hats, n labor

My Zady had this theory regarding a possible means to a national economic recovery. He was a very old man (86) and remembered how Kennedy was the first president to go about without a hat. Suddenly, because of Kennedy, it became acceptable for a well dressed man to be hatless. This lead to the eventual demise of the hat industry. A once essential accessory became a device for a costume. Zady estimated that this fashionable end of the hat trade was responsible for the loss of thousands of jobs. His solution: He sent a letter to every president after Kennedy requesting that the president appear wearing a hat at the next diplomatic/press function. What is interesting to me, isn't just the oddity of the hat issue, but also the suggested value of wastefulness in a healthy economy. How does hat making, and hat wearing result in a higher productivity? It seems like it must because people used to work on hats, and people made a living building the damn things. Were those earning from the hat trade acting as parasites--taking wealth from those who produced something essential (like spatulas), while producing nothing of real value in return? Or is it really true, that no matter how stupid the labor, if someone pays for it, it contributes to the economic strength of the country? It all inspires me to start my own pyramid scheme. I will spend money I don't have and when people ask for it, I'll say, "and here's your hat" and smash the wolf over the head with a manhole cover.