The China factor

Let we Americans murder and maim and kill in cars 50,000 people a year and that is pretty bad. But let poor innocent pets suffer from human degradation, and that is intolerable. The introduction of poison into some of our pet food supply is just such an example. And it has all the elements of a Hollywood cover-up to include dead pets, Chinese delay in the visas for American inspectors to China, and the most lame excuses out of China. It makes the present process stink to high heaven, and exposes more embarrassing gaffs on our end of government certification, especially in organic food certification out of China. All this will prompt another cross-over point for we Americans in dealing across our borders.

Americans are among the tolerant groups of people in the world. This applies to the ideas of globalization and fair trade when it adversely affects the older parts of local communities. But the old American expression also comes to mind: “Don’t pee down my leg and tell me it’s raining”. When local people begin to believe that the elected politicians and hired bureaucrats in D.C. better represent the globalization crowd at the expense of small communities and their declining health, then change is on the way. Most remarkable is the association of the China factor with illegal immigration. The pet food tragedy (caused by man) and illegal immigration seem one and the same. Just when is government going to recognize the values of American communities, and promote them as public policy.

There are practical applications to this principle. The usual D.C. based political sales pitches talk about education and retraining. And that is a good factor for the younger types. But what is seldom mentioned are the older types, their value in communities, and helping them appropriately in the transitions. It is hard teaching old dogs new tricks. What is really happening is as bad as the pet food scandal. Older people are being forced onto welfare and public health care (such as it is) and social security. And in this process entire communities and ways of life are being accelerated towards an earlier end that might otherwise have happened. That might be fine but for two things, nobody remembers voting for all this, and illegal immigration has made all this worse in too many local communities. Just research the amount of public health care hospitals being forced out of business by having to treat illegal immigrants. No amount of government dictating of reimbursements can change the bottom line and the service to the community.

There is one small sub-element that also keeps coming up. Are our diplomats and negotiators savvy enough to do their job, and just whose side are they on anyway. Again, all these questions are from a very tolerant group of Americans.

The connection of the China factor and illegal immigration’s effects on many local communities is a rising factor in America. Many think the voters will have to replace about half of each National Party in D.C. to get relief, or at a bare minimum, representation.