Creating Jobs In America

The years 2008-2009 has seen record job losses in the U.S. but the economic slowdown actually started in 2007. Much of this was caused by (greedy) companies trying to make more of a profit by using cheap, overseas labor at the expense of their customer service and/or quality of their products. We are all familiar with the quality of the products that come from China; toys, pharmaceuticals, tires, etc. The list is probably too long to get into here. The latest item is sheetrock from a German company called Krauf. It emits a gas that deteriorates plumbing & electrical fixtures as well as wiring. From 2004-2007, enough of this material was imported into the U.S. to build 50,000 homes. The numbers aren't in yet but you can bet there will be a lot of lawsuits. I wonder how much those companies like having things made abroad now that they're facing legal ramifications and was it worth it?

The fastest way to sink a company is to put out an inferior product. I commend companies like the people who make the Segway. They rejected a suggestion by actor Jackie Chan that they have it made in China. Their answer was a flat "NO" because they did not want to compromise the quality. I am not suggesting to completely boycott products made in China, but as a consumer this should raise a red flag. Buy wisely and buy American whenever possible.

In March 2009, I saw a speech given by President Obama on developing alternative energy. One quote was; "I know that there's some big business and special interest that don't want this to happen and are gearing up for a fight as I speak. Well…I have one thing to say to you…so am I". What a refreshing change from the previous administration! As you may know, George Bush had to sell off his stocks in Standard Oil Co. to become president.

Many road projects have already begun under the Obama stimulus package and are putting people back to work. The manufacturing sector also needs a lot of help. The more people turn towards alternative energy, the more jobs will be created but people will have to initiate this by creating more of a demand for it. Any one person may look at this as a "drop in a bucket" and that their individual effort won't make any difference but, if you look at this as "strength in numbers" it will have an impact and starts to make sense. The move towards alternative energy is high on President Obama's list despite big business and special interest. The U.S. has some serious "catching up" to do with Europe (one country has vowed to be completely off of fossil fuels within 5 years) but the sooner we stop depending on fossil fuels to heat and power our homes and cars, our earth will be a better place on which to live. This is the 21st century and burning fossil fuels for energy is ridiculous and needs to end