For our economy, the last two weeks have been a roller coaster ride for many Americans. Add to it the hotly contested race for President and you have a recipe for mass meltdown. Gas prices aren't any better than they've been for months, health care costs are continuing to rise and most Americans are about to feel the proverbial slap in the face that they've been told is coming in the form of their first seasonal heating bills. Everyone is talking "Recession, Depression" and, well, it is depressing.
But from what we have been hearing, a lot of Americans are holding firm in their faith that, even without a bail out, which many oppose, the US Economy is designed and built to recover from times like these. And knowing that, despite buyouts of major financial institutions, the majority of people's financial holdings are safe. Not everyone is defaulting on their mortgages, and not everyone is panicking. In fact, many people are going about their daily lives as though none of this is even happening.
It's a little bit like 9/11. After the attacks, everyone urged us not to let terrorists affect and change our way of life. By not flying, being on alert and in fear of our every move, they essentially won. New security measures were put in place, the Department of Homeland Security was created and aside from a handful of inconvenient changes in the travel industries, we recovered.
So does the same approach hold water with our current economic crisis? For those of us it isn’t directly affecting, will going about our daily lives as though nothing is happening help to fuel the economy in a slow, but definite way? How many Americans are still traveling, even if it means taking a “Staycation” instead of traveling far and wide? How many innkeepers are rewarding local travelers with local’s discounts or incentives? I can’t say I’m necessarily one of those people who have escaped this economic downfall unscathed, but I am also not suffering. We’ve cut here and there in order to ensure our immediate financial health isn’t affected, but we haven’t stopped doing things we love. What about you?
Truly, we’d love to hear how all of this has affected YOU. Whether you’re an innkeeper, an avid traveler, a student, a banker, a stay-at-home mom, or whatever. Please send us your comments, we'd like to hear from you!