Beware the Ides of Globalization
Philip F. Harris
June 06, 2006
Regardless of what is said here or by others opposed to rampart globalization, the forces that support it are unstoppable. That said, stronger moves are being made with regards to economic globalization. The recent move to merge the NYSC with Europe is no secret. But be forewarned, these economic trends will spell disaster.
It is one thing to share products and services across national boundaries; it is quite another to be dependent on sources of foreign sources of goods and services. The obvious example is oil. Everyone knows that our reliance upon oil imports has placed heavy burdens on the American consumer. And now, Iran has used its threat to slow oil production as an ace in the hole with respect to their plans for nuclear power. As always, when it come to the” almighty barrel,” we either go to war or spend countless of billions to keep the lines flowing. Those billions will come out of our pocket.
The same scenario is happening with respect to most manufactured goods and agricultural products. With few exceptions, the label Made in America is rapidly becoming a collector’s item. Given the unstable world economy and a rapidly changing global climate, is it prudent to rely upon foreign sources for most of our consumer goods? If some kind of disaster were to befall China, we would have no clothes. The more we “rely” upon foreign sources, the more our own infrastructure degrades. Factories in America are almost a thing of the past. Many have been torn down, turned into malls or housing projects, or are rotting under the weight on disuse. If our overseas producers were to stumble for whatever reason, we simply no longer have the capacity to pick up the slack. If solar flares were to knock out satellite communications, how could our Indian Tech Support brethren correct our computer problems?
Even many of our food supplies are not grown domestically. Where would we be if droughts were to hit Latin America or Australia? With the never ending El Nino weather, there is bound to be growing disruptions in food supplies. Couple this with our own weather calamities and the loss of the family farm, we may soon find ourselves trying to resurrect Victory Gardens.
We are heading to a one system economy that is not sustainable. When Japan suffered its severe recession, there were ripples in the global markets, but they did not collapse. But suppose that the NYSEC was in partnership with Japan. The losses would have been more than a blip. Do we really want our exchanges tied that closely to the recurrent labor issues in France? Do we want our economy that closely wedded to the Euro?
Any system that becomes too integrated means that one glitch can down the entire system. It is only through diversity that we achieve a healthy and resilient economy, environment, political and social system. Our nation was founded upon a principle of “self-reliance.” This does not mean that we must always “go it” alone or stand apart from the events and problems of the world. But it does mean that the only way that we can truly lead, be strong and aid our fellow brethren is to maintain our own independent vitality. If we be lifted, then we can help those in need. The trend, however, is to intermingle our society and economic systems with others so that what befalls them, will also befall us. I do not believe that we desire to be pulled into events that will be totally out of our control. We see too much of that already in global politics. The “Ides of Globalization” are upon us. The uniformity that it breeds will spell disaster. If you only plant one crop and it suffers blight, then the entire supply is gone. A world economy means that a failure in one small part of the globe could result in an economic pandemic.
Philip F. Harris
It is one thing to share products and services across national boundaries; it is quite another to be dependent on sources of foreign sources of goods and services. The obvious example is oil. Everyone knows that our reliance upon oil imports has placed heavy burdens on the American consumer. And now, Iran has used its threat to slow oil production as an ace in the hole with respect to their plans for nuclear power. As always, when it come to the” almighty barrel,” we either go to war or spend countless of billions to keep the lines flowing. Those billions will come out of our pocket.
The same scenario is happening with respect to most manufactured goods and agricultural products. With few exceptions, the label Made in America is rapidly becoming a collector’s item. Given the unstable world economy and a rapidly changing global climate, is it prudent to rely upon foreign sources for most of our consumer goods? If some kind of disaster were to befall China, we would have no clothes. The more we “rely” upon foreign sources, the more our own infrastructure degrades. Factories in America are almost a thing of the past. Many have been torn down, turned into malls or housing projects, or are rotting under the weight on disuse. If our overseas producers were to stumble for whatever reason, we simply no longer have the capacity to pick up the slack. If solar flares were to knock out satellite communications, how could our Indian Tech Support brethren correct our computer problems?
Even many of our food supplies are not grown domestically. Where would we be if droughts were to hit Latin America or Australia? With the never ending El Nino weather, there is bound to be growing disruptions in food supplies. Couple this with our own weather calamities and the loss of the family farm, we may soon find ourselves trying to resurrect Victory Gardens.
We are heading to a one system economy that is not sustainable. When Japan suffered its severe recession, there were ripples in the global markets, but they did not collapse. But suppose that the NYSEC was in partnership with Japan. The losses would have been more than a blip. Do we really want our exchanges tied that closely to the recurrent labor issues in France? Do we want our economy that closely wedded to the Euro?
Any system that becomes too integrated means that one glitch can down the entire system. It is only through diversity that we achieve a healthy and resilient economy, environment, political and social system. Our nation was founded upon a principle of “self-reliance.” This does not mean that we must always “go it” alone or stand apart from the events and problems of the world. But it does mean that the only way that we can truly lead, be strong and aid our fellow brethren is to maintain our own independent vitality. If we be lifted, then we can help those in need. The trend, however, is to intermingle our society and economic systems with others so that what befalls them, will also befall us. I do not believe that we desire to be pulled into events that will be totally out of our control. We see too much of that already in global politics. The “Ides of Globalization” are upon us. The uniformity that it breeds will spell disaster. If you only plant one crop and it suffers blight, then the entire supply is gone. A world economy means that a failure in one small part of the globe could result in an economic pandemic.
Philip F. Harris
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