After the Nov. 3 general election, I watched with “great interest” as the network pundits rationalized and analyzed the election returns. When discussing the victories of the Republican governors in Virginia and New Jersey, the TV talking heads seemed to think the main reason for these victories was the fact President Osama had not delivered on his promise to turn around the sour economy. The “swing voters,” which were mostly the professed independents, apparently expected the new administration to immediately restore full employment and prosperity through government stimulus programs. Jobs seem to have dominated voting preferences.
Why hasn’t the “anointed one” succeeded in putting the proverbial chicken in every pot? I would offer it is because our economic woes didn’t just happen overnight. It didn’t even start with George W’s administration. Our economic mess has been building for decades, and it has, in large part, been a direct result of sending American jobs overseas. The great global economy did not bode well for our economic stability.
A robust economy is the result of full employment. When folks have decent jobs, they can care for their families as well as fuel continued economic growth. In seeking ever increasing corporate profits, manufacturers over the past several decades have shifted operations overseas in order to take advantage of cheap non-union labor. Without restrictions imposed by safety regulations, environmental laws, union demands and personnel benefits, profits could soar. Instead of producing tangible goods, we Americans began our transition to a nation of service industries and increased government meddling. With few tangible products being manufactured in the U.S., the mainstays of our economy are financial services, legal services, healthcare, retail sales and government.
America’s non-industrial, service based economy has gradually evolved into its current state over roughly the last 40 years. Except for someone occasionally noting that everything seems to be made overseas, predominantly in China, this transition seems to have had little effect on the typical consumer. As long as the government keeps printing increasingly worthless dollars and putting them in our hands, we continue with our gluttonous consumerism. About 20 years ago I recall seeing signs in Wal-Mart stores that announced something to the effect, “We buy American whenever we can — so you can too.” I haven’t seen one of these signs in years because “Made in USA” is getting to be less and less of an option anymore.
Our penchant for gobbling up cheap Chinese imports has come about so gradual, it has been almost unnoticed. This shift in consumer priorities can perhaps be equated to the Chinese form of torture, “death by a thousand cuts.” Each wound is so miniscule they are virtually invisible, yet each one bleeds our nation’s economy with a chilling cumulative effect. Creeping normalcy is another term that could be used to describe our slow decline into total dependence on others to support our unsustainable lifestyle. Like the frog in a pan of water sitting on a stove burner, we don’t seem to notice the gradual increase in the water’s temperature. How long will it be until we’re fully cooked?
There are no immediate miracle fixes for our current economic plight. Gradually we sank into this quagmire, and slowly and deliberately we’re going to have to climb our way out. Government can only do so much. It can provide incentives to promote energy independence, demand personal responsibility by eliminating programs that encourage sloth, promote creation of meaningful jobs, and balance its own bloated and irresponsible budget.
For the average person, an immediate goal would be to “Buy American,” and support American jobs. It won’t be easy, but we have to start somewhere.
u
Larry M. Jones is a retired Navy Commander and aviator who raises cattle and hay in the Brock/Lazy Bend part of Parker County. Comments may be directed to nowhearthis@pwhome.com.
