Dear Mr. Obama,
I know when you came into office, you inherited a country in disarray. I am still bitter that George Bush and Dick Cheney were allowed to serve two terms.
I also believe that you are getting poor advice from your economic advisers. They are using outdated information to gauge the impact of how the economy is affecting the American people.
I would like to demonstrate a new way to gauge the overall health of the economy: the Street Sense vendor indicators. Street Sense is a D.C. newspaper that offers the poor and homeless income while providing opportunities for individuals who might not be able to seek employment. The vendors who sell the paper receive income through donations. I am a vendor who sells regularly, and I have customers basically in all parts of the Washington area.
My indicators are as follows:
- Moods
- Size of donations
- Frequency of customers
- Overall health of those who beg for money
The mood indicator: I regularly sell on K and L Streets early in the mornings. I can tell when people have money when I see a lot of smiles instead of scowls. When people come and chat with you, this means they usually have time and their jobs are relatively secure. When they are moving fast, that means stress, tension and nervousness. A layoff might be around the corner. When they are mean, that means they are annoyed and irritated, which may be a sign of financial stress.
Please take note of this indicator. The sentiment lately has been awful. People no longer stop and talk to me; they usually grunt and pass by me like I am a nuisance. I believe it’s because of the financial strain and fear of losing their jobs that they act this way.
Donations: Street Sense vendors’ income comes from contributions from people willing to give a dollar or two. When the economy is good, paper sales are usually robust and the donations are hefty. When people are struggling, they are going into their change, or they say things like, “This is all I have.” Sometime you get a buyer who is angry because he donated a dollar to you. Lately, donations have been paltry. Regular customers say, “Can I pay you later?” With the recent price hike for the Metro, my regulars are financially strained.
Customer-vendor relationship: This is a depressing indicator. Having been around a few years, I know many people in the Washington, D.C., area pretty well. I have built bonds with many people who have lost their jobs, and it saddens me, because one day you see someone and the next day they disappear because they got laid off. Not only does it affect them, but it filters down to the hot dog vendor and even a newspaper vendor such as me. I urge you to grant more of a stimulus for the relief of those who lost their jobs.
The Georgetown indicator: Whenever I see people begging for money in Georgetown, I look at their weight. If they’re thin and frail, I know they’re hurting and will give what I have. When someone who begs has a round belly and is very jolly, this tells me that things are pretty good for him. Georgetown is a good area to check for this. Lately, many beggars have been frail and skinny, which means that even the wealthiest areas in Washington are feeling the strain of the economy
