EclectEcon

I keep hearing politicians, mediots*, and local shop-keepers telling us we should shop locally and keep our money in the community. It makes me want to drive to Detroit to shop.

Suppose I shop locally when I could get something for a lower price by shopping on the internet. I'd be better off, and I would have some money left over. If I paid the higher price to the local merchant they'd have the extra money instead of me. But they'd be shipping a bunch of the money outside the community, too, to pay for the merchandise they sold and to buy other things for themselves. I don't see much difference except they'd be richer and I'd be poorer.

And don't tell me about the jobs they create. We're almost surely below the natural unemployment rate in Canada -- job creation doesn't mean a blessed thing when there are so many jobs that employers are struggling to fill.

When I hear the ads, I think to myself, "hmmm. I wonder if I can get it cheaper on the internet..."

*mediot: a redundant term for idiot members of the media. First used on rec.sport.baseball in the late 1990s.