Viva la Capitaliste!
Seems to me the same people who want to hang Bush on what they perceive as a faltering economy are, no surprise, the same people who are pinning the blame for higher gas prices on his shoulders as well. For any such individuals, whose hatred for the President outweighs their capability for rational thought and their willingness to deny themselves reality, I draw their attention to this item - Gas prices don't deter shoppers: Retailers report 5.1% gain in May.
Bear in mind, these naysayers are the same folks who, despite the soaring cable television rates, continue to pay, because after all, you NEED cable TV (and cell phones, and DVD players, and plasma TV's, etc.). Funny how when the news came out about the price of ice cream going up, you didn't hear much anti-Bush rhetoric about some vast Neo-dairy-con fascist conspiracy. Never mind, I'm sure someone (read: card-carrying member of the Howard Dean Fruitbat Society) made the connection.
Bottom line: Consumerism IS the driving force that keeps this country strong. So sit around your drum circles banging on empty 5-gallon buckets with a stick all day if you want to. I'll defend your right to do just that, if that's your choosing. Me? I'm gonna go buy stuff. Circuit City has a DVD 2-pack of Animal House and The Blues Brothers on sale for $20! Sweet!
Retailers turned in robust May sales yesterday, as soaring gas prices didn't stop shoppers from buying colorful spring and summer fashions, air conditioners and Mother's Day gifts last month.Wait, you mean the economy might just be strong after all? People are actually spending their hard-earned dollars as one would expect in a robust capitalist society? But Al Gore and John Kerry are telling me the apocalypse is near and that I should surrender my soul to the Democratic Party or suffer a most gruesome fate.
Sales at stores open at least a year - a key industry measure - grew 5.1 percent overall, Thomson First Call reported. That beat the firm's expectations for a 4.6 percent rise, and was a strong comeback after retailers fell short of forecasts in April.
The International Council of Shopping Centers said the solid sales results last month confirm results of a recent survey that revealed record-high gas prices were not derailing consumers' appetite to shop and spend. The trade group's survey found that consumers were reacting to high prices at the pump by becoming more efficient shoppers, doing more in fewer trips, rather than cutting back on spending.
Bear in mind, these naysayers are the same folks who, despite the soaring cable television rates, continue to pay, because after all, you NEED cable TV (and cell phones, and DVD players, and plasma TV's, etc.). Funny how when the news came out about the price of ice cream going up, you didn't hear much anti-Bush rhetoric about some vast Neo-dairy-con fascist conspiracy. Never mind, I'm sure someone (read: card-carrying member of the Howard Dean Fruitbat Society) made the connection.
Bottom line: Consumerism IS the driving force that keeps this country strong. So sit around your drum circles banging on empty 5-gallon buckets with a stick all day if you want to. I'll defend your right to do just that, if that's your choosing. Me? I'm gonna go buy stuff. Circuit City has a DVD 2-pack of Animal House and The Blues Brothers on sale for $20! Sweet!
