http://www.gainesville.com/article/20080518/OPINION03/805180304
By Kinnon ThomasSpecial to the SunLayoffs. Escalating fuel prices. Foreclosures. The economic headlines in recent weeks have been almost unrelentingly negative. In today's 24-hour news cycle, one can find discouraging news on a constant loop. News channels and Web sites run continuous updates on the stock market, oil futures or interest rates. While for some it is a welcome reprieve from the never-ending Britney Spears saga, I sometimes wonder if we don't talk ourselves into business downturns. At the Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce, we felt it was time to say "enough is enough." Rather than sit idly by and wait for the certain uptick in our local economy, we decided to give it a little push with our own version of an economic stimulus plan that we are calling "Pay the 2s Forward." On Thursday evening at our annual Chamber Business Showcase, 400 Chamber members walked away with ten new $2 bills and instructions to spend their new-found loot within three days at a local business. The bills were marked with an easily-removable and reusable decal indicating that they are part of the Chamber program. It is our hope that the $2 bills will be seen throughout the community, emphasizing the strong impact of doing business locally. With today's costs of transportation, it is more important than ever for businesses and residents of Gainesville and Alachua County to seek out local sources first for their needs. The Chamber's Web site, www.gainesvillechamber.com, offers a business directory to help with just such a search. And, as an added benefit, many Chamber members are offering special discounts or dollar-for-dollar matching offers for customers using the special $2 bills. To be sure the $2 notes are "recycled" properly through the area economy, we are asking local businesses and banks keep these special bills in circulation for as long as possible. Please consider giving change with the bills so that another business may be touched by the program. I look at it this way: We can either wait for the talking heads on TV to declare that the economy is back on track or we can take matters into our own hands and make it happen. I suggest we make it happen ourselves. The Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce and its members are investing in our local economy. I encourage you to do the same. Pay the 2s forward, Gainesville. Kinnon Thomas is Chair of the Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce.