We're Maritimers . . . there is no 'down' for us!

SOCIAL STUDIES - Published Monday May 18th, 2009

I am still a little amazed at the number of people I see driving around in new cars.

Not just any new cars; Dodge Challengers which run around $45,000, or even Dodge Calibers, a cheaper alternative, but still, a new car. There are a ton of Mustangs on the road these days; which start at $24,000. And there are Porsches, BMWs, and Infinities all over the place.

About a year ago I wrote in a column that I could not believe how many high end cars there are in Moncton. Well, this is different, I am not really complaining, since they are nice to look at, but I cannot believe how many new high end cars, or low end cars, people are driving this spring.

This is the worst economic crisis the world has faced since the 1930s, right?

Every store in Moncton is packed though, from Terra Verde to Wal-Mart. Everyone here is driving a new car. Reservations are required almost every night at our restaurants; and there seem to be just as many people sucking back their no-fat, no-whip, double caffeine, macchiato if you ask me.

The hotels are full this weekend, and apparently already full for concert weekends where they are charging over $250 for a standard room in every bed in town. So people are willing to fork out over $100 for tickets, $500 for two night's rooms, and food and alcohol on top of that; probably 60,000 people at that.

Last week I spent a few days in Halifax and the restaurants there seemed as full as the hotels. Everyone was lined up at the coffee shops, and Spring Garden Road was packed with sun seeking shoppers, most of whom were carrying lots of purchases in shiny coloured bags.

Why is it that every single person I know to the west and south of us is scared senseless that they will be living in their car and eating from dumpsters next week when we are living better now than we did last year?

I have a theory.

There is no down for us.

It is as simple as that. Life in the Maritimes is already and always has been far more practical and frugal than the rest of North America. We have been living through decades, maybe centuries, of economic hardship and doing it just fine thank you very much.

Think about it, there are not 1,000 extra houses in Moncton. There are very few jobs that are just "make work projects." For the most part we tend to buy one luxury item after thinking about it for a very long time. I bought a laptop after wanting one for five years, for example. I will buy a brand new LCD television when my serviceable old fashioned one dies. Of course, I pray for lightning to strike that one power cord every time it rains.

I believe there are lots of people here who are adversely affected. I know there must be some of us who are losing jobs. I swear groceries cost exactly double what they did this time last year and that cannot be good for anyone who wants actual vegetables, meat, or milk.

What we do not have, is any sense of fear. We have all been here and done that. Mills have been closed, mines shut down, fisheries terminated, schools have been closed, towns abandoned, military bases closed, trains re-routed, you get the picture.

I left the Maritimes in the 1980s on purpose, trying to find my way out into the big bad world. In many ways, I never felt a part of any of the other places I found myself, and eventually conspired to come back home.

Part of that was the attitude I found in other places. Sometimes I encountered people who seemed to think they were entitled to the better life. Sometimes I found people who were always seeming to say "woe is me" and in either case it rang hollow in Maritime ears.

We have always been the type of people who think we have to work for what we get, and deserve only what we have earned. This is also the type of place where most people say, "well, complaining isn't going to help, so let's just get back at it then."

Okay, I am waxing romantic. I have heard my fair share of complaints about things, and I have also known people who seem spoiled. But I am talking about general mindset. I am speaking of a culture which has always worked from the bottom up.

We know how to take care of one another, we formed co-ops and credit unions first, we have always had extended family support, and we always knew each other's business.

Now, are we in for more trouble ahead? Perhaps; but I think there is no place I would rather weather an economic storm than here. I say this for all of the above reasons, but mostly because I trust the people around me to do the right thing, and make it work.

I am still not sure how everyone affords the luxury cars; believe me I wish I knew. I have decided I want a Dodge Journey for family trips, A Dodge Caliber for commutes, a Dodge Challenger for sunny weekend days, and a Harley Nightster for me.

Of course, I am a Maritimer; and so I know I have to be more practical; maybe just the Nightster.