Hurtling Toward Another Great Depression

I don't usually get into economic matters here, other than to say that DIY work on old bikes is a thrifty way to keep yourself mobile, but I want to take that a half-step farther today in light of the dire financial news that broke yesterday and today. With big finance falling about our ears in a manner akin to the early days of the Great Depression, it's yet another reminder to take a good look back at the strategies that kept some working families afloat during the 1930s, including the use of bicycles as transportation, a policy of repair instead of replacement, and an ethic of save, save, save. Our financial infrastructure, our transportation infrastructure, and the prejudices many Americans still harbor against "old" things are the lingering products of post-WWII prosperity, but as it becomes evident that this financial trouble is not going to simply go away, hard times will prove more instructive than prosperous ones for furnishing a path forward. And what better way to ride that path than on an old bike?

Image: From Flickr user laurasmoncur, used with permission.

 

Posted in: in the news,miscellaneous,thoughts on old bikes