There have been several letters to the editor in the Record-Bee that suggest that the federal Government undertake another effort to stimulate our rather weak economic recovery. I do no believe this would be wise.
Unlike the ”30s when the USA owed very little, we now owe vast sums, which our grandchildren will have to pay back. The TV news reported that the debt is now 25 percent of Gross Domestic Product; this cannot be sustained for long .As we all know many of the countries in Europe are in a very deep crisis because of overspending on various welfare state programs and we are on the same path. I can see no way that the USA can avoid the same bad result unless we stop borrowing so much now.
The current administration feels that we can borrow our way to prosperity. I find few who agree that this will work and since others have tried this and are now failing. It seems that we will too. There is no reason to believe that our country can escape the excesses of many years of overspending and it is folly to go down the same path that has led others to ruin.
What made our country the premiere economy of the world was the ability of our people to prosper by hard work and their new ideas. Some think this time has passed, but look at the people who come to this land from all over the world and are successful. Many who are born here do not take advantage of a system that rewards hard work and new ideas.
Some waste their years of education taking courses in school for which there are no jobs. Many do not see the value of making the effort to prepare for a working life while in school and then complain when they cannot find work and some will not move to where the jobs are.
My personal experience was that sometimes you have to take whatever work is available until something better becomes available in your field and sometimes moving is the only option.
At the present time, for example, the unemployment rate in the Oil Patch area of the Dakotas is in the 3 percent range and work is available at excellent wages, as even hamburger joints pay $15 per hour, according to the Wall Street Journal this week.
I think that we have put many rocks in our path on the road to better employment and that the present policy of bashing business of the past three years is not helpful in persuading business, large and small, to expand hiring.
The constant changes in the rules of the game has created so much uncertainty that caution has become the rule of the day. Before one is going to invest you have to have some assurance of what the future rules are going to be.
We have a great and I think, unique country that still has the ability to return to prosperity for all of our citizens.
Darryl Smith
Kelseyville
