My soon-to-be Father-In-Law arranged for Miss Blinkin and me to tour a glass manufacturing plant a few days ago.
It may not sound like much, but it was breath-taking.
All you have to do is turn on Sweet Home Alabama to learn how glass is made, but since you’re probably too scared to click the previous link…why don’t I tell you?
Simplification of the process:
- Find tons of sand
- Melt the $h!+ out of it
It was quite fascinating. My favorite part was standing beside the furnace which was approximately heated to 2900 degrees Fahrenheit.
Needless to say, I was scorching…but not because of the heat.
All I could think about was that, if America continues on our current path, this plant will not exist in 20 years.
Made In America
When’s the last time you saw this phrase?
[Made in America]Unless it was a bumper sticker stuck on the back of a 1996 Mustang, I’m guessing you haven’t seen this phrase in a while.
I often hear jokes about so many things being ‘Made in China‘ and about how ‘China owns America,’ but the comment is usually followed by nervous laughter. I don’t see enough genuine concern for the problem.
But it is a problem…
America became the powerhouse that it is was because we saved, we invested in ourselves, and then we produced. Manufacturing led the way. But now, who wants to do business in America?
I have seen arguments that our growing “service economy” is proof of our growth and positive development, but I’ll let you be the judge of that.
The United States Trade Deficit is hovering around $40 Billion. Is this a positive statistic?
This could mean a few things:
- We consume too much (imported from Foreign countries)
- We don’t produce enough (goods that Foreign countries want)
There is no real wealth being created and I truly believe it’s unsustainable.
We’re all just pushing around paper.
If this continues, much like the glass, our economy will shatter.
