Mayday [?me??de?]: n. (Electronics & Computer Science / Communications & Information) the international radiotelephone distress signal

Another unusual dual post for today (this one and the one to follow), but I think they go together and I hope you’ll see why. Let me first state that, despite the harsh rhetoric reserved for Barack Obama and the liberal Left in this country, I’m an optimist by nature and feel that, no matter how bad things might look at a given time, they will generally work out in the end. I like people by nature, and strive as hard as I can to see the best in people, figuring that the Golden Rule of treating others as you would like to be treated yourself will only return good things in the long run.

Why this preface, you ask? Because I hate to dash all the grotesque, self-congratulating tone of the Obama administration following the assassination of Osama bin Laden with a return to reality and such a depressing topic – the coming economic and social meltdown of the United States. Recently, while looking over some blogs on offshoring (given the amount of work that involves me with India), I came across this article and it shook me deeply – not just because much of what is written there is true, but that it’s happening right before our very eyes, and no one in the media (I’ll forego the “mainstream dino” bit due to the seriousness of which I write), seems to even care:

But for American workers, a “global marketplace” is really bad news. In the United States, businesses are subject to a vast array of very complex laws, rules and regulations that make it very difficult to operate in this country. That makes it very tempting for corporations to simply move out of the U.S. in order to avoid all of the hassle.

In addition, the United States now has the highest corporate tax rate in the entire world. This also provides great motivation for corporations to move operations outside of the country.

The biggest thing affecting American workers, however, is the fact that labor has now become a global commodity. U.S. workers have now been merged into a global labor pool. Americans must now directly compete for jobs with hundreds of millions of desperate people willing to work for slave labor wages on the other side of the globe.

So exactly how is an American worker supposed to compete with a highly motivated person on the other side of the planet that makes $1.50 an hour with essentially no benefits?

Just think about it.

If you were a big global corporation, would you want to hire American workers which would cost you 10 or 20 times more after everything is factored in?

Not only is reading the entire article a must, but check out the comments. It’s pretty sobering stuff, even frightening.

And if that isn’t enough to depress you, this aricle about American hellholes is another that will shake you to the core. It’s heartbreaking, really.

And it’s all happening right before our very eyes. And few in Washington on either side of the political aisle, but most especially the weekly golfer in the White House – seems interested in, or even capable of, doing anything about it. And that’s not just me being anti-Obama or (in Whoopi Goldberg’s terms) a racist, it a fact. Where is the leadership? Where is the courage to tell this country the unvarnished truth about how we’ve been living above our means for so long and that a day of reckoning is upon us? It’s so depressing and disheartening that the people whom we’ve elected to look out for our nation’s well-being and future propsperity are either so clueless or recklessly incompetent – or both – that they’d allow this kind of thing to go on without telling Americans that their ship of state is going down the tubes, and far faster than anyone realizes. Where’s the “mayday” call?

I’m so glad I was born when I was back in the mid-’50s. The ’60s and ’70s were golden years to grow up in. Looking back, it really was the best of times in my mind. I feel bad for the youth of today. Between the “baby boomers”, who (perhaps with every good intent) spoiled their kids rotten, creating this sense of entitlement I’ve never understood, and their children, who have now become “mommie and daddy dearests” to a generation of youth completely out of control without any sense of boundaries, moderation, or (to quote the late, great Boston DJ Bill Marlowe) taste, class, and appreciation, we live in an entitlement society run amok.

It’s too bad, tragic, really, because this generation and the one to come are in for a very, very rude awakening – it’s happening right now, all across this country – can’t you see? We are so screwed. And those “American hellholes” are growing in size every day just as this country’s social and economic foundations become ever more fragile. Not only are the youth of today guaranteed to see their standard of living fall, it’s going to fall precipitously, and they’ll be facing the hardest of hard times without ever being taught by their parents (or even grandparents) how to get through them through common sense, hard work, religious faith, and trust in the goodness of people. They will find themselves living in truly apocalyptic times, and I hope and pray I’m not around to see it.

Is there anyone who cares about this kind of thing anymore?

The warning signs are all around us – at some point, our economy will collapse when the government won’t be able to meet its obligations to its lenders. How can you sustain a system where the number of people paying taxes no longer covers what this government spends? Doesn’t anyone see that? It does no good to criticize and condemn the industries of this country that are making money and employing people here right here in the U.S., yet we hear this from Obama and his leftist loon and goon pals on a daily basis. And don’t get me started on the liberal Left and their support for illegal immigration.

Doesn’t anyone – not least the President – understand we’re broke? Doesn’t anyone understand that the only way we are going to stop this ship from sinking entirely is to make it easier – not harder – for corporations both large and small to do business worldwide and keep jobs right here in the U.S.? And for Americans first and foremost?

Is there anyone out there who can lead this country away from the awful precipice we find ourselves on?

I believe there is.