From Here to There

The High Cost of Buying American

The other day, sitting in the skate shop of the New Haven Arena, I watched a little sales drama that may have some bearing on the future of the American economy. A woman wanted some pliable rubber skate guards for her daughter. She was shown two pairs, practically identical save that one had a rubber cover over its metal fastener—and therefore looked the more elegant and expensive. The woman picked up the guards without the improved fastener and said, “I think this is the pair I can best afford.”