Consumption

I almost gagged when I read this:

WHEN Ramona Liberoff moved to London 11 years ago, she was immediately struck by one aspect of the cultural divide. "People commented that I seemed to have lots and lots of clothes," she said. "But I'd only brought a few suitcases, and had actually left most of my wardrobe behind."

Ms. Liberoff, who was raised in Great Neck, N.Y., and Miami, found that people generally consumed less on the other side of the Atlantic. In spite of her initial unfamiliarity with this approach to life, though, the notion of more moderate consumption soon came to seem sensible to her. Besides, her British husband, Garry Felgate, is an environmental advocate whose doctoral dissertation was on sustainable housing.

Look, the reason why Brits and other Europeans don't consume as much as Americans isn't because they are more high-minded than us, it's because they aren't as rich. They don't make as much money, and because both income and consumptions taxes take a bigger bite can't afford to spend as much. They then cite their poverty as a virtuous choice, most likely because it sounds a lot better than, "We can't afford as much because we pursue dumb economic policies."

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It isn't virtuous to be poor! You don't help anyone by not consuming. In fact, you probably hurt them. Take textiles for instance since they are mentioned in this article. Most textiles are produced in poor countries such as China, Bangladesh, Central America, etc. The fewer clothes you buy the less money workers in those countries make. The less money they make the less they eat, the fewer years they can afford to send their children to school, and on and on.

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"But, but, Colin, think about the environmental angle -- what about the waste?" Again, if you want to promote a better planet, help the poor get rich. It is no coincidence that the poorest countries of this planet are also the biggest environmental nightmares. When given a choice between being stewards of their environment or eating and putting a roof over their heads, people tend to choose the latter. It is only in rich countries that we can both maintain a high standard of living and also have clean air, water and the rest.

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So get out there and buy some stuff.