Friday, September 16, 2011

"A Tale of Two Countries"

                                                  

While serving with the Air Force I was assigned to a base in Korea in 1976.  Having served in Vietnam on three tours I was somewhat familiar with the Asian region.  I have also always taken the opportunity when stationed in an area to seek out the locals and learn something of their culture.  I was very impressed with the hard-working Koreans.  Though poor, the Koreans exuded a "can-do" spirit and were very dedicated toward upward mobility and making things better for their children.

Korea in 1976 was still pulling herself out of extreme poverty.  The typical household still heated their homes with a charcoal burning furnace and the typical Korean kitchen was a little one-foot sized butane stove and a small mini-fridge, typically in the same room that served as living room and bedroom.  Almost all cars on the road were Hyundai taxi's; very few Koreans owned private automobiles.  Public transportation was the primary means of getting around.  Per capita income was $3,000 per year.

In 1982 I returned for another one year assignment in Korea.  Upon my return I was amazed at the rapid progress this little Asian country had achieved in six short years.  In the late 70's the government restructured their regulations to spur business activity.  The results were astonishing.  This time I witnessed middle class Koreans for the first time.  They were driving their own automobiles, their homes were modern, replete with modern new kitchen appliances and everyone was extremely busy climbing the economic ladder!  Per capita income had more than doubled to $7,000 per year, there was no inflation and industrial producton was beginning to spur export traffic.  In 2010, Korea per capita income is $28,000 dollars per year and Korean products such as Kia and Hyundai and Samsung are known for quality throughout the world.

Korea's tremendous economic success is attributable to two factors; an impressive work ethic and a business environment nourished by government that believes in the free markets!

Contrast Korea's success with that of the United States during the past two decades.  As the Koreans scoff at lazy laggards and champion the rewards of hard work, the U.S. has developed a "victim class" mentality that is sucking the very life from our economy.  The U.S. government has become so intrusive in our lives and our political philosophy has turned so liberal that John and Bobby Kennedy, the liberal icons of their time, are spinning in their graves at liberalism run amok.  Both would be considered Tea Partiers today.

Our massive debt, our severe unemployment problems and our depression-era economy is now forcing us to take a good long look at where we've been and where we're going.  We are now at a crossroads and must choose the path we will travel in the future.  Will America stop whining and pull ourselves up by our bootstraps and get going?  Or will we follow the European socialist model and stifle all sources of innovation?

It is clear that Obama and the liberal Democrats are hell bent on a socialist model.  Many will follow them as long as that government check keeps coming.  Some Tea Party folks, some truly conservative and Independent Americans have seen the direction we're headed and don't like it.  I believe we'll know by November, 2012 the choice America will make.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

My fear is that comes early 2013, and now we have a Conservative, Republican, tea-partier (or a mix) of all of that ruling this country AND then two, three, four years from now, we would be in the same or worse situation as we are now. We will be proven, that it is not liberal democrats or conservative republicans or tea-partiers the Solution. the blame game will continue pointing fingers, this country has been governable in the past, but greed, lobbysts, politics took over long ago, that's how the demise started. When politicians started looking what is best for their careers, when they gave in into the lobbysts, when they started to do whatever it was to keep themselves in Washington. when they put our beloved country second. No matter who will win next elections. I do hope a tea-partier wins (wont happen), or a conservative Republican wins.. just to prove my point. hopefully then, liberal democrats be put off the hook. but they will be blamed anyways, why?? because whatever party wins will say that the problem was started/worsen while the opposite party was in power. just like some people nowdays still blame the previous president for -just about everything wrong. it is what it is my friends, this is what this country has become in terms of politics. one party wins, it cant govern because the opposition controls either the house or the senate etc etc, then the pointing of the finger begins and never ends. So my friends, I cannot ask you to agree with me. Dem or Rep will not fix or make it better. my wishful thinking tells me that this country can only change directions once drastics measures are taken.
-Illegals out
-violent criminals (gangs)euthanized
-Controlled spending
-more taxes (even if it hurts)
- terms serving on the congress or Senate- No career politicians
-no wars
-welfare/medicare/medicaid reprogrammed to prevent fraud/abuse

will it happen in my lifetime? NOT
it will take some sort of divine intervention.

A Modest Scribler said...

Thank you for your comments. I am a bit more optimistic than you. I believe the Tea Party are fighting for less government and, to me, that is a good thing. We no longer have the luxury of making huge mistakes anymore. Again, thanks.

Anonymous said...

I am afraid that with less government, lest regulatory agencies, banks, wall street and the largest companies (the ones who got the tax loopholes down to science) will run rampant with their greed on the front seat. I would like to be as optimistic as you. I will vote ..yes. but to think that a tea-party ideaology/group will lead us out of this mess is (to me)mostly wishful.. but that is all we can do after all.. wish for better times