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Spend for your country

Shopping For Our Future By Rachel Callaghan On September 11, 2001, terrorists took aim at America and its freedoms, killing 5,000 of our fellow citizens. We can’t let those terrorists damage our way of life or our economy or our optimism about the future; we can’t let them achieve any victory over us. Our President has asked us to return to our normal activities, including shopping and spending money. Like millions of Americans, I sent money to the relief efforts in New York City; I lit candles, and I mourned—those seemed to come as naturally as breathing. But for me, returning to the trivialities of life wasn’t as easy—as a doctor, board certified in Internal Medicine, I’ve been trained to take action. Besides, since I’m a mother, I was consumed with worry about my children and the world they would inherit; an avid eBayer, I was now glued to the television, with no desire to shop and no interest in acquiring anything new. The President’s request shows I’m not alone. Americans, naturally drawing closer to friends and family, are spending less time and money at the malls. But it turns out that spending saves jobs and fuels our economy. Shopping isn’t so trivial after all! So why does it still seem as if it is? For me, the answer was clear: it all depends on what I’m shopping for and on what I’m spending money. Undoubtedly, when things return to normal, I’ll get my taste for knickknacks back. But right now, at the same time it keeps our economy rolling, I’d like my money to go towards building a stronger, safer America for all Americans, especially our children. Sure I wasn’t alone in that, I decided to enlist my friend Alison van Diggelen’s help. Alison writes columns for the San Jose Mercury News and other area publications and, through her website siliconmom.com, provides advice, thought-provoking opinion, and community for the mothers (and others) from the San Jose/Silicon Valley area to the far reaches of our country. It seemed logical to assume many of her devoted readers would also be seeking a way to help our country! Since the key to America’s future is our children, the best investment we can make is to help each and everyone of them get the best education possible. For years now we’ve been hearing how our kids are falling behind those of other countries in math, science, and other basic skills. How better to stimulate our economy and get us back on track than to devote our resources to their education? I’d like to propose we all join together to spend as much we can afford on making sure each and every one of America’s kids has all he or she needs to prepare for the challenging world they face. The emphasis must be on all our children, nation-wide, whether or not their parents are able or willing to contribute. Unless all American children have equal opportunities to learn and grow in a helpful academic atmosphere, they won’t be a part of our future success. Instead, we risk them being part of our future problems. The money we contribute and the goods we buy will help spur growth and protect jobs. Below are some suggestions about how to invest your spending money in America’s future: · Call your local school districts, especially those less well funded. Ask for a wish list from a few teachers. This might be for simple things like crayons all the way up to computer equipment. You’ll know exactly what you’re buying and for whom. · Send money to educational charities. Make sure they are registered non-profits. Be sure and query first exactly what is funded and where and also what percentage of contributions goes to administrative overhead such as office staff and advertising/fundraising. You want as much of your money to go for children’s needs as possible. Many charities strive to keep down their overhead costs. · Contribute directly to students whose families cannot afford to buy them school clothes or provide nutritious meals in the morning and evening. No child in America should go to school hungry or fail to complete homework because of hunger-induced sleepiness at night. · Start building funds in your area to improve the physical plant of older buildings. Vote for bonds to build new buildings as needed. · If you can’t afford to contribute money or buy goods to contribute, give your skills! Many people, especially many retired people, are underutilizing skills they spent a lifetime honing. Can you help with renovation? Tutoring? Ask your local schools what you can do to help. · Make this holiday season a special one for kids across America: buy educational toys and books for schools and charities to distribute. · We’ve been hearing about all the restaurant workers in Lower Manhattan losing their jobs because of the loss of office space. Why not combine the effect of your dollars and buy lunch for school kids—delivered from one of these delis? We could all work on coordinating that! Please write in with more suggestions and examples of action you’ve taken. I’m sure many of you are more innovative than I am! Feel free to start emailing this to friends and colleagues. Have them write in with their suggestions. I’d like to start compiling a list of charities, including the information suggested above. Thank you, Rachel Callaghan About the author: Rachel Callaghan is a retired MD, who now works as an editor for a literary e-zine and supports eBay for her country. She can be reached at rjcmd@pacbell.net

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