| We normally do not think that health is related to | | | | banners or political rhetoric about treaties, minimum |
| economics other than with regard to the costs of | | | | wages and outsourcing. The global economy is here to |
| medical care. But there is another more fundamental | | | | stay and that will mean the American standard of living |
| way money impacts our wellbeing. If you could not pay | | | | will retract and the developing world's will improve. |
| your bills or had to worry about where the next meal | | | | Expect a decline in the standard of living, falling wages |
| would come from, would you be thinking about health, | | | | and investment insecurity. |
| or survival? When we are trying to stay alive | | | | Government is not the solution, since it produces |
| moment-to-moment we don't think about food choices, | | | | nothing but only takes. Government saps an economy, |
| supplements, organic farming, animal welfare or | | | | it does not create it. The more that government is |
| environmental issues. Those considerations are a | | | | hands off, the better the economic vitality. A robust |
| "luxury" dependent upon economic capability. But they | | | | private sector economy (environmentally responsible), |
| are a luxury we must have if we are to live a | | | | on the other hand, is not the enemy as it is so often |
| reflective life and survive on planet Earth. Without a | | | | portrayed, but is critical to financial vitality. |
| robust economy, you can pretty much forget about | | | | Capitalism is not in itself a demon since it merely |
| people being environmental, health conscious, or even | | | | provides the mechanism for prosperity and with that |
| civil to one another. In starving nations, war is endemic, | | | | the opportunity for a society to focus on matters of |
| disease rampant and the environment is only a raw | | | | health and altruism. It works well if ambition and hard |
| material to be ravaged to hopefully live to the next | | | | work, not merely greed, are its tools. |
| day. | | | | The inevitable decline of our standard of living is an |
| The emerging world economy will ultimately place | | | | inevitable and irreversible trend for the foreseeable |
| great economic stress on the United States. It already | | | | future. It should concern us not because we want to |
| has. Thousands of jobs are being lost to overseas | | | | see American super abundance continue, but because |
| companies employing workers requiring a fraction of | | | | those who are unaware and get caught as casualties |
| the wages demanded here. People in America | | | | in this economic downturn will suffer in so many ways. |
| increasingly try to maintain a standard of living through | | | | The world is no longer business as usual. |
| debt. This is great for all the banks popping up on | | | | Good health is not just about diets, supplements, |
| almost every street corner, but bad for the people. | | | | organic foods and aerobics. It's also about being safe, |
| Just in the past year there have been almost two | | | | like driving carefully, not standing on the top of a |
| million personal bankruptcies declared. | | | | stepladder, wearing safety glasses when chipping |
| To compete in the marketplace, companies must keep | | | | stone...and working hard, keeping our financial house in |
| their costs down. If that means shifting manufacturing | | | | order and supporting societal choices that do the |
| elsewhere, that's what will be done. India, China and | | | | same. |
| other Eastern rim countries are the beneficiaries of this | | | | Life is not surety, and neither is our economy. |
| shift in manufacturing and labor pool. While American | | | | Nevertheless, hard work and prudent management will |
| workers are clamoring for things to return to the way | | | | never be replaced and is as close to security as we |
| they were with high wages and generous benefits, | | | | can ever get. It, not entitlements and guarantees, is |
| workers in developing countries are happy as can be | | | | what ultimately creates the financial footing we need |
| having a job for five dollars a day. | | | | for good health and a sustainable, better and more |
| This trend will not go away with "buy American" | | | | peaceful world. |