The new depression has begun, and now it's up to us to heal it and create a new strong American economy. Herewith, the first three steps...

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In my last column, I established that the new Depression has begun. No surprise that the media is presenting wall-to-wall coverage of a terrorism a-go-go and the antics of OJ. Don’t let them distract you. The most important story is the economy, and it must be the buzz at every water-cooler in the nation.

This, then, begins my series on What you must do:

VOTE
No news here, of course you must vote in a Democratic Senate and House but right now there are primaries to get through in an earlier column, I explain why John Edwards must be the Democratic nominee. You don’t emerge from the Hoover administration by electing Mrs. Coolidge! You go for FDR. And John Edwards can be our FDR (with Elizabeth a promising Eleanor!)

DON’T BUY THE HYPE
…or any more of the pointless imaginary-status-enhancing "luxury" crap we have been conditioned to crave. Start living completely within your means and pay off your debt. It sounds so obvious, but it is a very large part of what got us where we are. Don’t be part of the problem. Wanna do something really PATRIOTIC? (and this is the opposite of what the Republicans would have you believe) Stop the reckless spending – live within your means!

SHOP MADE IN USA
One of the worst results of 26 years of Reaganomics has been the decimation of our nations manufacturing sector. But you can do something about it. Read those little tags that tell you the provenance of what you’re buying – and refuse to buy imported goods when there is a quality domestically produced alternative! A reader gave me a website I would like to share with everyone, where you can find the products (and links to the companies) that are made in the USA. It also tells you which state they’re in – and which shops are UNION. Use it. Nothing is more patriotic than keeping your neighbors working. Nothing. Go to: http://www.stillmadeinusa.com/shoppingindex.html

Spread the word. We have to fix this mess, because we still have 15 months with the government that got us into it. These are my first three steps to get you started. There will be more…

Michael Fox is a writer based in Los Angeles. He has no connection to either the Edwards campaign or the cited weblinks.

Authors Bio:
Michael Fox is a writer and economist based in Los Angeles. He has been a corporate controller, professor, and small business entrepreneur. After a life-altering accident, he spent five years learning more about medicine and the healthcare industry than he ever intended. In addition to writing about economics and related geopolitical issues, he is passionate about the performing arts and writes theatre, film, and opera criticism.