I am normally a harsh critic of “American excess.”

So why was I happy when I heard a radio DJ encourage spending over fall break?

It isn’t just because it means more gold in my family’s coffer.

I am a fourth-generation member of a family candy shop.

I was listening to Y103.9 “The Greatest Hits of All Time,” the local oldies station out of Dundee, when the afternoon DJ Shawn Powers made an aside to listeners.

He said the retail stores have been hurting lately and he encouraged listeners to go out and spend an extra few bucks while shopping.

He said they did not have to do it for the retailers, but if they could think of someone whom they could be “a little more generous to” this holiday then they should do it and spend the few extra bucks.

It was not in connection with an advertisement for Wal-Mart; it was unrelated to any commercial.

The gist was it would help everyone if everyone spent a little more.

The thing that struck me about the DJ’s few words was that they humanized retailers, who are often made out to be heartless, rich and greedy white-shirts.

The plea recognized the individual side of retailers’ plight.

I immediately called my father and told him a member of our local media, unprompted, had encouraged listeners to pity the retailers who were hurting and spend more money.

It was simply a guy trying to help the economy and the people in retail and his local economy.

I loved it.

My father shared my surprise and told me he hadn’t heard anything like the broadcasters plea since Richard Nixon encouraged citizens to spend their way out of the recession.

So I’ll repeat the plea, but add a detail.

Spend, but while you spend, be mindful of where you spend.

Your spending habits directly affect your local economy.

Buying off the Internet and shopping at large chain stores does little to help your local economy.

I understand higher insurance rates, a poor real estate climate and a stock market drop have caused everyone to spend with less confidence, but an important part of recovery from this sag is spending.

When no one is spending, no one is getting paid.

When shoppers buy less, employees earn less, and owners profit less.

The employees and the owners also play the role of shoppers, so if they are earning and making less, they buy less – and the cycle continues downwards.

The economy does not recover quickly with such timid trends.

By shopping and spending, and spending locally, you put money into your own community and back into your own schools, roads and pockets.