An (of course) unpublished letter I sent to The Economist...
(Note on 09/24/2008: I wrote this on early August. I think I underestimated the problems the American economy was facing. If I would have known what was about to unleash… I WOULD BE BILLIONAIRE BY NOW!)
I was in the gym reading an article called “Unhappy America” in The Economist (the only thing that can keep me in the treadmill for at least half an hour) and was surprised on how worried everybody is about the actual crisis (although GDP is yet to go down for the first time when I’m writing this post).. Coming from Argentina, where real crisis happen really often, I can only look in awe at what is considered elsewhere a crisis, so I decided to write the following letter:
SIR - Allow me to disagree with your statement that America has become “Unhappy America”. The problem is the bad propaganda the media is giving to the wannabe crisis. Maybe a good marketing campaign will make American’s minds to look different at the current economic problems. For example, if house prices fall another 10% and unemployment rise above 10% Mexicans will stop crossing the border by own choice and that problem will be solved. Moreover, many that have already crossed from many different countries will want to return to their homelands. That will create many of the jobs we like here in America like construction in Phoenix at 110º or working at Home Depot. Add to the unemployment a larger increase in oil prices (transportation costs) and Nike and others will be closing their factories in China and Vietnam and reopening them in the US (what a sweet revenge to steal jobs from the stealers!). With that the US will start being a manufacturing country again and will not have to revise the current trade agreements, or even worry about trade at all! Make things even worse and many people (not only the ones in the top but also the ones in the middle too!) will be able to have domestic labor at home saving energy from those “energy sucker appliances” like dishwashers and microwave ovens, reducing the impact on carbon emissions by households. Of course that domestic workforce will be American too. As you can see, one little economic problem can solve all America’s big problems, except gay marriage.
Alex R. Horenstein
Tempe, AZ
I was in the gym reading an article called “Unhappy America” in The Economist (the only thing that can keep me in the treadmill for at least half an hour) and was surprised on how worried everybody is about the actual crisis (although GDP is yet to go down for the first time when I’m writing this post).. Coming from Argentina, where real crisis happen really often, I can only look in awe at what is considered elsewhere a crisis, so I decided to write the following letter:
SIR - Allow me to disagree with your statement that America has become “Unhappy America”. The problem is the bad propaganda the media is giving to the wannabe crisis. Maybe a good marketing campaign will make American’s minds to look different at the current economic problems. For example, if house prices fall another 10% and unemployment rise above 10% Mexicans will stop crossing the border by own choice and that problem will be solved. Moreover, many that have already crossed from many different countries will want to return to their homelands. That will create many of the jobs we like here in America like construction in Phoenix at 110º or working at Home Depot. Add to the unemployment a larger increase in oil prices (transportation costs) and Nike and others will be closing their factories in China and Vietnam and reopening them in the US (what a sweet revenge to steal jobs from the stealers!). With that the US will start being a manufacturing country again and will not have to revise the current trade agreements, or even worry about trade at all! Make things even worse and many people (not only the ones in the top but also the ones in the middle too!) will be able to have domestic labor at home saving energy from those “energy sucker appliances” like dishwashers and microwave ovens, reducing the impact on carbon emissions by households. Of course that domestic workforce will be American too. As you can see, one little economic problem can solve all America’s big problems, except gay marriage.
Alex R. Horenstein
Tempe, AZ
posted by Alex Horenstein at 11:32 AM
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