America was a country where any person regardless of race, religion or creed could fulfill their dreams if they worked smart, hard, and long enough.
It was built on the backs of generations of American workers who had pride in their work.
And America was built by the dreams and energy of the small business owner who had a better product or a better way and the persistent determination to develop his ideas into a thriving business that would provide support for his family.
But, above all, more so than any country in the world, America had a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. The central bank, insurance companies and other mighty financial powers within its borders were forced to abide by laws of human decency and fairness enacted to protect the health and welfare of its citizens.
American citizens are protected by child labor laws that make it illegal to exploit children, by laws that not only force employers to compensate workers for permanent bodily injury, but also laws that require employers to provide safe and healthful working conditions. American workers are protected from financial ruin by unemployment insurance. And, through the power of collective bargaining, for more than 50 years many workers had benefit packages to obtain the best health care available in the world.
Furthermore, companies operating within America's borders are forced by law to conduct their business in ways that protect the quality of the air and water upon which we all depend upon for health and prosperity. To comply with these environmental laws, businesses are often required to pay millions of dollars to install special equipment or to use production methods that are far less efficient than other ways that assault the environment.
Beginning in the 1980's cracks began to appear in the powerful American system that supported the highest standard of living for its workers of any nation in the history of the world.
Now, the apple cart has been turned upside down. Our nation is headed for ruin. The experiment devised by Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington and its other founding fathers has been destroyed.
A lot of people are pointing fingers, blaming everything from socialistic forces, to excessive government control of businesses to the exact opposite, the excessive control of government by business.
But, the real problem is as simple as apple pie.
Most businesses operating within the borders of America cannot compete with business in other countries.
Providing a high standard of living for the American worker and protecting the environment costs American businesses trillions of dollars every year.
Foreign companies who treat their workers and the environment like trash can operate at a fraction of the cost of American businesses.
To make matters worse, no, to make matters impossible for America, to promote the success of their businesses and economies, foreign governments who treat their citizens like trash manipulate the value of their currencies and limit imports of American made products.
During the gutting of the American way of life by foreign governments that protect their businesses and their economies by making it impossible for American companies to compete with foreign business, our government leaders have been preaching and practicing "Free Trade" as though it were the gospel of successful economics.
While the foreign nations of the world have been practicing "Trade Protectionism" to build their economies by leaps and bounds since the 1980's, America, its government hell bent on Free Trade, has been crashing because businesses operating within its borders can not compete with the businesses in developing nations of the world that practice trade protectionism.
We freely opened up American markets to all the developing nations of the world. Countries using trade protectionism such as China and Japan flooded our markets with products at lower costs. We bought Chinese products at Walmart because they were cheaper. But with every dollar we thought we were saving, we lowered the pay and standard of living for the American worker.
Worse still, to take advantage of cheap labor costs of the underpaid exploited workers in foreign countries, American corporations invested in the development of factories and other industries in foreign countries and left the manufacturing base in America crumble. Their plan was to reduce product costs by building factories over seas and by importing cheaper parts. How could they have failed to realize the American could no longer afford to purchase their products if they stopped paying American workers for the production of the same products?
Chinese companies couldn't offer their products at lower prices than American businesses if China hadn't engaged in trade protectionism and currency manipulation. Chinese products in Walmart would not have been cheaper than American made products if the Chinese worker were paid a decent wage and had a decent standard of living.
The only way the United States of America can be saved is for its citizens to recognize that Free Trade is destroying it.
The most disheartening part of this is that those in power know that Free Trade is destroying America.
In fact, the destruction of America is intentional.
America is the breeding ground for the belief that the proficient worker has a right to more of the profits and wealth from the successes of a nations industry.
America is the breeding ground for the belief that the person who works hard and smart to become proficient in his services should enjoy the higher standard living, health and welfare that wealth buys.
America is the breeding ground for the belief that life can be enjoyable, worry free, and filled with opportunity to achieve the American Dream.
Destroying America will not only kill this costly belief that workers have a legitimate potential to earn the benefit of economic activity, but also, destroying it will add millions of American citizens to the easily exploited coy work force of the world.
Because the destruction of the American way of life is caused by intentional free trade policies that make it impossible for at home American businesses and its workers to compete, the American standard of living will be lost unless We The People wake up and push for the abolition of free trade with countries that don't share our ideals of fairness and health and welfare for all productive workers.
If our government will not protect our home grown businesses, if our government will not protect our jobs from third world workers that live in squalor no matter how hard they work, then American workers must make some attempt at leveling the playing field or we will eventually live in squalor.
There are two actions we need to take, and take NOW.
First, seek out and vote for politicians who support Trade Protectionism for America.
Never vote for a politician who supports Free Trade. A politician who is preaching free trade, whether Democrat of Republican is a puppet involved with the destruction of America.
To save the standard of living in America, we need to start putting Americans back to work by charging import fees and imposing import quotas so our businesses can compete with those of countries that don't compete fairly, countries that rig their currencies so they can sell products at a discount in America, countries that use child labor, countries that pollute the air without regulation, countries that don't pay their workers enough to have a decent standard of living, and countries that treat their workers like dirt.
If you think child labor should be illegal, if you think some money should be spent trying to keep the air clean, if you think the average worker should be compensated when disabled from injury at work, then you better start buying American and stop voting for politicians who preach free trade because American companies can not compete with countries that keep their costs low by exploiting their people and the planet.
Stop voting for politicians who whine and complain about countries that engage in unfair trade practices and currency manipulations to grow their economies. Start voting for politicians who will take action and restrict imports from countries that don't compete fairly. Vote for politicians who are willing to use import tariffs, import quotas and other trade protection measures to protect America from unfair trading nations like China.
The second thing you can do is buy American. When you buy American, you create American jobs. When you buy low priced imports, you are investing in the success of repressionist regimes that have no concern for the health and welfare or standard living of its citizens, nations that keep their costs low by not letting their citizens participate farily in the wealth created by economic strength.
Buy American and tell your congressman you don't want to hear any more about Free Trade with nations who close their markets to American companies and use other immoral or unfair trade and currency practices to build their economies while they destroy ours.
Buy American!
You can begin this fall by planting American grown daffodil bulbs whose beautiful bright flowers will announce the end of winter year- after-year, long before other plants even begin to grow.
Let's get it together before it's gone for good.
Gary Springer, American Daffodil Farm
Gary Springer is a CPA, nutritionist, naturalist, author and entrepreneur.
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