I recall a time when I witnessed America's greatness. It was when Dad left the Navy to work at the aerospace plant. His career progressed year by year, with only a few scares and stutters when the defense business slumped, but never very long.
A man with a high school education backed by military training could start a good life to raise two boys. Mom didn't have to work and could devote full time to managing the household and teaching boys responsibilities.
When the boys had college on the horizon, Mom went to work as an entrepreneur as a beautician. Both parents saved for our college education that was a specific goal.
My dad taught me to go to work early, and I had many part-time jobs beginning at age twelve. My parents taught me to save money, opening a bank account, and I bought my car while still in high school.
I earned college support through a scholarship and worked at the aircraft factory. I took my time settling on a career direction, changing college majors because I had the discretion in time and money to do that.
While the Vietnam war raged, I was on a student deferment until I ran out of time. I joined the National Guard and graduated from Officer Candidate School. I graduated from college and got a great job at Western Electric Company and the Bell System.
Based on advanced training at the Bell System, I could advance my career in other manufacturing corporations until I could see the end was near. America's manufacturing industries were dying a swift death.
I saw it first hand while at Bendix Corporation, where we made the best metrology instruments in the world. Being best didn't matter when foreign competitors could compete with cheaper products.
I became a publisher of manufacturing magazines and a leading computer journal. I fought hard to help advertisers succeed by merchandising their products with excellent articles.
It didn't matter. American policies discouraged domestic manufacturing and rewarded capitalists for placing their bets abroad. Capitalists are not patriotic.
I shifted to consulting with the Department of Defense, focussing on logistics. I did what I could to promote American manufacturers. That was another losing battle except for American aerospace industries that sustained the industrial base for national security reasons.
Complain about the military-industrial complex if you wish; if we didn't have it, we would be completely dead and vulnerable.
In today's news, people are fretting that Starbucks can't find enough workers and must close early at 3 pm. Republicans are blocking an infusion of investment in infrastructure and workforce development in the wake of giving tax breaks to wealthy persons and corporations that ran up the debt and deficit.
Get real, America, if you can. I doubt it.
Read more about optimism and pessimism: https://mymoneywhat.com/the-defensive-pessimist-and-the-realistic-optimist/
That's not my blog, but it's good.
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