Home of Today's Common Sense

Published – Brownsville Herald January 9, 2005
Like everyone, I have been inundated with so much news of catastrophic events, corruption, murder, and all manner of sick things like people even quibbling about who is more generous. I was taught that you helped quietly so as to not hurt the dignity of the needy. So I looked elsewhere.
I want to report the good news that I have personally witnessed that true capitalism is alive and well here in Brownsville and I suspect in most of the rest of the U.S.
Last Sunday, I went the Flea Market on Highway 77 as I often do for – exercise, as I tell myself and discovered that it was packed. Parking was difficult and I had to walk quite a ways to get to the vendor area. People were everywhere and many had new purchases clutched in their hands. My first thought was: ”Where are those enterprising souls that used to help shoppers from the HEB downtown across the bridge to Matamoros?” Then I stopped to look at what was being purchased – and at what prices! This struck me as a perfect opportunity to do a rather in-depth market survey and wondered if the department store managers were out there. All of the elements of pure capitalism were there; The buyer – the seller and a medium of exchange. There were so many different items being offered and after some aggressive negotiating some one’s products became another’s treasures. It was relatively easy to evaluate what a particular product was worth when I watched similar transactions being negotiated over and over. It was also easy to see what kinds of products were most sought after when you just look at what kinds things were being loaded into the cars in the parking lot and what vendors remain in the market week after week.
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