China

This week's word, China, as in 'made in China', brings up special thoughts. We, as the United States of America, have lost what made us great to begin with. Born in 1955, my parents wanted the best for me, but they didn't make me earn it. Had the people of my generation had the strength, the fortitude, the moral compass of my Dad & Mom's era, things would be different in the good ol' USA, today.

Instead, 'made in China' or 'made in wherever' is very prevalent today. I was one of the last people I know to give in, my union heritage being the reason, but, none the less, I did give in. It started slowly. If I got Christmas presents from my family, made in China, they would be thrown away. If Jean would buy me a coat or a dress shirt, not made in the USA, they would hang in the closet, never to be worn. My actions finally made Jean start looking at all the labels. It would have been nice, 20 years ago, if she had never had to start.

Automobiles were the first foreign items I can remember noticing. Nearly forty years ago I wanted a Volkswagen Beetle real bad, and my Dad said 'no way'. I didn't understand the whys and wherefores for several years, but I understand perfectly now. With the demise of the United States electronics industry, and the onslaught of the 'computer age' almost all “gadgets” were made offshore. Almost all cameras came next. Then the textile industry went south, and there was no stopping the flood of manufacturers heading toward cheap labor.

What once made America great, our manufacturing expertise, has now gone the way of our many manufacturing skills. I fear that it will never return. We used to be able to design anything. Now, we look to China. Even the making of some of the defense systems has been relegated to foreign companies. How safe is that? Instead of a “nuts & bolts" country, we are now a “service” country.

I feel real sorry for the generations after mine. The men & women of the United States proved their mettle during WW1 & WW2. The countries that wanted to defeat us could not because we were too mighty. Now, my generation & those after mine are just handing our country over to the powers that be. We have record deficits with China, in the BILLIONS of dollars. We have borrowed against our children & grandchildren's future until they will have no future. The demise of the United States of America is next. In one thousand years our country will be known as another civilization whose prosperity was their downfall.