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Jack is a graduate of Rutgers University where he majored in history. His career in the life and health insurance industry involved medical risk selection and brokerage management. Retired in Florida for over two decades after many years in NJ and NY, he occasionally writes, paints, plays poker, participates in play readings and is catching up on Shakespeare, Melville and Joyce, etc.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

A Thanksgiving Story, Self-Sufficiency and Politickler #6



Self-Sufficiency?


The continued growth of manufacturing in China compared with our minimal growth in that area makes it a certainty that the Chinese will replace the United States as the world’s leading manufacturing nation shortly if indeed that has not already happened.  There is only one reason for this and that is the low cost of labor there as compared with what labor costs in this country.  (Any other explanation is secondary and only serves to reduce unemployment among economists.)  The major result of this is an increase in unemployment in the United States, and the diminishing of compensation for those with jobs.  The price of China’s success is being paid by the American working person.


The first approach to dealing with this challenge which comes to mind is protectionism whereby tariffs on imports keep foreign-made goods outside of this country, creating jobs here when we manufacture those goods ourselves.  Unfortunately, in a world committed to a global economy, this course of action is impossible.  We are already too far down that path to go back.  The global nature of treaties, trade agreements, banking and finance will not allow it.   Therefore it appears that for our economy to flourish in a global setting, the price will have to continue to be paid by the American working person.  It is an oversimplification, but the availability of jobs for American workers is inversely proportional to the degree in which an American worker receives higher pay and better benefits than does his counterpart elsewhere in the world, including Asia and areas where workers have far lower standards of living.


If our economy manages to flourish in such a global environment, and I believe it can, the government must step in to make certain that a relatively decent standard of living is available to the American working person, whose compensation will be significantly reduced, if he or she is even employed, to a level in the direction of that received by the Asian worker.  To do this, extremely high taxation of businesses and individuals will be required.  This is an undesirable solution and one to be avoided.


Sooner or later, the answer will be found and I think it rests in a concept known as “American Self-Sufficiency.”   Whether it is on a local or national level, Americans must learn to depend on themselves, and those in their communities, for the food they eat, the clothes they wear and most of the things they buy.  “Self-Sufficiency” may be thought of as a gentler brand of protectionism.   

Certainly, some items will always have to be imported, but they will be the rare exceptions.  We will not have to withdraw from the global economy, but we should be less dependent upon it than we are now, even if things we make ourselves cost more. To succeed on this basis, we will have to live more austerely, making do with what we have, spending less and devoting ourselves and our resources to developing “American Self-Sufficiency.”  Think in terms of more backyard gardens, more sewing machines in homes and more cars with odometer readings in excess of 100,000 miles on our roads.  If someone has a particular skill (plumbing, electricity, etc.), there will have to be a willingness to share their skills with neighbors who will respond with whatever they are good at. I may grow corn in my yard and you may grow tomatoes; we can swap vegetables. This will amount to a communal approach to building a self-sufficient America.   

More about this will follow in future postings … and your ideas are welcome, since I really don’t know where I am going with this train of thought. 


Jack Lippman


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Politickler #6


Okay, the Super-Committee threw in the towel.  Hence, in 2013, in order to deal with the deficit, tremendous cuts in spending will be mandated to occur.  President Obama has said that he will veto attempts by Congress to reduce these spending cuts.  It’s odd that the Democratic President ends up on the side of new spending cuts and the Republican House seems to be aiming at reducing them.  Of course, the cuts the G.O.P. wants to avoid making are not in the area of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, but rather in future military budgets.  But the President is sticking to his position because, at the end of 2012, the Bush tax cuts, which benefited the wealthy, are scheduled to expire. 


This time around, contrary to his questionable 2010 position, the President will be fighting to let them run out, bringing taxes on the wealthy back to their Clinton administration levels.  The President’s insistence on the mandatory spending cuts occurring starting in 2013 is tied to the additional revenue expected from the expiry of the Bush tax cuts. His is not a leftward leaning position but rather a centrist position. Together, increased revenues from taxes on the wealthy (leftist approach) and broad spending cuts (rightist approach) will be giant steps toward deficit reduction.  I am certain that if the President is unable to succeed in letting the Bush tax cuts expire, he will change his mind about going along with spending cuts.  This is the issue over which the Super-Committee failed to come together. 


Some people think that the best way to solve this would be with a giant super-committee, not consisting of Congressmen and Senators, but with a committee of all Americans making the decision.  I believe such a committee will indeed meet in November of 2012 to solve this problem when they elect a full House of Representatives, one third of the Senate and a President for the next four years.  Vox Populi, Vox Dei.

(I note that a lot of Democrats are blaming lobbyist Grover Norquist, who has exacted a pledge to constituents from most Republican Representatives and Senators that they will absolutely oppose any and all tax increases, for the Super-Committee’s failure. Be that as it may, please note that many months ago, this blog told its readers all about Grover Norquist, with all of his blemishes, including his Islamist activities.)
JL


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TURKEY DAY

Harvey Sage

(author of Tuna Food, available at Amazon Kindle.  Please feel free to forward this story to your friends.) 
Blessings!        

Nana shot him a glance of disgust. “ You should be ashamed of yourself. Don’t you have any feelings?” She continued mixing the corn bread in the large bowl while telling her husband of forty five years, “It’s murder. That’s what it is. Murder!”

No,” said Papa, squaring his large shoulders, “it’s killing. People gotta eat and meat is what we eat. It’s God’s way.”

“There are other ways Papa. Murder or killing. What’s the difference? He’ll be just as dead.”
           
Papa was resigned to his task at hand. He was a man and this was a man’s job. He looked out the kitchen window and clenched his teeth. There was Tom, strutting his stuff, thinking that the world was all his. Papa walked by Nana, her attractive body bent over as she placed the bowl into the oven. Normally he would have pinched or patted Nana. But her mood was anything but playful. His stomach growled in anticipation of the Feast. The tray of candied sweet potatoes garnished with roasted pecans smelled too delicious. Dinner was hours away and the main entree was plump and ripe for pickings.
           
“Papa, do you really hafta?” Her plea was almost a wail.

“Yep. It’s only right. We’ve been raising Tom since he was a young ‘un. Now it’s time for harvest. Time’s wasting Nana. I gotta pluck and clean him. That’ll take an hour. It’s getting on toward noon.”
           
She snorted, “Harvest! Tom is Part of the family. Yer gonna commit murder. Shame on you Papa.”

He walked to the box near the door and got “it”. Still feeling the heat from the confrontation he strode outside, weapon in hand. He approached Tom with leaden steps.

The pickup truck came around the house and skidded to a halt in front of Papa. “Hi Pop,” Jethro called as he bounded out of the cab. He gave his father a hug.

“How’s the missus?” Papa asked.

“Amy is fine. She’s resting a bit. Being a mom is draining. So I brought the kids over to see how you old timers put together a feast for Turkey Day. ”

“Papa! Papa!” Two cherubs and a dog flew out from the other side of the truck’s cab and ran over to grandpa. As he knelt to hug and kiss them, Pooch turned to run over to Tom. The greeting they shared was a dance paradigm, practiced over the years. Pooch crouched low in front of his friend Tom, barking and wagging his tail in a frenzy. Tom proudly spread his feathers and scratched some gravel in a makeshift aggressive posture as they playfully circled each other.
           
“Watcha got there Papa?”

There was a spate of silence till Sammy, the older child stated “That’s an ax Bella.”

“An ax,” Bella squealed in horror pushing away from her grandpa. “Papa, you’re going to chop Tom’s head off?”

“I. I….” Papa dropped the ax, weakened by her outburst.

“Papa,” she continued to scream, “No. Not Tom!” Her young body did a 180 as she ran to where Pooch and Tom were playing. She threw her little arms around the big turkey’s neck. “No Papa, no!” She began to cry, shaking violently as rivers of tears washed down her pudgy cheeks. Pooch and Tom joined in, adding to the cacophony with a series of howls and gobbles.
           
The old man’s face had turned into a stone mask. Shouting over the din Jethro asked “Pop. Do you really have to do this?”

Papa gazed at the ax at his feet. “I dunno. We’re supposed to have turkey for dinner. We’ve been fattening him up just for that.”
           
“But Pop, that’s Tom. You gonna kill ol’ Tom?” Jethro was choking back tears.

In a quiet voice Papa said humbly “I was supposed to. It’s the man’s job. I guess we could buy one in town. That OK with you?”
           
“No way Pop. That’s abetting murder. Remember, ’Thou shalt not kill.’ Why don’t we just feast on vegetables, soup, bread and cider.”
           
“Vegetables. Since when did you start eating vegetables?”
           
“For about a month now. Ever since we saw a TV special on animal cruelty.” Jethro cleared his throat. “Look. Mom and Amy can cook up a bunch from our fall harvests. We don’t need no turkey.”
           
“That’s right Papa. We don’t need no turkey,” chimed in Sammy. “We can have veggies. Mamma says they’re good for you.”
Bella ran over. “I love veggies Papa. I don’t want to eat yucky turkey meat ever again. Besides,” she cried, “turkeys have a right to enjoy Thanksgiving too. After all, it’s Turkey Day. Think how happy Tom will be when you give him some extra corn to eat.”
           
Papa leaned over to hug his granddaughter. His tears mixed with her tears. Tears, the elixir of love. Sammy and Jethro joined to make a sacred circle.           

Looking out from the window, Nana wiped tears from her cheeks. “Oh God, if only you would change the hearts of men from killing, just like you did Papa’s.” Then she bowed her head, lit up by the noon day sun, the promise of a beautiful day.



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JL

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