Relationships, the kind that exist in small towns, insulate againsteconomic downturns

LA GRANDE, OR - Carol Forsloff- While
many people are worried about the economy, it's nice to know there
are aspects of social life that insulate folks from its worst.  One of
those has to do with relationships, experts tell us.

In

some towns, like Cloutierville, Louisiana and La Grande, Oregon the
sense of community and the attachment to traditions can meant a good
deal in economic survival.  That's because they more closely relate to
the elements of the culture during the Great Depression.

Survival
in severe economic times depends,
for the most part, not just on the individual's internal strengths, or
that of the federal government, although both are important, but on the
community resources and relationships.

The
economic intelligence of the time, prior to the Depression, from the
federal government, was that the rich way of living would trickle to the
poor and that business could be self regulated. It didn't
happen, however, which some refer to as the reason for the Great
Depression in the first place.  The timeline of what happened shows the
elements that are similar today.  But
despite this devastating result, the human relationships, one with
another, made a difference.

In
the Great Depression people were known to find comfort and solace in
small towns.  Outsiders from other areas were welcome at the homes
of farmers in small towns, although there was still a wariness of
people who might be too different from themselves.  Those welcomed were the general down
and out, the families that were poor.  People who lived and worked in a
community leaned on each other for support.

In La Grande, Oregon residents said it was that welcome sign in people's hearts that made a difference. 

So
the economy, experts tell us, has problems at various junctures; but
what makes a difference in small towns is the reliance people have on

one another and the values of relationships that function over time.