Consumer confidence or cowardice?
North Texas Daily, 3/28/2003

An otherwise routine trip to DFW International Airport over Spring Break became a long, drawn-out ordeal -- a much needed reality check regarding the state of our economy for me.

My great-uncle Tom, who had visited from Kansas for the week, needed a ride back to the airport. He is slightly mentally retarded, and I wanted to make sure that he arrived at the correct gate, or I would blow 1/9 of my break waiting with him for the next flight.

Upon entering the baggage inspection area, I found that I could not enter without a ticket. If my uncle were over 80 years old or under 12, I would be allowed to accompany him. Those were the only exceptions.

No one but ticket-holders may take advantage of the restaurants or shops inside the gate, hurting the airport economy. It took me about a half-hour to sweet-talk the people at the counter to let me in the gate with a temporary pass. We were frisked several times and questioned by security guards why I needed to escort an obviously disabled person. I remained patient.

Thirsty from fighting airport traffic, red tape and counter clerks, I went to the nearest kiosk to buy a drink. A lady in line with me asked a cashier if she could borrow a knife to cut her sandwich with! Given, it was a plastic knife, but what would happen if I were caught with a plastic knife in my coat pocket at the security checkpoint? I would either be writing this column from a holding cell or dropping out of NT to pay a $10,000 Federal Aviation Administration fine.

Justified as such measures may be, consumers feel the paranoia of post 9-11 America and are being cautious with their spending, finding some outlets, such as airport kiosks, closed to the general public. Aside from the crippled airline industry, many factors are blamed on the floundering market the dot-com crash and rising gas prices. We find solace and a twisted sense of comfort in taking the victim mentality and blaming it on factors beyond our control. But the recent economic downturn should be placed on us -- we have become cowards in the face of an uncertain future.

For now, the Dow is increasing. Like the sheep we are, something caused us to spend more over the last week and contribute to the health of the economy; whether it be decreasing gas prices, Spring Break travel dollars, or the trickle-down benefits of a rise in duct tape sales.

Spending is up, while consumer confidence remains low. The Consumer Research Center, a New York-based economic think-tank, released its Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index, which declined sharply last month, and fell about three points in March. The Index now stands at 62.5 percent, which means that many respondents said they were had a "positive" impression about the way the economy is going. The monthly survey is based on a sample of 5,000 different U.S. households each month. The average consumer is frightened, especially those about to graduate. But we must not allow fear to conquer us. Our nation has been through worse: Two world wars, The Great Depression, The Civil War and presidential assassinations. What we're going through now pales in comparison All Americans, including the FAA and the airline industry, must be strong. We can't let terrorism stop us from opening our doors to the free market. Yes, some innocents may die from a random terrorist attack or two in the coming years. But freedom is something brave men and women have fought for the last two centuries, and such freedom has given us the blessings of a strong economy and a free market.

Trading a little personal safety is a small price to pay for freedom and job security.