Sunday, November 23, 2008

[1859 - Billy the Kid (Henry McCarty), outlaw, born in New York City]

[1887 - Boris Karloff (William Henry Pratt), actor, born in East Dulwich, London, England]

[1888 - Harpo (Adolph) Marx, comedian, musician, born in New York City]

[1902 - Victor Jory, actor, born in Dawson City, Yukon Territory, Canada]

[1915 - John Dehner, actor, born in Staten Island, New York]

Buy American

The solution to our deepening recession will occupy our new president for most of his first term. The effects of the last eight years of fiscal irresponsibility, trickle-down economics, deregulation, trillion dollar wars, cronyism and corruption will take years to ameliorate. It is time for all Americans who truly love this country to demonstrate their commitment to the well-being of their fellow citizens and stand together to get us through these hard times.

Much was said during the election campaign about patriotism and love of country. Millions cheered for slogans like "country first" and the like. Now that the votes have been tallied there is a tendency for all of us to once again become the obedient hungry consumers we were brought up and taught to be. There is, however, something that we can all do starting today to right the ship of state and begin to correct the gross imbalance in foreign trade created by our seemingly insatiable appetite for clothes, gadgets, toys, cars, electronics, and all manner of other imported stuff that is one of the root causes of our current economic woes.

It is time to say goodbye to the cars made in Japan, Korea, and Europe, to all the goods manufactured in China, to the clothing manufactured in South America and Indonesia, and to all the other crap that we rush out to the malls and big-box stores to buy with our cash and our plastic. It may cost a little more to buy locally produced products. Your Chevy may not be quite as ostentatious as your neighbor's Mercedes. In the long run you might even end up with a few less toys to play with. If you care about putting this country back to work, however, by doing business with your neighbors, it is time to buy American.

William's Whimsical Words:

For those of you who have been converted by the corporate mantra of free trade, free markets, and free poverty (except for the rich), please disregard this message. Feel free to grab as much stuff as you can, and to hell with the rest of them.

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