To the Editor:
The election is over, and whether your candidate won or not, your job as an American is not over. We still remain in a deep economic slump, and there are many things that we as individuals can do to help the situation, that we all can agree on.
Start a Business
As I was taking my constitutional walk a couple days ago, there were two young girls, about 10 years old, who had set up a table along the road. I stopped to speak with them. They said that they were raising money to start a business at Dulles Town Center. They said they were selling their Halloween candy, that they didn’t need anyway, and they had $16 so far, in a jar. They explained that their mother was going to make clothes, and they were trying to get some seed money. I thought this was a small but inspirational example of a small business startup. Who knows what it will become? One thing is clear—it is not sending our money overseas. These kids were also learning a trait that will serve them, and America well, over the long term. Teach your kids this lesson. Our government also needs to step out of the way of small business startups, or they will not happen.
Buy American
There are things that every consumer can do, and one of them is to preferentially purchase high quality products that are made in America. We do not need the government to change the tax code for this to help. Every dollar used to purchase something made in America, stays in America, and creates demand for the domestic companies to produce more. It is easy to determine what is made in the USA, as you just need to look on the label. It is even easier today, as there are Internet sites listed on Google which identify products of every type, that are made here at home. Try it this year when buying toys and gifts for the holidays. You say they cost more, but you surely see that every dollar spent on products made in the USA benefit the entire business chain, and probably contribute several dollars to our economy. Select well-made American products, and you will not need to return them or throw them away. Some, including this writer, have certain problems with actions of some of the unions in our country, but one thing we can all agree upon is that union workers make high quality products, including American automobiles.
Demand Cooperation between Parties
We all know that Congress is often deadlocked on political ideology, and cannot seem to do the right thing for all of America. There should be debates on the pluses and minuses of alternate courses of action on issues, but the proper basis for choosing among options is not necessarily that which will garner votes in the next election, but that which will solve a problem that needs to be solved. Many issues being battled at the federal level today should not be settled at the federal level in a “one size fits all.” What is terribly wrong with people settling their own affairs, so long as they do not harm other people? This is what we call freedom. Write letters or speak with your elected leaders and tell them they need to say No more often to special interests, and support them when they do. Filling up all the rice bowls with tax money is not desirable. It is clear that our 535 elected leaders in Congress need to work across party lines, and we need to hold them to it.
Glen Sjoblom
Great Falls