Remember those prophetic words that were spoken by Ross Perot in his unsuccessful bid for President of the U.S. in 1992 and 1996? “The great sucking sound you will hear will be your jobs leaving the country,” h e said. What have we been hearing ever since from the politicians and political pundits? “I will bring back American jobs.” Who was right to begin with?

Well as the old saying goes, hindsight is always better than foresight, and the saying is true because nobody ever looks at history when deciding which way to vote. It seems that when it comes to politics, we keep repeating the same mistakes over and over again.

I well remember John Stanley, Union Boss for the United Electrical Workers at the GE plant in Syracuse. At the time, GE was the largest employer in the city. The reason I remember him was because of his profusion of letters gracing the pages of the Syracuse Post Standard, blasting the company and referring to it as “The Enemy.” I do not know about the rest of you, but I never thought of someone who was providing me with a living as an enemy. He seemed to me to typify the mind set of organized labor in this country. Is it any wonder that industry would search for alternatives?

I had asked myself why, if that is the case, NAFTA did not face heavy opposition from organized labor when both political parties pushed so hard for its support? Then, I was given a clue from a conversation I had with a ninety odd year old, retired, high-ranking military officer. He had a friend that tried unsuccessfully to get accepted to West Point just prior to WWII. His family had a union official they were paying $5,000 a year to keep the union out of the family business. The union official got the young man into West Point, and it was at his retirement party as Chairman of The Joint Chiefs of Staff that I met the older gentleman who told me the story.

Ever since that time, I have been very suspicious of the influence organized labor has with both major political parties. It is a terrible thought, but I strongly suspect that the almighty dollar has, in too many instances, taken precedence over the welfare of the nation as a whole. Coupled with the high corporate tax rates, regulatory constraints, and labor costs other nations do not have to contend with, is it any wonder why jobs have left this country?

There is one other factor that gives me pause for thought, when I think of rebuilding our industrial base and the role our culture plays in determining our success in same. Do we possess the same work ethic, cultural, and family values early immigrants brought to this nation that made it great? I know for a fact that all three factors are nowhere near as strong as they were when I was a young man. It asks the question of who are we going to get to fill those jobs, if and when we ever can resurrect them? Every business person I talk with says finding good help is their number one problem.

I definitely see places in everyday living where businesses are missing opportunities to improve. The first is to offer higher quality products and bigger variety in their merchandise than is available today. I will give you just a few examples.

I am always looking for good quality work clothes that fit, wear well, and are comfortable. My number one need is for work shirts, or what I call ‘everyday’ shirts. I would like to find a shirt that has two good sized buttoned down front pockets with an opening for a pencil or pen. I would next like them to be made of fabric that is light and airy for summer weather, something similar to the old chambray work shirts. In my quest for same I was in one local outlet of the largest shopping center in the world last week, and they did not carry one work shirt of any description. This was a store in a rural area surrounded by farms of all kinds. It is hard for me to grasp how any merchandiser could let such a thing happen. I am able to find several shirts that fit my needs in heaver fabric, but they all have shortcomings such as improper tailoring, tails that are too short, or buttons that come off every time they are washed.

Another pet peeve I have is being unable to find odd waist sizes in men’s trousers. I need size 35 and I am sure there are many out there who would like to find 33, 37, etc. I spend a lot of time and effort searching for just what I want and need, and so must many others. I could go on and on with things like shoe laces, and things such as a tissue box holder in autos and trucks.

Wake up America before it’s too late.