OPINION

An Alleged Return to Preeminence in Exporting

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Is it possible that the president is on a major roll?  I know that everyone’s attention is currently focused on Syria, the Israeli missile test, and the reconvening of Congress next Monday, however, we shouldn’t forget the promise made by the president regarding the not too distant future — it was a pledge to return the U.S. into an exporting powerhouse.  Indeed, it has taken quite some time, but according to the government, that time is right now.  Supposedly, we have joined Japan, Europe, China, and the rest of the world in a manufacturing and exporting renaissance that has not been experienced in years.  In fact, to put it all in perspective, allow me to quote the infamous philosopher Austin Powers, “Yeah, baby.”  Therefore, as U.S. real unemployment continues to increase, production is declining, and prices are on the rise, we are apparently exporting (what?)  — win one for the president.  

Although the rest of the so-called free world is backing away from the possibility of World War III, evidently our president’s ego is so large that he’s convinced that everyone will ultimately agree with him as he continues to recommend military action against Syria.  After all, wasn’t Obama recently able to convince his first presidential opponent, John McCain, to be his chief representative with one of our greatest enemies, Al-Qaeda?  Thus, don’t ever underestimate Obama’s deal making skills.  Moreover, I’m quite sure that when he was recently passing out ambassadorships to the Kennedy clan, Obama also had an ambassadorship in mind for John McCain and perhaps Lindsay Graham, with the title of “Ambassadors of Regime Change.”  Could I have predicted any of this?  Obviously not.  

In the next several days, there will be many questions asked and answered about Syria, which I will leave for others.  Nevertheless, I’d like to inquire about the president’s apparent victory in the world of exporting.  Since the process of exporting is a zero-sum game — a situation which dictates that for every seller, there must be a buyer who is buying — in my opinion, there are two unanswered questions, namely who and what.  

According to the most recent reports, the emerging markets, including India, are a complete disaster.  In addition, the European Union’s unemployment rate continues to rise and China is imploding.  In fact, the whole world seems to be hunkering down, yet we are led to believe that the worldwide exporters are now, in fact, importers, paving the way for a phoenix-like rise for U.S. manufacturers.  

Of course, how foolish of me, I overlooked the biggest market of all.  The natural buyer of our goods and services are the democratic loving, freedom fighting rebels of the Middle East.  From Libya and Egypt to Lebanon and Syria, we’ve certainly found the ultimate buyers for our exports, products which include guns, bullets, rockets, and mortar shells.  

Somehow, I can’t imagine — nor do I believe that the American public had this in mind — that arms dealers including Hamas, Al-Qaeda, Hezbollah, and the Muslim Brotherhood, were the customers that Obama was thinking about when he vowed to reestablish the U.S. as the foremost exporter in the world.  



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