I probably would have not known anything about Elkhart, Indiana but for the terrible economic crisis that is affecting the nation.  Most of what we hear is in terms of bailouts of major financial institutions, losses for the mutual funds industry with repercussions to the pension fund holdings of many workers, but I had never envisioned that the economic crisis could reach the level where it reflects itself in a municipal law that limits residents’ garage sales to one per month. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/12/us/politics/12indiana.html?scp=1&sq=elkhart%20indiana&st=cse Apparently neighbors that have not yet fallen victims of the bad economic times are annoyed by the open air market atmosphere developed by the many garage sales going on around town. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/12/us/politics/12indiana.html?scp=1&sq=elkhart%20indiana&st=cse.  I am outraged that municipalities would attempt to regulate the manner in which families are trying to legally survive an economic crisis they did not create, but are mere victims of, while the Federal government, through the Secretary of the Treasury had the stomach to suggest a bailout of the rich and powerful without any regulation that would give any guarantees to the American taxpayer.  This seems to be a system of pyramid regulation, with the Federal government imposing very little supervision for those on the top, but the municipalities regulating those at the bottom, including their right to have an economic survival garage sale.  

 According to this town’s website Elkhart was selected among the most livable cities in the United States in 2004. http://www.elkhartindiana.org/  Time-wise 2004 does not seem too far back, but economic-wise it seems like a million years ago.  The garage sale activity seems to have become the main income activity for many families in Elkhart that fell victim to the downturn in the housing market and the loss of jobs due to globalization.  The town’s website indicates that it has a population of about 51,000 inhabitants with an industrial base of recreational vehicles, musical instruments and manufactured housing, http://www.elkhartindiana.org/category/?fCS=6-0 which are not recession proof industries.    The garage sale regulation seems to be symptomatic of economic class conflict, in which the Municipal Council decided to favor those who are still surviving the crisis, but I wonder for how long.

 According to this New York Times article the people they interviewed in Elkhart are basically evenly split with regards to whom they will be voting for in the upcoming presidential elections, although apparently the support that they show for either Obama or McCain is very soft because of racial considerations or because of the lack of specifics with regards to how the candidates expect to tackle this economic crisis. I am of the opinion that people are so desperate to hear some proposal, that regardless of race, whoever develops a plan that can be presented to the American people with some specifics that people can understand and enable them to develop some expectations/hopes for such plan, will be elected the next President of the United States.