Made in USA

I have never seen riots or protests over lack of food in the USA in my lifetime.  I lived and worked in Europe for a few years and saw poverty and begging- especially the disabled there.  Society’s first priority is to care for the children and the helpless.  Next, is to police crime and protect its citizens.  And lastly, temper greed and unfair treatment of others.  We will always have a social strata.  The wealthy are needed to take risks and stimulate the economy to create jobs.  The ideal is when everyone can contribute to society in their own way according to their skills, talents and abilities.  What a waste when people are paid not to contribute.  It is also a weight on the spirit.

If only I could carry a football, perhaps I would not have had to spend my career working in a factory.

I work to get the best audio gear I can afford.  I am especially glad when that gear is made in the USA.  My tonearm (UK), my DAC and CD Transport (Austria), my AQ power conditioner (China), Keces power supply, and my new LHY Network Bridge (China) are the only things not made, ie. assembled in the USA.  Oh, tubes came from Russia.

I’ve been to socialist countries.  No thanks.

I know the difference.  I lived in Germany.  I saw the poverty and beggars there.  I saw how the government, unless you belong to a wealthy and powerful family chooses the education and career for your child.  They wanted to direct where my own child would go to school.  Fortunately, I was able to put him in an international school, which had several German kids from wealthy families.  

Every system has its flaws.  The US doesn’t have a perfect record but is still the best government in the world.

Around 1999 I was working at a plant in a former communist country.  One of the associates was talking to me and commented that he missed communism.  He preferred communism over capitalism.  I was surprised by that and asked him why.  I know materially, he was better off than before.  He said he preferred the comfort and security of someone else telling him what to do.  He didn’t like having to make important decisions for himself.

Perhaps some of you prefer the comfort of someone else making your important decisions for you.  Not an unreasonable desire.  We often times hold off making decisions until the opportunity is gone.

Read your books.  I’ve been in 42 countries.  Every one of them have their rich and their poor.  I’ve seen hard work rewarded and celebrated and I have seen the awful scourge of the exploitation of people.  Money is not the answer to everything.  People respecting each other and treating each other fairly would solve a lot of problems.  It can start right here on these forums.