ENTITLEMENTS AND COMPETITION

Somehow we have come to the notion that we are entitled to things because we are Americans (U.S. citizens that is). Now some things we are entitled to such as our rights under the constitution. These entitlements are bought by the blood of those who have died defending those rights. Similarly, for those who follow Christ, those spiritual rights are bought for us through the blood of Jesus Christ shed for us. In both instances, to have those rights we must accept them and choose to walk in them.

Other rights, however, are not bought for us. We must earn them. If we choose not to earn them then we loose them.

There is not a right of infinite prosperity for our country. There is no right to always be taken care of if we do not work as a society.

I am reminded of a motto of a Chinese company. They said: "We are smarter. We will work harder than others. We will never give up." Now how is that for a challenge. That Chinese company threw down a guantlet and challenges U.S. business.

Business is moving offshore to seek cheaper labor even as we speak. Go to your local discount store (Walmart in Ozarklandia, of course). Start looking at your favorite products. They are made in China.

At first, we downplayed this flight of production by saying: "Well, we are keeping the information jobs here. We are only letting the unskilled jobs go." Wrong. Now the computer jobs are fleeing and major outsourcing work is being done in India. By the way yet even when you call to get a credit problem fixed or you are called on the telephone for a sales call, the person making it is often Indian.

Our manufacturing jobs in the U.S. are increasingly being taken by cross-border labor. Honest people trying to make a living--doing jobs the U.S. citizen is not willing to do. Meanwhile the U.S. worker gets his entitlements.

Take a look at your physicians these days. More and more of a foreign nationality. How about your graduate schools. What percentage of our math and science graduate schools are made up of U.S. citizens. Take a look at your graduate assistants, do you notice anything lately?

One of most serious things are that our country is beginning to loose an economic race that it does not even know that it is in. It is willing to loose this race and the price for loosing the race is an ever downward spiral in pricing of goods--unfortunately, we will some day not have the money to purchase these goods.

We have bartered our production capacity for cheaper goods today.

We are in a world economic market and value is flowing out of the U.S. to other countries.

Students that have come to the U.S. often realize what we have and what we must do to retain it. I am reminded of a Bosnian young lady who came to the U.S. from Bosnia. She worked for the U.S. military in Bosnia and learned English. She used that to spring board herself into study in the U.S. She entered a local college, worked hard and graduated at the top of her class. She was recommended for a job in Ozarklandia and is doing great. Well, why not. She worked hard and applied herself. A U.S. person thought he was entitled but lost the college position because she or he did not work at it. They were beat out by the foreign student. But the U.S. person had a nice high school experience. They spent plenty of time playing games, participating in athlectics, dating--but never applied themselves. They lost a race they never knew that they were in.

Entitlements-you think you have them and find out you don't.

HarleyDad has travelled all over the world. This country is in an economic war that goes far beyond the war in Iraq. This war is fought every day. Our education, our hard work are tools in this war. If we do not pursue them then we loose.

In conclusion, beware or we all shall be riding Hondas and driving in Hundais.

HarleyDad