Shop Locally Day in Tulsa!!

Somebody, somewhere has declared that Saturday, November 24 is "Shop Locally Day".
Hey, I am all for that and yet I find it sort of strange that we have to declare a day set aside for patronizing our local merchants.
Yes, it is true that occasionally I order a book or cd online.  In defense of myself I do this because local stores aren't carrying the book or cd I am looking for. 
But since I am a local merchant I am tuned into shopping locally.
I also remember the day when only the Sears catalogue was used to order merchandise.  I remember C.R. Anthony's, Renberg's, Borden's Cafeteria and the Golden Drumstick.  I remember a time when everyone shopped locally and Tulsa had many local merchants.  So it comes naturally to me to look around my hometown for clothes or shoes or accessories, books, music, etc. and purchase these items in local stores.
I am not a grump about the internet or the web or catalogues that come through the mail.  This is our world and it is a great big open place to live in.
Hey, even today I sent a text message to a friend who is in Israel and then I sat back and admired how wonderful it was to do that.
Yet I still think it is a bit strange that all of us need to be reminded to look around Tulsa and patronize our local merchants.  Hopefully the Tulsa Chamber of Commerce, our elected officials, our local newspapers and magazines are always promoting Tulsa merchants.  People say that small business is the back bone of our country. 
My back bone occasionally gets a little sore when friends and customers tell me they bought something on line when I know for a fact they could have purchased it at a store in Tulsa.
I suppose the day is coming when purchases made online will be taxed just like purchases made locally.  What do you think might happen then?  Will there need to be a campaign to support local merchants or does it really matter to most of us if we pay tax or not?
We could talk about where all that tax money goes....that's a subject for another time and place.
I say:  get out on Saturday and stop at all the local merchants you can.  Spend a little of your holiday money in their stores.  We'll be looking for you at Sweet Tooth.