Posts Tagged “china”
In the brief history of our nation we have experienced a few crossroads, and we are at one of them today. Many of us have abandoned the principals that made this country the most powerful and prosperous nation the world has ever seen.
Moving forward we can either continue to abandon our founding principals, and therefore continue a downhill path of economic destruction, or we can reclaim the values that allowed us to rise to the top. We are beomg bombarded with political rhetoric from all sides. We will be faced with the choice of who will lead us, and in what direction we want to be led. For each American that will mean we must examine our core values and determine if our own self interest is more important than saving the country.
And we must evaluate if it is even worth the effort. Over the past several years this column has pointed out the problems in our society and how we have lost our core values. We have let our educational system fail us, and we now have a very low and poorly educated workforce who cannot compete in a global economy.
We have not been responsible for our diet and exercise. The result is over one third of all Americans are obese, and this has increased our health care costs. We have let ourselves become envious and we now covet the success of others, and we have turned the American dream of wealth and prosperity into something “evil.”
We have lost the uniquely American value of self-reliance, and replaced it with a nanny state of social dependence. We have fallen into the trap of letting the rest of the world demand that we solve their problems rather than demanding that they stand on their own two feet.
We have failed to live within our means, and now debt is crushing our economy. The list goes on and on. Now we are indeed at a crossroads. Do we reverse course, or do we continue an inevitable slide into a third world “has been” nation?
These issues must be considered when we choose our next leader. Let’s assume that we want to return to prosperity, and to the values that brought us to a point of greatness. What should we look for in our next President?
For starters, we need a leader who can bring back and inspire American individualism to stand on your own two feet as a person, not a dependant on society. Individualism is the trait of character that instills self-reliance and personal responsibility. That will insure that Americans stay in school, work hard, and get a good education.
We need a leader that emphasizes solutions to problems rather than wallows in empathy and self pity. Empathy has never solved a single problem in anyone’s life, but solutions to problems have. And we need a leader that praises success, and encourages individuals to seek wealth and happiness. The fact is wealthy people contribute to our nation’s financial stability while poor people are an economic and social burden on the nation.
We need a leader that understands that living within your means is not “radical,” “extreme,” or a “Draconian” idea. We need a leader that can have the self discipline to let the rest of the world grow and sort out their own problems rather than getting involved in their business.
Other countries must learn to stand on their own two feet as we have. A good case in point is China. In the 1940’s China had a revolution and they purged their country of foreign influence. They went through some very bad times. They killed and murdered their own people. They suffered famine and hardship. And they had a very difficult time establishing their identity as a nation, but they have been evolving over the past 60-plus years from a communist nation to a capitalist nation.
Karl Marx had it backwards. And if China continues their path toward capitalism, they will overtake our economy within the next five to 10 years. No system is perfect. All systems of government will have people who won’t make it. The question is what system provides the best prosperity for the most people. And that solution for government is obvious. It is capitalism.
China has learned that, and they will continue their evolution towards capitalist prosperity. Solutions for our problems and the future of our success will not come easy. Nothing in life worth having ever comes easy. That is why welfare and handouts never improve people’s lives. They only prolong the inevitable.
We should not look for the easy way out. Let each of us examine our own values and look in the mirror. If this country is worth saving, then we must choose wisely. If not, then maybe we should have a plan “B” and be ready to leave the country. After all, most of our ancestors immigrated here to escape some nation that was heading downhill. They did it, and if need be, we can do it. — Larry Oscar
Larry Oscar is a graduate from the University of Tulsa and holds a degree in electrical engineering. He is retired and lives with his wife on a lake in Oklahoma where he brews his own beer, sails, and is a member of numerous clubs and organizations.
When shopping in your favorite supermarket, here’s a few things to be check out.
Chilean grapes – Although the Chilean table grapes I’ve had this season have 
been pretty tasty (sweet), there are reports of quality issues with some of the fruit lacking in size (which I’ve seen plenty of), to lack of color and quality. I can live the smaller sizes of the individual grapes, and even if they don’t look as pretty as usual. In fact, with too many fruits and vegetables, there is way too much emphasis on beauty, or color. The old saying beauty is only skin deep applies here.
It is the taste; the quality; that really matters. One reason there are so many disppointments with tomatoes, for example, is too much emphasis over the years has been placed on “glamour” or beauty. You take home these gorgeous looking items, but find the taste is lacking.
One other note. There have been about 10 percent fewer Chilean grapes arriving this season into the U.S. than a year ago. There has been a lot more competition of the fruit from such world markets as Europe and Asia. That means less supply here in America, and you end up paying more……Does this remind anyone of our soaring gasoline and diesel fuel prices? Part of the reason is oil is being shipped to the U.S, then it is refined. However, instead of you and I buying and using it; other countries such as China are purchasing it. Sure it’s free market at work, but we as consumers are getting the shaft at the same time. But that is another story for another time.
Asparagus –