Saturday, November 19, 2011
From CNN Opinon Section:
Yes, Mr. President, Americans can be "lazy"
This article on CNN's Opinion page caught my eye. And I'll admit, it was the teasing tag line "Obama "lazy" remark hits mark" that drew me in. I had heard about this briefly, but didn't pay it much attention. Perhaps I should have. As you all know by now, I am not a fan of our Commander in Chief, nor Congress, and not much on the candidates currently moving towards the primaries. However, I wholeheartedly agree (ok, 99.9%) with the president's comment. Many were angered when they heard the second hand story on this comment. The president, in all of his flaws and ineffectual policies, did NOT call the American worker lazy, in any sense of the word. He did say, and correctly state, that American commerce has gotten lazy in its ability to compete with the rest of the world. Specifically, American companies do not sell American products, or America to the rest of the world compared to, let's say, China. This is a true statement. We have been at a trade deficit with China, and many other countries for a while now, and it shows no sign of changing. Kudos to you Mr. President for telling us the truth for once. Now, on to the critical comments.
Part of the reason we are not globally competitive is that through the policies of the current and former presidents we have restricted our companies, driven them overseas, and over-valued our labor force. Our committment to unions has placed American labor out of the price range of many companies that may have considered America as a new manufacturing location, but instead, reverted to the cheap, unskilled labor that can be found throughout the rest of the world. Do not misunderstand my words on this topic. Unions have, in the past, served a valuable purpose, and should be commended for that work. However, in such a competitive world economy, demanding higher wages and more and more benefits on top of an already decent work environment is killing American manufacturing. This may anger many, but it is true. What incentive does any company have to hire heavily unionized Americans at a wage two to three times higher than they can get in an overseas factory, or even half again as high as a non-union American? The times come when you have to pick your battles, and demanding more in a rough economic situation may not be the smartest move on the part of the unions. Is a $15 an hour paycheck better than a $25 an hour check; no, of course not, but is it better than a $0 an hour check, you bet your sweet bippy it is.
As far as our government, over regulation is killing American production, especially in smaller businesses. I know I sound very Tea-Party-ish on this stance, but I do believe some deregulation would encourage growth as opposed to implementing additional regulation which will do nothing but slow down what little we can foster.
In Trenton, NJ, one of the bridges has as sign that says, "What Trenton Makes, The World Takes". That used to be true. Today, well, it seems that slogan is nothing more than a reminder of a bygone era. One I desperately wish we could get back to.
Yes, Mr. President, Americans can be "lazy"
This article on CNN's Opinion page caught my eye. And I'll admit, it was the teasing tag line "Obama "lazy" remark hits mark" that drew me in. I had heard about this briefly, but didn't pay it much attention. Perhaps I should have. As you all know by now, I am not a fan of our Commander in Chief, nor Congress, and not much on the candidates currently moving towards the primaries. However, I wholeheartedly agree (ok, 99.9%) with the president's comment. Many were angered when they heard the second hand story on this comment. The president, in all of his flaws and ineffectual policies, did NOT call the American worker lazy, in any sense of the word. He did say, and correctly state, that American commerce has gotten lazy in its ability to compete with the rest of the world. Specifically, American companies do not sell American products, or America to the rest of the world compared to, let's say, China. This is a true statement. We have been at a trade deficit with China, and many other countries for a while now, and it shows no sign of changing. Kudos to you Mr. President for telling us the truth for once. Now, on to the critical comments.
Part of the reason we are not globally competitive is that through the policies of the current and former presidents we have restricted our companies, driven them overseas, and over-valued our labor force. Our committment to unions has placed American labor out of the price range of many companies that may have considered America as a new manufacturing location, but instead, reverted to the cheap, unskilled labor that can be found throughout the rest of the world. Do not misunderstand my words on this topic. Unions have, in the past, served a valuable purpose, and should be commended for that work. However, in such a competitive world economy, demanding higher wages and more and more benefits on top of an already decent work environment is killing American manufacturing. This may anger many, but it is true. What incentive does any company have to hire heavily unionized Americans at a wage two to three times higher than they can get in an overseas factory, or even half again as high as a non-union American? The times come when you have to pick your battles, and demanding more in a rough economic situation may not be the smartest move on the part of the unions. Is a $15 an hour paycheck better than a $25 an hour check; no, of course not, but is it better than a $0 an hour check, you bet your sweet bippy it is.
As far as our government, over regulation is killing American production, especially in smaller businesses. I know I sound very Tea-Party-ish on this stance, but I do believe some deregulation would encourage growth as opposed to implementing additional regulation which will do nothing but slow down what little we can foster.
In Trenton, NJ, one of the bridges has as sign that says, "What Trenton Makes, The World Takes". That used to be true. Today, well, it seems that slogan is nothing more than a reminder of a bygone era. One I desperately wish we could get back to.
1 comments:
Very much agree!!!!! People need to wake up and realise giving subpar work for more pay than is necessary/ or the quality work given over seas just as bad to cheaper cost and less regulation it doesnt take agenius folks.
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