It turns out you do well when you do good - wasn't Grannie clever:

The repeal of the out-of-state marriage ban would come more than four years after Massachusetts became the first state to allow gay men and lesbians to marry, and same-sex marriage advocates said the timing was carefully calculated to catch the prevailing political — and economic — winds. State officials said they expected a multimillion-dollar benefit in weddings and tourism, especially from people who live in New York. A just-released study commissioned by the State of Massachusetts concludes that in the next three years about 32,200 couples would travel here to get married, creating 330 permanent jobs and adding $111 million to the economy, not including spending by wedding guests and tourist activities the weddings might generate.

In the coming economic troubles, these sorts of things will be the foundation of the light at the end of the tunnel. Remember - there are no tipping points, no corners turned. There are a complexity of factors making for the start of beginnings long before the ends of endings. So areas that bravely toss out prejudice, embrace new technologies intelligently and keep their eye on the need to look forward will do well. Old ideas or wealth sources may be surprised to find out they are the new cigarette company, the next buggy whip makers, the suppliers to tyrants.