of Commerce around two thirds of the time when they intervene in a SCOTUS case. And the New York Times notes that this is the most pro-corporate court since World War II.

And Obama's popularity has cratered to the lowest that it's been since his Presidency began. It is now anywhere between 37% (CBS) and 42% (CNN). The Dow Jones is at its all-time high. But the problem is that wealth inequality is growing, according to the October 10th edition of the LA Times. Other factors that are sinking his popularity include the problems associated with the Obamacare rollout, the NSA spying scandal, and the IRS auditing taxes of conservative groups.

And yet when the Black Friday doors open up for the best savings of the year, we, as a society, can't wait to push each other over and burst open the doors. We happily keep the coffers of the movers and shakers flowing through our mad shopping rush. The economy, although better, remains stagnant five years following the Great Recession of 2008. It seems as though we are continuing to buy into the notion that if only we would shop more, we would finally turn the prosperity corner and get back to where we were. And then we wonder why we don't have enough money to pay the bills.

The problem is that we are struggling with the false god of materialism. If we are sick and tired of the reckless spending that is plaguing Washington or Jefferson City, then maybe the solution starts at home. Maybe the way to get this country back on track is for each of us to live within our means, don't borrow unless absolutely necessary, and put aside as much money as possible to save. Then, if we want jobs to stay here in the US instead of going overseas, we should buy small instead of big. After all, as Congressman Sam Graves has consistently noted, small businesses are the drivers of our economy, not large megacorporations contrary to popular belief. He should know; he is the chair of the House Small Business Committee.

Over the past few years, people fed up with the way things were going have taken to organizing. Those fed up with corporate control of our lives organized themselves into the Occupy Movement while those fed up with deficits, Obamacare, and too much government control of our lives organized themselves into the Tea Party Movement. But most of the same people who were in power then are still in power now and Obama is still President (unless, of course, you don't believe he was a citizen in the first place). The problem is that politics is a reflection of society. Maybe if we live within our means, buy local when possible, and buy from a small business when possible, we can be the change we want to see in Washington and Jefferson City.

Returning House Democrat trying to restrict retail stores from offering "Black Friday" deals on Thanksgiving

By Katie Kreider

(MDN News) -- Rep. Jeff Roorda, D-Barnhart, pre-filed a bill Dec. 4 that would forbid retail shops from starting "Black Friday" deals on Thanksgiving day.

Roorda dubbed the bill the "Thanksgiving Family Protection Act," which would seek to keep families out of the shopping malls and back at the dining room table. Roorda said he thinks "Black Friday" shopping can wait until the holiday has come to a close.

Certain types of stores such as restaurants, gas stations and drug stores could remain open during Thanksgiving under Roorda's bill.
 
"I think people will wait until midnight on Thanksgiving and everyone can open their doors at the same time," Roorda said. "We won't have this leap-frogging that goes on with stores trying to out-do each other and approaching further and further into Thanksgiving day."

David Overfelt, president of the Missouri Retailers Association, said this bill would do little to keep families from getting out of the house after dinner.

"Consumers are doing a number of things after they get together with their families. They go to movies--that's been a tradition for decades," Overfelt said. "To single-out certain stores I think is misguided."

Overfelt also said that if this bill is passed, consumers would shop on the Internet rather than in stores.