For those of you who have followed this blog or the old one, you probably know by now that I'm a "free market" kinda guy. In fact, I'm radically free-market. I'm so far to the right on this one I make Rush Limbaugh look like a liberal.
See, I believe that every economic or unemployment problem we have today could be solved by just letting the market do it's job. The problem with that scenario is, we all want it fixed right now. The market doesn't work that way. Everything moves toward a sense of balance if we let it. We just never do. Let me give you some examples.
Let's take the price of gasoline for instance. Sure, the price of gas is influenced by the futures market and those that buy and sell oil on the stock market. It's also influenced by supply and demand. OPEC cuts production and oil goes up.....so does gas at the pump. Big oil companies are turning billions of dollars in profit every quarter. They make those huge profits on production, not at the retail level. In other words, they could probably give the stuff away for free at the pump and still turn a healthy profit. Do you know why they don't? Because there is a demand for it that we make as consumers. We're more than willing to pay for it at nearly any price. I don't care what the price of oil is per barrel, or how much oil OPEC is producing, if you stop buying it at the pump, prices will plummet. It won't drop by a dollar a gallon tomorrow, but I promise you that if you stop buying it, the prices will drop until you DO start buying.........eventually.
How about our illegal alien situation? I'm way out in right field all alone on this one, but I say the solution is NOT building walls. For one thing, America isn't about building walls. It's about tearing them down. Great Wall of China or Berlin Wall ring a bell? But besides that, I think the solution is opening the gate and opening it wide. People from Mexico are flooding this country with cheap labor because they want a better way of life. Some would say they're taking away jobs, but I say they aren't. Be that as it may, if you want them to go back, let them come until labor prices stabilize and they'll go back home. Here's why. As they come here, labor prices drop. As they leave Mexico, it creates a shortage of labor which drives the price up there. When the relative value of money there is equal to or greater than here......they leave. Are they going to leave next week? Of course not. It will take years for all of those labor prices to reach a balance. Everything will work out on it's own if we'll just quit trying to fix it.
I know I'll take a beating on this one, but what about Labor Unions? In general, I strongly oppose organized labor. Granted, there was a time when there was a need, but not because of economics. It was because of poor treatment of workers. I think we can agree that problem is largely solved. So here's what I mean. If you own a company, you better pay a fair wage with decent benefits or your most valuable asset, your employees, will leave for greener pastures. If you work for a company that isn't treating you fairly, find a company that does. In America we have options. As a business owner in a free market, I find it completely unacceptable that employees can hold my company for ransom, i.e. "strike", because they feel cheated. The solution is clear. Leave. When you start leaving in droves, the company will compensate by offering better wages.
One of the most satisfying things to me ever, was when Ronald Reagan fired the Air Traffic Controllers that went on strike in the 80's. They held the travel industry for ransom and they got fired, as well they should. They said, "Wait! You can't fire us! Who will control our air space?" To which Reagan basically said, "There are tons of people that would love to have your job. We'll hire them. Have a nice day." At my company, if you hold me for ransom, you're fired. Simple as that.
All I'm saying is that we have to quit stomping our feet and throwing a tantrum, demanding that everything be okay all the time. It's not realistic. If you'll just be patient, the market will take care of everything. It always does. It always has.
A few years ago I had a friend whose wife had breast cancer. She went through surgery and chemo AND radiation. Only to find out at a later date that it had metastasized to her brain. She had fought a long hard battle, but finally succumbed to the ugly disease. Christy was a vibrant young woman, a teacher, a loving wife and a wonderful mother to a precious little girl. Another friend of mine had the same horrible disease. She took her diagnosis in stride. Patty always had a wonderful attitude about life. She was tough as rawhide and as sweet as a Texas peach at the same time. She told everyone she was going to beat her disease. And she fought like a wildcat. Unfortunately, Patty didn't survive the battle either. Everyone who crossed paths with Patty will never forget her wonderful spirit., A friend of mine had a friend whose wife passed away. She died of an asthma attack. She also was a young woman, who left behind a husband and two teenage children. I guess the point of this is to say that life is short. No one knows from day to day what will happen. No one knows who will wake up and see the sunrise tomorrow. So, actually, the point is.....don't take ANY day for granted. I would imagine that either of the three women above would have loved to have just one more day with their families. One more day to see or touch their loved ones faces. One more day to tell a friend hello or even to make a stranger smile. One more day to smell a rose or feel the sun on their face. Realize that it doesn't matter if your spouse doesn't put the toliet paper on the way you like it. It doesn't matter if the kitchen isn't as clean as you would like it. Does fighting over little things like tennis shoes or an few hours REALLY mean anything? Or does it just actually just mean that wasted time fighting over ....nothing.....could have been time used relishing in the fact that love surrounds you. Life is full of surprises. Some good, some bad. Don't take things for granted. Don't let little things bother you because is it really worth it? Do what makes you smile. Is life always short? I don't think anyone has the answer. Don't take the chance. Live. Be happy. WE have the power to do that.
ReplyDeleteVery well put, Bob. I've always loved knowing you read and enjoy the blog. If I didn't know better, I'd think you were really a woman. Thanks for the comment. It means alot. More than you know. Matt
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