12/01/08 Letters to the Editor

Folly of living beyond our means

To the editor -- In his "The Theory of the Leisure Class" (published in 1899) psychologist/sociologist/anthropologist/economist Thorstein Veblen described the universal desire of men to live like the idle rich.

Given an opportunity, he argues, everyone will eschew labor and will strut his stuff by spending conspicuously and wastefully on clothes, cars, houses, jewelry, etc..

Truly wealthy folks can live this way without draining their bank accounts, but people of moderate means court disaster when they adopt a leisure-class lifestyle -- as many have tried to do in recent decades.

Jimmy Carter asked this country to return to the puritan ethic of hard work and thrift, but voters showed him the exit and brought in that Pied Piper of unsustainable prosperity, Ronald Reagan, who ran up the biggest deficit in the history of the republic -- exceeded only by the red ink sloshed around by our current "conservative" president.

Veblen's conception of human nature is a sobering one. Seeking status through sloth and through conspicuous waste of things that we often cannot afford appears to be so deeply ingrained in human nature that periodic economic busts such as the current one are all but inevitable.

DOUG PATTERSON

Yakima

Volunteer during the holidays

To the editor -- Our own lives improve when we offer help to others. Yakima residents have many opportunities to volunteer during the holidays.

When we've overindulged in a holiday meal, it's easy to forget that not all of Yakima residents are as fortunate.

Among us there are many mentally ill and homeless people, battered women, foster children and orphans and military families with loved ones overseas; we shouldn't overlook them.

The holidays are often called "the season of giving," and Yakima is brimming with opportunities to help those in need. Folks can volunteer as individuals, families or in large groups. Here are some examples:

* You can prepare meals, be a translator, provide clerical support or even work as a handyman to help homeless people.

* You can help out with child care at a center that serves women and children who are victims of domestic violence.

* You can tutor or mentor children in need.

This is just a short list of the many organizations working to make life better for others in Yakima County. Many more volunteer opportunities can be seen by visiting the Yakima Herald-Republic Web site.

I encourage you to pass on blessings and volunteer to help those in need throughout the new year.

ROBERT ALAN WRIGHT

Yakima

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