Monday, February 9, 2009

Things Will Get Better

OK, I've accepted that our country is in the middle of an "economic downturn" although I'm not entirely convinced that the causes were independent of a self-fulfilling prophesy. Tonight I was talking to Sarah about about how recessions are a cure for inefficient companies. Non-serious competitors get out of the marketplace and leave only the strong firms after the hard times have passed. It's kind of like when there's an abrupt change in the environment, killing off the weaker species/individuals and the strong survive.

Even with this positive outlook on the future, it does kind of feel weird to be checking out at a store that's having a liquidation sale. You know that everyone who works there needs to find another job soon. Liquidations can get you good deals. If you have the money to spend, you can get a lot of bang for your buck. In the case of Blackwell Research, I got some $850 wheels for $250. I thought they were a good, quality company. Maybe they just couldn't keep their costs down enough to the level where other companies of similar quality have them.

Anyway, the forest is burning around us and the trees are charred. The grass has disintegrated and only smoldering ash is at our feet. However, anyone who's witnessed the aftermath of a forest fire knows that new growth springs up in a few weeks' time. The next generation of trees is fertilized by the burnt remains of the older generation. The strong survive and their progeny have an advantage in the new forest. I think we'll be seeing some green in about a year.

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