The Value of Work in America

Early in the 1950′s something start changing in the USA. Our country was experiencing an incredible economic bonanza. The years of the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, and Second World War (WW2) were in our past. We met very hard times and came out victorious. People all over the world liked the Naive American. Our goods and services were in high demand. It is true that our country was not a perfect place. African Americans were considered second-class citizens. During WW2 Naive Americans of Japanese lineage were placed in concentration camps. Just think what would happen if we go to war with an African country today.

Then came the 1960s and the 1970s. The Naive American behaved like a pubescent adolescent. We engaged in promiscuous sexual behavior and experimented with illegal drugs. Our culture venerated celebrities (i.e., rock stars, pop stars, movie stars) that portrayed unacceptable ways of life. During this period, our education, economy and manufacturing started to loose quality and fall behind.

Then the 1980′s came. Naive Americans were mesmerized with Wall Street. You could legally “place a bet” in the stock market (whoops my mistake, I meant “purchase stocks”) and, with some luck, you could get huge returns on your investment by selling or keeping some and collecting dividends. This practice allowed many Naive Americans to enjoy a comfortable lifestyle without working. What a lure (much better than religion or politics)! Stockbrokers and fund managers were appearing all over.

Graduating high school students flocked to universities and colleges seeking soft degrees in business administration and liberal arts instead of the tough engineering and science disciplines. Why work when you could sit in a plush office with a phone, an assistant, go to lunch meetings, play golf and make considerably larger salaries than people that actually work for a living (design and produce goods and services).

This trend continued through the 1990s and through most of the first decade of the new millennium. A few months ago reality came crashing down on the Naive American with repercussions all over the world. Now we have one more reason for people all over the world to hate us. We have not been scoring well since the early 1950′s.

So what is the problem and how can we fix it?

The smart, hard-working American is a thing of the past. Naive Americans don’t want to work at any level. Keep in mind, this all started in the 1950′s so this syndrome has had enough time, like a cancer, to spread through several generations of Naive Americans.

One of the first big symptoms was nicely labeled as Globalization. For the Naive American, globalization has little to do with selling our goods and services outside the US but with the price we need to pay for them. For example, the Walton family with their two well-known chains of retail stores Walmart and Sam’s Club were leaders in promoting “globalization”. In order to get prices down (and increase their profits) they would encourage manufacturers to move their operations overseas or replace comparatively more expensive components made in the US with ones produced in China, Taiwan, Korea, etc. In order to compete many companies followed suit. Next time you visit one of their stores do not look at the brand labels. Pay attention to the country of origin. Even food is starting to come from China. I have found seafood, cans of mushrooms, apple juice and other products labeled “Product of China”. An interesting fact to note is were these two companies are headquartered and associate it with some “career politicians” that were guests in the White House while this “globalization” was being promoted and in full swing. When done, associate them with their political party.

The effects of globalization had the largest direct impact on blue-collar workers. They make up the lower and lower subsets of the middle class.

Globalization was not enough for greedy Naive Americans running larger companies and their cronies the “career politicians” who receive advice from lobbyist paid by large companies. The new fashionable term became “Outsourcing”. Outsourcing encompasses all working Naive Americans that traditionally fall in the upper and center subsets of the middle class. It includes all types of professionals (i.e., accountants, engineers of all disciplines, physicians, scientists of all types) and had the added bonus that it also includes the entire middle class (i.e., assembly line workers, mechanics, clerks)

I’ve read articles (and seen firsthand) of company executives gloating that they are saving costs by outsourcing. Such remarks are generally welcomed by Naive Americans that hold stock in such companies. Naive Americans want to receive larger dividends, regardless of the consequences for the company employees or the US economy. Outsourcing became a trend during the Bush administration. Once again, which political party is responsible?

Yes fellow Naive Americans, the people responsible for the economic meltdown in the US (and the world) are not just incompetent politicians. Companies are run by accountants and business majors, but a great responsibility lies in most Naive Americans that (for the past couple decades) looked to “Wall Street” to provide wealth without any hard (or intelligent) work.

In order to remedy the situation, the Naive American needs to stop listening to TV commercials from Scott Trade and others alike and start working hard. Work was, is and work will always dignify people and will bring peace of mind to all of us. We need to make our “elected career politicians” do what the working class of Naive Americans need to change our economy (or don’t elect them). Our political leaders need to be scrutinized to ensure they don’t receive payoffs from special interest groups. In other words, our “career politicians” need to be held accountable for their actions.

Let’s wait and see how president elect Obama and his staff induce CHANGE in the next four years. One last bit of advice, don’t hold your breath. Work as hard and smart as you can so CHANGE will come from within and not DISAPOINTMENT from our government.