There are some ways for ordinary people to combat inflation and recession -- one of them, obviously, is to buy low-cost items. But those cheaper items do not necessarily have to be new, and we certainly should not be forced to buy them from corporations (use your imagination) that provide cheap goods by enriching dictatorships across the world, dictatorships that allow factories to abuse workers beyond belief, dictatorships that persecute and torture religious people for their beliefs on a daily basis (again, use your imagination).

One way to snub “global free trade” (there's nothing free about it) and the dictators who love it so much is to start shopping at thrift stores. There is absolutely nothing negative that I can say about the concept of a thrift shop. The fundamental way that they operate is to generate income from resale to fund programs that help people in need, while selling goods at relatively low prices, which increases the shopper's buying power. Hey, government workers, don't forget that resale items also reproduce tax revenue each time they are sold. Thrift stores provide us with a way to pass along things that are not needed by anyone we know. Thrift shops are held to much higher standards all around than profit-based corporations because they must be able to demonstrate their missions on an ongoing basis, or lose their non-profit status - some are designated as churches. Our local stores have mission statements based on Christian values and fairly objective boards of directors to oversee that those missions are adhered to faithfully.

Lisa Backus

Auburn