Bridge to Somewhere

NOBODY “gets it.”

Not the President; nor the Speaker-in-waiting; nor the half-dozen fervent, small-government, anti-everything-else rookie Congressmen.

The American people don’t want more plastic stuff from China. It’s that simple. So pump all the borrowed dollars you want back into our sputtering economy. Play with inflation and deflation and tax cuts (again with borrowed money). Or stand back and let the so-called “free market” sort it out. It will look like you’re getting something done for “your side,” but it will not work in any sustainable way to fix this mess.

As long as our economy revolves around consumer spending, we’re doomed. We already have too much stuff. Consumers are trending toward higher quality, local purchases on a smaller scale (this is a personal observation). We want the things we buy to be made in the USA, not because of some xenophobic paranoia, but because we want our neighbors to have the means of productive achievement so we can have healthy, thriving communities.

Nor will it work to export our affluenza to developing countries, hopping them up on McDonalds and Coke and iPads. Sooner or later, these folks will get sick of being fat and not-so-happy, as are we. The disgusting spectacle in India this week of nuclear energy developers trying to avoid Bhopal-BP-like responsibilities is emblematic of our slash-and-burn global ambition. We have to STOP and think about the impacts to our planet and our humanity of exporting our consumer lifestyle.

So how to “create jobs” and help Americans in our pursuit of happiness? In a word: infrastructure. If hundreds of billions of dollars are to be infused or invested in anything, it should not be so we can run through Wal-Mart filling up our carts with cheap Chinese trinkets. We should invest those dollars in our existing transportation infrastructure (roads, bridges); municipal water lines and natural gas pipelines; sustainable “clean” energy such as wind farms; dams and levees; improved and ubiquitous communications infrastructure and the electric grids.

Don’t believe the chambers of commerce, which will predictably label infrastructure investment a “jobs killer” (their favorite non sequitur). Someone’s silos are always getting filled with other people’s money. These would just be different silos, with the beneficiaries being everyone, not just big business. What a concept!

Replacing the bumper stickers could be an issue!

(A little rusty here… pun intended.)

Since this country seems intent to stay on its 90 year path as a consumer economy, dependent on you and me to buy our way out of the Great Recession (see the Fed Chair Ben Bernanke’s $600 billion purchase of government debt) here are some thoughts for automakers who aren’t yet building what I want to buy.

My current trusty automobile is a 1999 Chevy Prism. The biggest issue it’s had has been a broken blower motor for the heater. And last week we replaced the battery for the second time. Nothing major, or even irritating in the way of repairs. Yet, the clutch is getting iffy, and I’m thinking it may be time to ante up for a replacement car.

I first shopped for a new car when my Prism was just a few years old, only to find showrooms wholly populated with big honkin’ trucks and assorted other gas guzzlers. So I put car shopping on hold.

The Prism’s fuel economy was 41 mph on the highway when it was brand new. The last time we measured gas mileage, on a trip to my sister’s in Iowa, it got 37 mph. So any new car will have to have fuel economy at least that good, and preferably be a hybrid.

Next, I want gadgets. Heated seats, which I’ve lived all my life without, and GPS, Bluetooth and other 21st Century addendum on the dash.

After that, give me four doors, a stick shift, fun color options and a decent price. Throw in good safety and consumer ratings, and I believe you’ll have a sale!