JOBS: Need to improve education
The reason jobs are going to other countries is because the costs are lower there. It's a simple equation and a natural progression. It's not someone's fault and no one can fix it unless they want to impose artificial tariffs, which will result in artificial tariffs on our products.
Our challenge is to replace lost manufacturing and telephone service jobs with other jobs. Not to claw and scratch for every low paying job we can manage to retain.
Unfortunately, the Progressives controlling our schools are more interested in teaching our kids how to feel good about mediocrity, than how to think critically. And of course about how wrong and unfair the USA is.
The reason they whine about losing all these low paying jobs is that most of the people they are turning out are prepared for nothing more. The real problem is the high paying jobs that we are forced to import people for because so few Americans are educationally qualified for them.
What we need is to go back to teaching about the greatness of the American idea and ideal; to focus in our schools about the great things we have done and what we learned about our mistakes; to expect teachers to teach and students to learn critical thinking and marketable skills.
The answer to lost jobs is improved education so that we can compete.
When a proud America competes, America wins and shows the rest of the world how it is done.
Finally, the debt problem is a spending problem, not a taxing problem.
It's about where can we spend less, rather than who can we take more money from.
Some Progressives think the answers to life's problems involve more government and that costs more money. So they are willing to take from anyone they can, to finance it. They don't realize or care that more taxes on the rich are more taxes on all of us.
More importantly, by refusing to accept this as a spending issue, more taxes will not be the answer no matter who you take them from. Because when they get more money, they don't pay down debt, they build more programs.
And where do you think they will get the money from next time? That's right, a general tax increase.
What we need is a much less complicated taxing system with fewer loopholes where everyone pays a fair share. And then we need to live on what it produces.
Finally, I am not bashing Liberals or Progressives and I am not supporting Republicans. Republicans are not blameless for our current problems. I believe every one of us wants what is best for America. We just need to come to some logical conclusions about what needs to be done to move forward in a positive manner.
WALTER LITMAN
Coeur d'Alene