It's the (World) Economy Dummies

The silver lining in the bleak economic news is international sales by U.S. companies into the global market sales are keeping companies afloat. Without these sales, layoffs and the economic downdraft would be even greater.

U.S. domestic markets are shrinking due to dropping demand as consumer confidence and the housing meltdown has put the domestic economic brakes on. Each $1 billion in U.S. exports creates about 25,000 jobs according to the Dept. of Commerce stats. We can compete, especially as the dollar as sunk to new low's against the Euro, making our stuff dirty cheap for Europeans, it just takes a commitment to do it. U.S. companies have been slow off the mark, but now its often their only hope of either growth or even survival. Only a fraction of our companies who could export products or services actually do.

There is tremendous room for growth. We just need to sell and make things people overseas want, like cars that get better gas mileage, and solar/wind technology instead of just JDAMS and military machines to places like Saudi. Young Saudis account for 41% of the fighters going into Iraq to attack our troops. Their women can't even go to the doctor without permission from a man. If you go to Dubai, things cost three to five times what they do here (like they would with Mr. Huckabee's 23% national sales tax. Don't believe me? Go to Europe and see how theirs runs up costs twice ours).

And don't forget, our big companies (and government) is living on money borrowed from our global neighbors. Our banks are getting bailed out by Saudis and the Chinese are buying our IOU's for the billion-dollar budget/war deficits.

On the local scene, a new article with startling details on the real facts written by a Chronicle columnist shows that the next DA has a racial problem --not just an issue with a particular Church (Lakewood). Seigler knocked off a guy who even said he had no problem with the death penalty --and said so in several places on their "You gotta Be Willing To Kill Them" DA form -- because he was a member of Lakewood and the NAACP.

The next title may be from that song: "Meet the New Boss. Same as the Old Boss"....