Tsunami of greed

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Peninsula POWERED

Peninsula readers' letters: November 27







From Daily News Group readers mercurynews.com

Posted: 11/26/2012 03:47:14 PM PST

November 27, 2012 6:39 AM GMT
Tsunami of greed



Dear Editor: Drawn by aggressive discounts and earlier-than-ever opening hours, shoppers opened their wallets on "Black Friday" weekend in record numbers and handed retailers a promising start to the holiday season. Merchants raked in an estimated $59.1 billion in sales from Thanksgiving Day through Sunday, up from $52.4 billion a year earlier, as millions flocked to stores and browsed online, according to the National Retail Federation. Spending per shopper jumped 6 percent to $423.



The true purpose behind having a holiday called Thanksgiving is being totally obliterated by a tsunami of greed. Meanwhile, more Americans than ever are living in poverty this year and very few people even seem to notice. However, perhaps we should all take time this week to remember the tens of millions of Americans who are going to be deeply suffering this winter. They keep telling us that "the recession is over" and yet poverty continues to spread like an out-of-control plague. But for most Americans, life is still relatively normal, and so the horrible suffering going on out there doesn't really affect them.



Ted Rudow III, MA



Palo Alto