Buy America

Lindsey Lohan was photographed carrying an $8K purse. I wondered how many times she would use a purse that cost that much and if she had ever considered any of the better uses that $8K could be spent on in a country where the economy is going directly to hell.
Ninety percent of individuals in this county applying for foodstamps have cable television. I know welfare mothers that get their hair and nails done every week. Maybe I'm missing something here, but if you can't afford to feed your family, do you really need to see season 5 of House or Survivor Man?
This sort of misguided spending is the norm. I'm not a minimalist, but American priorities boggle my mind-because what truly indicates a person's priorities is how they spend their money.
White, suburban, middle class parents would rather have both mom and dad working and the kids in daycare so that they can afford the $300K house and the gas guzzling SUV to get the kids to soccer practice. Sociological research in this country indicates that: in middle class families, both parents don't have to work outside of the home- they choose to so that they can keep up with the Joneses.
So suburbia Junior grows up and holds down a job while in college, but spends his money on designer jeans rather than food or rent. I've seen this happen first hand more times than I'd care to think about.
It bothers me that I live in a society that pays pro atheletes more money every year than one person could spend in a lifetime, but a number of teachers in my school district hold down a second job to make ends meet.
What we own and what we wear take priority over what I think should be more valuable to us than anything: our time. Time with our families, friends, and by ourselves are limited-so that we can work, no so that we can live, eat, and house ourselves, but so that we can carry a Coach bag and drive a new hybrid.
The media tells us that we have to look a certain way or buy certain clothing to be attractive. We idolize impossibly thin supermodels, and well sculpted actors. So, not taking into account our lack of personal trainers, and the absurd amount of time and energy it takes to mold yourself a "perfect" body, not to mention the self-deprivation and the fact that you don't have a hair stylist, makeup artist, and wardrobe consultant on staff--you do the next best thing, you buy what they're selling you because it will get you that one step closer to looking like your favorite celeb.
Time is the only real asset that we have, and I hate to think about how and why we spend it the way that we do.