Time For a New Model (Part 2)

Time For a New Model (Part 2)
People always have to have food, shelter and clothing, right? Invest in these areas, work in these areas, you will always be ok. In the 60’s a television set officially became a necessity. Entertainment and being connected to the world became so important that the need for this seemed to eclipse the basic needs of food, clothing and shelter. Witness the huge salaries made by entertainers and athletes. See the huge popularity of games.
What about the old basics? They are still basic necessities. Food has moved to the commodities level. 6% of the people in the USA feed the whole country and produce enough for export. Sometimes they prosper. Sometimes they don’t. Our current agricultural system is totally destroying the world we live in. The food we eat is killing us. The economic model of our agricultural system is wiping out 3rd world agriculture.
Shelter for a large portion of the world is a sheet of plastic or a cardboard box. For much of the rest of the world, the homes we have go so far beyond the needs of shelter that they reach the realm of conspicuous consumption or entertainment. Clothing, likewise. Protecting ourselves from the elements or covering our nakedness is such a small part of what clothing means as to be irrelevant. Clothing is art or conspicuous consumption. Once again we are in the realm of entertainment. Next article will talk about energy and transportation. Believe me, this will get back to real estate.
David Segrest is a REALTOR in Charlotte NC. His website is http://www.segrestrealty.com His email is david@segrestrealty.com