Anti-Consumers and More

There's an interesting story in today's SF Chronicle (click title for link) about a group of people who have formed a "Compact" group with the vow that they will "go an entire year without buying anything new besides food, health and safety items and underwear." My roommate bascially lives like that already. He buys his clothes from the neighborhood thrift store, and buys no major consumer items like CDs or gadgets. He buys used books. I think this sounds like a good way to be, although it is nice to be able to buy some things new still. For example, yesterday I finally bought one of those commuter coffee mugs so I would stop wasting paper cups. I should have bought that new item a long time ago. They mention underwear in their pact, but what about socks? I would add socks. And it's no fair if you go on some big spending spree right before your year of not buying anything new! OK, good luck to them. Apparently the backlash has already begun from the pro-consumers of the world who feel somehow oddly threatened by this endeavor.

Meanwhile, right now on the NY Times website the top story on the page has this headline: "Bush Says He Is Satisfied With Cheney's Account of Shooting." That is my official entry for the most unnecessary headline of the year. As if Bush was going to question his boss's actions. I'll leave it at that.

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