Holiday or homage?

This past Memorial Day weekend, many of us honored the memory of those who made sacrifices for our country in a unique way.

We went shopping.

It seems that Memorial Day, like nearly every other public holiday this country celebrates, has been successfully appropriated as an opportunity to spend big on buying a new car, an expensive appliance, a big flat-screen TV or a new summer outfit.

Advertisements blare “sale-abration!” and entice shoppers with “amazing deals!” and “no money down!” We're encouraged to spend our precious long weekend spending money.

Is this really the way we want to celebrate, honor and remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for this nation?

It's not that people shouldn't seize an opportunity to get a good deal on an item they've had their eyes on for a while and with the economy the way it is, the area could certainly use a little boost in consumer spending.

At the same time, if we have principally come to regard national holidays like Memorial Day as a way to exercise conspicuous consumption, we have to wonder if our priorities are out of whack.