Can't Buy Me Love

I have been thinking about Christmas and Christmas gifts. My last Christmas wishlist was limited so I have decided to add to the list for those who are still considering what to give me for Christmas. Just pick any country on the list and delete it….

Old Beatles song title, "Money Can't By Me Love".

Does that stop us from trying? Absolutely not…..

The last little missive was pointing out many of the social programs our government run that cost trillions of dollars. It seemed to come as a great shock to many readers given the comments received.

Since the last note was about things we are doing in this country, lets take a look at things we are doing 'over there.' We pour money into each of these countries every year. I don't want to go into the shenanigans of how we do so much of our foreign aide but focus on how these countries reward us with their support in the world forum. (I'm sure many have seen this list.)

How they vote in the United Nations:

Below are the actual voting records of various Arabic/Islamic States
which are recorded in both the US State Department and United Nations records:

Kuwait votes against the United States 67% of the time
Qatar votes against the United States 67% of the time
Morocco votes against the United States 70% of the time
United Arab Emirates votes against the United States 70% of the time.
Jordan votes against the United States 71% of the time.
Tunisia votes against the United States 71% of  the time.
Saudi Arabia votes against the United States 73% of the time.
Yemen votes against the United States 74% of the time.
Algeria votes against the United States 74% of the time.
Oman votes against the United States 74% of the time
Sudan votes against the United States 75% of the time.
Pakistan votes against the United States 75% of the time.
Libya votes against the United States 76% of the time.
Egypt votes against the United States 79% of the time.
Lebanon votes against the United States 80% of the time.
India votes against the United States 81% of the time.
Syria votes against the United States 84% of the time.
Mauritania votes against the United States 87% of the time.

U S Foreign Aid to those that seem to truly hate us:

Egypt, for example, after voting 79% of the time against the United States,
still receives $2,000,000,000 annually in US Foreign Aid.

Jordan votes 71% against the United States
And receives $192,814,000 annually in US Foreign Aid

Pakistan votes 75% against the United States
Receives $6,721,000,000 annually in US Foreign Aid.

India votes 81% against the United States
Receives $143,699,000 annually.

This list could go on and on……The point is when you, me, or government decides to buy something (anything) the expectation is to get something back. What we get back from these countries is a request for more money.

Money does not buy us love or much else from our above list of friends.

Wherever we look we find our government has weaved a web of foreign policy that is so complex that it becomes impossible to follow the logic. (Assuming there is one.) For sure it smacks of the programs, the hand-outs, and thinking that goes back to the Cold War era with Russia back in the fifties.

Our foreign policy is like the TAX code. (Also, all other government programs.) Nothing ever get dropped or changed but get added to. For something to be dropped or changed is to admit that what was done should not have been done. This is electoral death to any and all politicians. We see this haunting Romney and Gingrich in this current campaign.

The system that we use in our election process is flawed.

"I have a friend and we exchange e-mails and ideas. He has two children going into the job market and is worried about their future…. Mine are all to old for me to worry about them 'making it' in life. He has begun to look closely at Mississippi's education system and job creation in the state. Both are resting very comfortably at the bottom of most lists of states.

I think you can pick up the gist of what this series of e-mails have been about.
Here is my response to his last mail…..

Doom is the right word....Next time Sam wants to go shopping at Penny's go with her.... As she looks through clothes you read labels.... Every label you find  'Made in America' I  will buy you lunch....My wife came home a few weeks ago complaining about this....There is a new men's store on Jackson avenue, ...Go in and just read labels....

There a book titled Singularity - I have had it for months and each time I start to read I put it down. It is a little overwhelming. The book speaks to such profound changes. So many are well underway but Americans, as a whole, see these changes happening but don't think about consequences. 

The changes already made are in place and can't be changed... Example: We stop making men's shirts. China makes men's shirts and charges 1 dollar. China raises the cost of their shirts 10 cents. What happens to us.....? Oil goes up 10 cents a gallon. Where does the 10 cents go. The working tax payer pays the additional 10 cents at the pump. Government takes their tax dollars and gives it to poor folk and they buy gas and pay the extra 10 cents also...Where do those 10 cents go....The working man has now paid 20 cents more for  a gallon of gas...The American citizens along with their government representatives can't connect the  dots. 

For us to make shirts again government would need to stop taxing business, drop all regulation, and lower minimum wage... Along with all regulations regarding growing of the cotton to the manufacturing of the cloth, worker's benefits that are required, and transportation regulations, etc. There is no will to make these  changes even if it could be done. 

I'm going on about this because we and government still the see the world in terms of 1 + 1 = 2....BUT we are in a world where 1 + 1 = 5...This speed of change is growing that fast. What used to take ten years now take two…The model that government uses to do 'their' predictions is still 1+1 = 2 … Confusing and misleading.

Not that we care that much what happens in China when the plants that makes shirts are fully operated by computers?  Next time you have a chance to watch a video on car manufacturing notice how few people are working…Going back a number of years a steel mill closed and almost 800 union members lost their job. A Japanese company bought the closed plant. Made a deal with the union that their members would have first crack at the new jobs. But they had to pass the test for new workers. Not many union members applied. Seven union men passed the test. The company hired from outside the union. The plant became automated and has 114 people working producing high grade steel profitably. That is one small example of computing power and the changes it can make.

The change has happened. These changes are just now impacting us in so many different way that we are beginning to see them. 

The poorly educated as well as many well educated can't find work.  Cannot support themselves…There are over 100K of these folks coming into the job market each month. So it take 100K new jobs each month jut to stay even with where we are….. There seems to be little chance that our President along with a Democratic Senate will allow anything to happen that could in anyway help businesses to create the minimum 100K to keep us from sinking father into the abyss.

Look at the numbers and see how many children MS will graduate from high school next year and ask will 10% of the graduating class get a job?

Hopefully - YES. but what do the other 90% do?

This is a dark picture.... Mostly we do not want to look at this problem. Most don't have enough knowledge to even know there is a picture that needs looking at... There have been so many mistakes made, over long periods of time,  and often with the best of intentions by government that simply can't be undone. 

Talk to you soon, RN"

Well, in less than a week my promise to myself about looking at everything in a positive way has faded…..

The link below to Redstate is long thoughtful article but well worth the read. Note how many comments this article has gotten.

http://www.redstate.com/dan_mclaughlin/2011/12/14/taking-newt-gingrichs-ideas-seriously/

Ron
 
docnick37@gmail.com
 
http://theoxfordteaparty.blogspot.com/