THISLDO

Driving home tonight I saw the following personalized licence plate: THISLDO. It was on a Hyundai Touring SUV. It made me smile, because I really believe our consumerism has been running amok during the past decade. People have been completely spending beyond their means to buy bigger and more "stuff." We are working longer hours (thank you, Internet and cellphone for making this possible) to make more money to buy even more stuff that we really don't need and often will never use.
So, it was refreshing to see THISLDO and the sentiment it encapsulates: I'm happy with what I have and I don't need more. I don't need to "keep up with the Joneses."
Listen, these days the Joneses are in bankruptcy protection because of years of greed and profligacy. There's no need to keep up with them anymore because they are totally f*cking broke.
Two years ago in November, a security guard was crushed to death by a seething horde of shoppers pressing to enter a Walmart in the U.S. This was on "Black Friday", the big shopping day following American Thanksgiving when companies "in the red" hope to get back "into the black" through a big day of consumer spending.
When the value of a human life becomes less important than saving a few bucks on a flat screen TV we are in big, big trouble.
So, good for you THISLDO. Maybe there's hope for us yet.