THE SEAN HANNITY SHOW

Black Friday: Remember The Story For millions of Americans, Black Friday will be a rush to find the best deals on the latest gadgets and toys. On Black Friday, we see the best and worst of American society. There is even a website called BlackFridayDeathCount.com whose mission is to highlight the tragic accidents that have happened on Black Friday since 2006. There are nearly 100 injuries! Black Friday hasn't always been about getting the best deals. Black Friday was first used to describe the crash of the US Gold Market in 1869. That crash was caused by the greed of two wealthy Wall Street financiers, Jay Gould and Jim Fisk. These two conspired to buy as much US Gold as they could in order to drive the price up. Supported by officials in the Grant administration, this greed hurt thousands of investors who had taken loans to purchase gold. Black Friday can still be about getting good deals on the latest toys and gadgets but we should take a moment to remember the story of how greed and government incompetence can hurt us. A lesson we'll need to remember in 2016. The Cost of Shopping While over 200 million Americans will venture out to malls and stores to purchase holiday gifts for their loved ones, it's an important time to stop and think about the cost. According to the National Retail Federation, Americans spent $50.9 billion last year during this holiday weekend. With an average sales tax rate in this country of 5.08%, the government coffers can expect to take in over $254 million in revenue. With government spending over $3.5 trillion, one weekend of tax revenue is hardly going to make a dent, but it is a good time to remember that a portion of every "deal" you get will be going to the government. When we vote for president in 2016, we really should be thinking about who will be the best steward of our hard earned money.