America is growing and growing into a consumer country. There are millions of consumers that don’t realize how much work goes into what they buy. Moms are so caught up in buying sassy baby clothes from boutique baby designers when they should be buying practical clothing. Teenagers are often handed money from parents and fail to learn the true value of a dollar. Our products are instantly ready for us whenever we need them. We often don’t realize how lucky we are tobe able to hop in a car and get our groceries or errands run in twenty minutes. Most of America is ignorant to what really happens to enable our consumer economies
The utmost controversial piece of our consumer economy is our business relationship with China. Our businesses are sending their manufacturing to China because it is so practical. The cost of doing businesst in China and shipping back to America is cheaper than doing it all in America. So we can get our products for much lower prices than if they were made in America. So why is this so controversial? Well, we don’t have complete control over how things are manufactured and the Chinese workers are paid very very little. It doesn’t seem ethical that we can make seven dollars an hour at minimum wage and buy cheap products while Chinese workers make three dollars a day at most producing these goods.

Another issue that we have to face due to our consumer nation is gluttony. People have so many issues with debt because they simply cannot refuse a purchase. We find ourselves wanting to buy products we in no way need. Monogrammed towels and elephant shaped tooth brush holders are entirel;y usless, but we want them. America may be one of the only countries that have to send people to therapy for shopping addictions. We are burdened by extra fluff at our feet that we convince ourselves we want or need.

We also are experiencing issues now that the economy is falling apart. Everyday prices are climbing but we are still enticed to buy them. We are fighting for ways to bring prices back down, not because the bad economy is causing people to lose jobs and homes but because we want our products back. We are being cutoff from things we are used to having and it can be hard to deal with. The key is to simplify your life and only purchase items you find completely necessary. Brand name items may be something you have to live without, but that is what has to happen in a time like this.
Will America be damaged by its gluttony? Will our selfishness be our downfall? These are questions we can’t answer right now, but it is a definite possibility. Economic scientists have been long predicting that out economy cannot continue to rise and Americans will have toreconcile with being a less privileged nation. The only thing we can do is discover the ways to do so.