A fascinating movement that has been swelling for weeks via the blogosphere is the “Not One Damn Dime” campaign. Here is one of a thousand postings of this. The idea is to withhold all spending on January 20, Inauguration Day, in protest against the Iraq War. The question is whether this is an effective campaign or whether people who oppose the war should join. As an economist and opponent of the war, I take what might be seen as a counterintuitive position: I’m all for this and I’m going to join!
I was asked whether it might not be wrong to punish the local deli owner that day by not spending money there, as if he has something to do with the war. But not spending any money on January 20 is a purely voluntary act and targetted at no one in particular. The Asian deli owner is not being punished by me, he is just one alternative among several for how I do lunch that day. He never had a guarantee of my patronage and not granting it that day simply removes one of his alternatives. If he chooses to stay closed on the 20th for the same reason I choose to eat at home, I do not perceive it as directed at me; he just removed an option for me and others that day.
Certainly there is a distribution effect of having purchased the cold cuts at a grocery store the day before. Grocery store sales blip up on the 19th and deli sales blip down on the 20th.
The more general point is that January 20th is a day that deserves a special response from the portion of the public who do not support the Bush regime’s use of the U.S. military for the invasion and occupation of Iraq. Taking to the streets, as was done in Ukraine, just doesn’t seem feasible in view of the fact that a majority of the electorate clearly voted for Bush/Cheney and the population in general either supports or is ambivalent about the situation.
Other than a gesture like the “Not One Damn Dime” boycott that is being suggested over the internet, I’m at a loss as to what public statement could be made on January 20 by the heterogeneous anti-Iraq occupation faction. Speeches and personal letters to any of the Bushovics seem futile to me. They seem insulated from all criticism. Suggestions are welcome.
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Inauguration Day is supposed to be a fun day of partying. Don’t be a party pooper.
Since on any given day of the week, it’s more likely that I’m not spending anything (but saving something), and since I spend very little anyways, that’s hardly a problem for me.
I don’t see how this accomplishes anything. On January 20th, in protest of G.W. Bush, I shouldn’t buy a book from Mises.org? It makes sense in aggregate thinking, but it doesn’t make sense to me once you consider the specifics.
A real protest would be refusing to pay taxes.
Doesn’t the [non]participation in a spending boycott help the economy, ala Steve Landsburg’s “What I Like About Scrooge- In Praise of Misers” article? Also blogged about here on Mises by Peter G. Klein and here by David J. Heinrich.
If so, the boycott will send the wrong message, which in this case will be that thriftiness is good for the economy, which then again might be a good message when making a point about unneccessary military expenditures.
Doesn’t the [non]participation in a spending boycott help the economy, ala Steve Landsburg’s “What I Like About Scrooge- In Praise of Misers” article? Also blogged about here on Mises by Peter G. Klein and here by David J. Heinrich.
If so, the boycott will send the wrong message, which in this case will be that thriftiness is good for the economy, which then again might be a the proper message when making a point about unneccessary military expenditures.
Not paying taxes is a better protest indeed, and it’s more than just a protest, it’s a practical defunding of the Dubya Squad’s policies and a personal withdrawal of complicity and consent.
(And it’s not as hard as you think)
“Inauguration Day is supposed to be a fun day of partying. Don’t be a party pooper.”
Why should we celebrate Bush being re-elected?
I agree that most here already understand current economic conditions well enough to be saving more than spending.
Let every day be 20 January. Kill the host and the parasite will die.
Pure slacktivism!
Sounds to me like little Johnny is mad at his daddy. To get back at Dad, little Johnny turns around and dumps his sister’s cereal in the sink…
You can’t stick it to the Man, don’t lash out on your fellow citizens. Not too far off from a terrorist mentality, by the way.
Ha. As if.
My email address is jesse@NotOneDamnDime.com so obviously I’m in favor of the boycott. The press is very interested in the number of people who might participate in NODD on Jan 20. I can only cite the number of people who sign on to a commitment on my website.
But you guys are economists so: How can I estimate the number of participants based on the email flow volume? And what is your estimate, based on your knowledge of that flow volume (or anything else) about the number of participants in NODD?
I’ve estimated 5 million, because 1/4 million people will have read my website, and there are 2 dozen such websites, and the approval rate is 80% to 90%. I think my numbers are pretty flaky, so I’d like a more solid analysis.
I would like to know why so many people who are participating on Jan. 20 seem to be going out beforehand to “stock up” on things they won’t be buying that day. What kind of consumer protest involves spending the same amount of money a few days earlier?
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