Ni Hao.

We may have been so distracted by all of the electronica in our lives to notice how much of our existence has become dependent upon the Chinese. A trip to any major retailer or big box store can be quite an eye opener when one counts up the products made in China against the products actually made in the United States. Be forewarned: if you thought 'Assembled in the USA from non-domestic parts' was a slick sidestep, wait until you come across the "Packaging Made in the USA" pure obfuscation.

Why are we so heavily committed to Chinese production of all our products? Was is because no one wanted to learn to operate an injection molding machine? Was it because no one would work in a steel mill? I don't think so as there are still molders and steel mills in business here and people earn decent wages in each one.

When it comes down to where the rubber meets the road, the modern investor is not interested in creating a social contract with employees, communities or industry segments. There is no increased standing available to them for taking on the responsibility of being an industrialist anymore. The sense of entitlement among modern investors justifies their sneering at the very people who do the day to day work of the organization and what better way to sneer at people than employing those who live halfway around the world.

A few generations ago, the public came to vilify the likes of Carnegie and Rockefeller for having amassed such fortunes in their respective industries. Strange, however, that these 'robber barons' would spend time in their factories and refineries, always interested in how the plants were running and offering up advice for how to improve the process. I have a difficult time imagining Stephen Schwarzman sauntering into a factory in Hebei province around two in the morning and saying, 'Ni hao?'

I can't cure this problem, so I will just lower my head and stare at my hand waiting for the BlackBerry to ring. The Chinese-made BlackBerry, maybe?

Deadly Toys

The New York Times has reported that the potential dangers from toys produced in China may be a larger issue than we first thought. Read the article here.

We paid a dear price in the US for the enforcement of minimum safety and health standards- we lost a substantial portion of our manufacturing base. Who will be at the dock to test all of the incoming products from China? The importing sales agency companies with offices located in office campuses and surrounded by bucolic vistas? Don't count on it. They're too busy overseeing the installation of an outside kitchen at their summer houses- with a fire feature.

We should not give sanction to this in any way.

Where I Live

I live in a place where there are good things mixed in with things less good, but I know from experience that all good things are brought to life by elfin magic. I am comforted by my knowledge of, and complete faith in, a future that insures me a rightful place at the table of plenty created by people who have no requirement to know my name or anything about me but still toil to maintain my comfort.

I am lucky enough to be able to maintain a certain distance ahead of what must surely be a bevy of those things less good and I am comforted in the knowledge of, and complete faith in, those people who will protect me.

This was a fantasy description of today's life in America. In the future postings here, I will rant and rave about rewarded mediocrity; energy created and distributed by elves; the lack of capital creation; our loss of manufacturing independence and why our country, plain and simple, has it's collective head inserted....... well, you get the picture.

No, I am not a proponent of Ayn Rand's objectivism, but I am a person who craves social sanity. Welcome to the Rearden Chronicles.