nobody asked…

I’ve always been a strong believer in the free enterprise, free market system. Capitalism (why has that become almost a 4-letter word?) works and works quite well. The laws of supply and demand have not been repealed. Adam Smith’s market theories still apply. They work and they apply… IF … we leave them the hell alone! Greed, political posturing, and egoistic-driven micro-management too often corrupt otherwise balanced and desirable results. Laissez-faire must be our guiding beacon if we are truly dedicated to prosperity through our own initiative and enterprise.

During the “off-shore” expansion of the 70s and 80s I watched from within, and with a great deal of disbelief and horror, as the highly touted business ethics of my Fortunate 50 employer quickly morphed into something hardly recognizeable. Kickbacks, bribes, getting indebted to outsiders even in the smallest way, engagement in political issues - these were all highly forbidden. We all knew the rules. Breech of the rules of conduct were rare and were met with a fast and harsh boot. Then came the opportunities to expand into new markets, both for selling our products and for grabbing and developing the raw material base before a competitor got there.

The old “when in Rome” rule became the shield. If a bundle of cash in small US bills delivered in a paper bag was the way to secure local telephone service, paper bag it was. Payoffs, excuse me, “fees” were paid to government officials at all levels, militia and policia du jour, local corporate honchos, and anyone else with their hands out grabbing for a piece of the big rich American pie. Whatever it took. Whatever it cost. This was the local way, so most of our people fell into it without giving it a second thought. Just part of the cost of doing business in (insert name of country here) .

One of the first tasks in developing a foothold in a new country was to open an office and hire a “consultant” who would guide the company through the shark infested waters of doing business in his country. He arranged meetings, pulled strings, and carried the paper bag to pay the “fees“. In some parts of the world these “consultants” are among the richest, most powerful and most highly respected of the local populace. There is no equivalent position or career, at least none publicly acknowledged, in the US.

The standards for business conduct and government affairs remained largely unchanged within the US until around the turn of the century. To be sure, there were occasional scandals, isolated instances of perversion of the system. But the rule of law always prevailed and brought with it a reign of reason. Our Constitutional tenets, laws and their interpretation by the courts, our checks and balances, all combined to provide stability over time. They defined a predictable safe zone for day-to-day decisions and operations.

Fast forward five years to the present. Much has changed. Respect among the populace for elected officials has plummeted to new depths. Trust of large corporations has been shattered by the scandals of Enron, Tyco, and others. During the 70s and 80s the US lost such large and important pieces of our basic industries and manufacturing segments that a new term was invented to salve our fears. We were becoming a “service based economy.” Never quite made sense because there are a finite number of lawns to be mowed, offices to be cleaned and tax returns to be prepared. Sooner or later, someone has to produce…something.

Now we are finding that more each day, the services that had become the backbone of our economy are being “outsourced”, not to the guys down the street, but to the countries across the waters. Call your bank, utility company, the company that sold that last computer or piece of software you bought, and chances are your call will be answered by someone in Mexico, India, Singapore, Guatemala…wherever. Someone who cannot speak any flavor of English you have ever heard. Someone who has no idea what you are talking about or how to help you. Someone who took away the job your Uncle Harry in Atlanta had before he was “downsized”. Someone who had the full two-day training course on how to follow the prepared script (Uncle Harry had a bachelor’s degree, 17 years experience, and a clue). Someone who is making 73 cents per day.

So, what does Uncle Harry do next. He’s 43 years old, has 1 wife, 2 kids, 1 black lab puppy, a 2-year old SUV and a 4-year old mini-van that needs new tires, a $1,048 /month mortgage, a bachelor’s degree from a big state university (21 years ago), 5 years of honorable service in the United States Navy, 17 years of upwardly mobile service and experience with a big US company providing damn good customer service with a smile and speaks perfect American English with a pleasant Southern accent. And nowhere to go.

The Bush administration believes the movement of American jobs overseas is a good thing and they support doing more of it. Somehow in their screwed up way of thinking, if US companies farm out the jobs to India, or wherever, and pay 73 cents per day, or whatever, then they make higher profits, can pay higher dividends, and can make investments in new technology that will keep America on the leading edge. And of course, those higher profits will generate more taxes which can be used to retrain and redirect the millions of Uncle Harrys out there.

Talk about smoke and mirrors! We know that Bush does not understand much of anything. But does no one around him have a clue? Even if the sugar-coated song and dance in the preceding paragraph could happen exactly that way, it would take years and years for it to reach fruition. Uncle Harry will be an old man living in poverty, and still won’t have health-care insurance.