G.D.P. R.I.P.

Economy, economy, economy; it's all we talk about and it's all we hear about. But what is telling us that the economy is in such a terrible state? In a recent Op-Ed entry in the New York Times, Eric Zencey, a professor of historical and political studies, discusses the mechanism used to measure the economy. Gross Domestic Product, or G.D.P., is what the nation relies on to tell us what the economy is like. If someone buys a bar of soap at Walmart, the economy becomes more stable. But if someone takes a twenty five minute shower, the economy starts to shake a little. Seems simple, right? There isn't any problem here... Wrong. In the article, Zencey discusses that the G.D.P. should be extinct with the dinosaurs. Claiming there are so many gaps in the system, he explains the multiple reasons why. Things like volunteer work, child bearing, and quality of life aren't being measured. If someone spends their last dollars on cans of soup, it doesn't mean that the economy is benefitting from it. If that person goes and throws the cans of soup at his or her neighbors house, the people living next door's quality of life is decreasing. The economy consists of many things that the mechanism doesn't take into consideration.
I agree with Eric Zencey. The way we measure the economy isn't the best. People using more 'green' ways or doing things themselves are not registering to the progress. It isn't being noticed at all. But all of these life choices are good for everything. If there is a positive effect of an action, and it isn't being recognised, then the choice of measurement is extremely off. On the other hand, I see no way how something like hanging your clothes out to dry instead of using a dryer, can be measured. Who would even know and how would they find out? They wouldn't. So even though the process is inaccurate, it's realistic.