Quote:
Originally Posted by logline
Dale pins the execution of 3 presidents on their quest for hard money... that's a big stretch. Otherwise it was a decent video, but not all that helpful in providing details of what exactly will fix the situation. It's far more complicated than just "stop spending too much."
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Yes, we need to enter the global economy and quit picking our noses. Either we join the global economy or we will do gown hard.
As a teacher, I can tell you all this touchy-feeling-self esteem building is NOT preparing our kids to compete. Yet, I'm stuck with it. I can't change it. Parents and politicians want it. So great, our kids feel great about themselves but can't compete. What did we just accomplish for them?
I answered the call to bring subject matter expertise into teaching only to find open hostility for that expertise because if I try to hold kids to a higher standard I'm demanding they work for their grades when they and their parents are used to grades being handed to them. I'm the enemy. We've even dummied down college to accomodate kids who feel great about themselves but can't compete. (and don't get me started on the government's "accountabilty" tactics that have us teachers focusing all of our effort on the lowest kids in our classes).
We are no longer a manufacturing center. We users of goods. Our kids are growing up feeling cocky because they can USE computers and iphones but who is making those computers and iphones? If we don't have products or services to offer the rest of the world, we are sunk.
There are some things we can do now to help ourselves but they're going to be painful. The first one is start buying American. If it's not made here, don't buy it. Quit sending our dollars abroad. If we refuse to buy what isn't made here, companies will have to start manufacturing here to sell here. Of course, you'll pay more for goods because US workers will not work for Chinese wages but we will create jobs here and slow the hemorrhaging. If we can create jobs here, just MAYBE we can start exporting goods. At the very least, keep what you have until it can no longer be repaired. At least then you'll keep a US worker employed doing those repairs.
Hang on to that old car and support a mechanic....instead of buying a new pair of UGH or Minnetonka boots (both made in china), resole the ones you have...instead of buying new, shop garage sales.....
Second, prepare your kids to take careers that will allow them to barter their services for the things they need. Dd#1 wants to be a veternarian and dd#2 a pediatrician so they're in good shape. They'll be able to trade their services for goods even if the dollar becomes worthless.
Third, (probably first) we need to protect farmers. Food is our one solid export.
Fourth, it's time to consider our shale oil deposits as the asset they are. If we can figure out how to extract shale oil and protect the environment, we can break our dependence on foriegn oil and possibly become an oil exporting nation (though I'd rather see us stock pile to protect ourselves).
Like a family that has figured out it can't maintain it's standard of living, we have to do a lot of things that will hurt and that we won't like but we need to do them or the end result will be far more painful.
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