What We Want

I spent a little time the other day filling in some profile information on my Facebook account. One of the questions asked me about my favorite quotes. I mangled one of the quotes a bit because I didn't remember the exact words that Samuel Gompers, a life long labor activist and founder of the American Federation of Labor, which in the early 1950s merged with the Congress of Industrial Organizations (hence, the AFL-CIO) used at the turn of the 20th century.

The real quote is: “What does labor want? We want more schoolhouses and less jails; more books and less arsenals; more learning and less vice; more leisure and less greed; more justice and less revenge; in fact, more of the opportunities to cultivate our better natures,”

The labor movement ultimately got some of the things that Gompers championed. For non-history buffs, Gompers at the time was focused on skilled trade workers. Since then, I think Gompers's quote resonates far beyond the constituency he was trying to reach and represent. 100 years later, most people who work in any variety of endeavors (both unionized and non-unionized and every collar color) would agree with the list of wants that he mentioned, some of which were realized.

Of course, his list was not exhaustive (perhaps because he could not imagine that a social safety net would be created in the aftermath of the Great Depression when he made his remarks). I am pretty convinced he would support current efforts at health care reform.

I think that he would have been delighted that even (employed) working class people, and especially the middle class, have a better standard of living that grew practically non-stop through 2008. Much of the credit goes to inventions and discoveries that we take for granted today because they are mass marketed and typically become cheaper because of the magic of economies of scale. Time saving kitchen appliances, access to television and radio, the Internet and other things that did not exist when he made his remarks might have surprised him.

I am not suggesting for a minute that it's inherently wrong to want more material things (conspicuously absent from the quote). I would be a hypocrite if I said that. Nevertheless, I do not believe that he would be happy to know that there are people who live in really tough economic times but continue to attempt to acquire things that they don't really need or can't afford.

There are as many different reasons for wanting more material things as there are people who want more. A group of my friends call it "lifestyle creep". As salaries rise, we almost reflexively buy more things. Certainly, the growth of the US economy depends to a large extent on those desires and a willingness to spend down savings or use credit to get the latest and greatest things.

If "lifestyle creep" disappeared, it would probably make recessions worse and longer-lasting and would ultimately change the way businesses market their products. It's happening as I sit here. People are flocking to take advantage of a government-sponsored $4500 to scrap a serviceable but old, energy-inefficient car in favor of a new car that uses less fuel. Let's not fool ourselves. It takes lots of energy to build a new car. People buying cars under this program are probably thrilled and it might go a long way toward saving domestic auto manufacturers, but I don't think that the environment is better off for it. To me, it's a dilemma. I am trying as best I can to repair, reuse, recycle, etc., but I am hardly perfect. I find it easier to deprive myself of things than to hold back on giving gifts to others. I can't say that I need anything at this point but that doesn't mean that I won't go into a store and buy something I don't need.

I hope that Samuel Gompers's vision sticks in my mind, especially when I want to buy another "thing" that is cool but unnecessary to change my quality of life. Save your money for people who have real needs. That should do nothing to hurt the economy; I predict it will make you feel better.