In My Backyard

Is it or isn't it?
Dumping of Chinese solar panels. Threatening the livelihood of 1100 workers at SolarWorld. Right here in my backyard, in Hillsboro (ok not literally, but a 5 minute bikeride, up Brookwood, past the airport, its right there).

Evidence of SolarWorld is just another of those Washington County miracles. German looking and speaking people at the brewpub on a Friday night, soaking in the hot tub at the gym.

Now SolarWorld has lodged a complaint that Chinese firms are "dumping" (a trade specific term meaning selling under market value) solar panels to capture the U.S. market. They want the U.S. to impose tariffs on these Chinese imports, so that competition is fair.

Is this valid? Surely if nothing else it is a test of my commitment to a free market. Solar panels! In Hillsboro! That provide clean energy, family wage manufacturing jobs in my county. The only offer we got on our house in one year's time (as the value slid, slid, and is still sliding downhill) was from a family who worked there. They were looking at the south side of the garage roof for their employer-sponsored solar panels.

Its easy to have an academic view, "of course I suppose free markets". Sitting in cubicle city in Salem, either at the center of power, or the center of bureaucracy, or the center of completely mind-numbing administrative procedure (or all of these). Its another thing when its your backyard, your neighborhood, well even your company. I have no association with SolarWorld whatsoever except maybe this story, but I have a stock in them still..

The here and now. What about the long run? As they say, you don't eat in the long run; if you don't eat now then in the long run you're dead. Maybe today I am a protectionist. Well maybe. Or maybe I'm glad they are at least sticking up for themselves, for all of us.

I Don't Want to be Angry

First, there was the tea party, they looked like Patriots (old angry white guys). Now, there's the OWS (Occupy Wall Street) crowd (young angry white guys).

We are a nation of immigrants, but we've forgotten that. Some of us want the future, want progress, want inclusion, multi ethnicity.

In my house growing up, shadows of the Old World still lingered. My Austrian grandparents liked pigs feet, which I have to admit to this day I have never tried. My mom would allow me to eat macraroni on such nights.. Does that make me spoiled? Or an American ready for the New World.

And what are the tea party and OWS crowds trying to hang onto? Why does it seem like a white America?

Trade (Crowding Out, Part 2)

Back before America was a superpower, and Britain ruled the seas, they also ruled the textile industry.

Before third world polyesters, before Southern textile mills, before Lowell Mill girls, there was textile manufacturing in Mother England. It took a special skill, a physical skill, that sort of roughed up your hands. Someone could tell you were a mill worker.

So anxious to protect their technology from those colonies (that was us), they refused to let mill workers travel out of the country.

But leave it to human ingenuity and clever imagination, one such person quit their job. His sponsors kept him healthy and oiled his hands, so that by the end of a year's time, you could no longer identify him as a mill worker.

Hence he was able to get out of the country, and get to young America. The technology for textile manufacturing stored in his photographic memory. I think he was a Scottish man. One person, and this begat the New England textile industry.

So what is the point here? That crowding out, which is sometimes referred to as government overspending crowding out private investment, also refers to risk.

The risk of allowing your expertise to escape to another country, you won't own it any more, you might lose your prowess. Did Britain go under? Nope. Trade expands all fortunes.

The anti-trade sentiment is also anti-risk. They forget that once it was America that was a less developed country. Remember that?

Aircraft, 2 Ladies from Washington State

Well not everything is party warfare, neatly polarized Democrat vs. Republican lines drawn in the sand. Have you ever thought about that? Lines in the sand aren't neat - unless its wet sand that is. Now lines in the mud, that might be cleaner.

The whole Congressional deal on "lets let China know how we feel about their artificially keeping their currency low!". Why don't they take another vote on "lets keep Antarctica for penguins!" or "Spouses should kiss goodnight every night!".

But wait, the China deal has more consequences. They own 25% of our debt. So why did the 2 senators from Washington State - Ms. Cantwell and Ms. Murray, vote against this bill (S.1619), when the rest of the Dems voted for it. One more, Sen Inouye of Hawaii was the 3rd Democratic no vote.

Could it be that someone out there in Senate land actually thinks about trade? What is our most valuable export (besides perhaps ideas) - aircraft. Where is it manufactured - Everett, Washington. I'm sure Hawaii is a little trade dependent too - or maybe just closer to China and its military fleet, and a bit off the beaten path for us to defend..

Besides expressing congressional outrage, as if we need them to express more unguarded emotions, the assumption is that China is also dependent on the US for *its* exports. I heard today that 35% of what they export goes to the US of A. Wonder how much of that is destined for Walmart. Besides being 'associates', I wonder if the Walmart wage slaves realize they are pawns in a bilateral relationship with the world's next superpower? Maybe they will have a head start on the rest of us when we all sign up for our Chinese names.

If I stopped buying cheap stuff from Target tomorrow (cause I've been boycotting Walmart for a couple years now; not as long as I've been boycotting veal; then there's the trips back east to get the kids set up in new dorms, well lets forget that for now - I have sinned..). Would China retaliate if everyone decided to go local? Maybe that is something worth occupying Portland for. Say no to all Chinese manufactured product for a day, and buy local. I think it would be easier to do this in Portland than probably anyplace else I've seen in this country.

Voices from Occupy Salem..

Walking back from lunch I heard a rally over at the Capitol, the Occupy Salem crowd. Had to check it out. Here is my non-scientific observation based on 5 mins - the time before they marched from the Capitol steps to downtown Salem.

A woman had the microphone - "6600 kids will be thrown out on the street!" Speculate - someone from DHS protesting government cutbacks? Foster kids?

Next up - a guy who had a poem from someone in "Spo-kane", pronouncing all long vowels. Hmm, since that is not the way locals pronounce it (not that I know) I thought maybe he was one of those outside agitators. The poem contained lots of imagery of police violence, rubber bullets. He was inciting the crowd to be violent? Then the phrase "uprising of the workers".

Are these workers? If they can camp out overnight at Willson Park, I wonder what kind of work they actually do.. After his poetry reading he went on to talk more about "the system", and how the "1%" were pillaging the rest of us. The rest of us, the non-privileged. He decried the inequalities that exist, how it takes money to play politics, and how people are born into inequality with no chance of moving up.

Then "we have a right to overthrow a government that does not work". Then "we want health care, we want the government to take care of us!" - to which there was some dissent, so he backpeddled a bit "when we need them to!"

Then someone from Oregon Peaceworks, "I've been waiting for this day since the 60's!"

So - 5 minutes in the life of Occupy Salem. I did not hear any positive policy statements, or answers. Only anger, and inciting to violence.

Three Theories

What is going on? The tea party is actually coming together as if they were a real party, but I am still not clear on their foreign policy. Except build larger fences.

The Occupy Wall Street crowd - just formulating. Like the birth of a new star, a super nova? My first thought was to jump to conspiracy theory.. Obama is a community organizer, that is what he knows. Maybe he incited the occupying crowd to rally. But, I'm on his mailing list, I never saw an invite. But maybe in some undercover community organizing way - the secret networks apart from twitter, Facebook, email..

First theory: birth of new parties
Both the Tea Party and the Occupy Wall Street Party - will be legitimate political parties, coming soon to a ballot near you. This could be exciting. My Progressive party (secret - I just switched over the weekend to Democrat, so I could vote in the primary this month - Mr Witt is my man for Congress, right now. I should have asked him if he owns a tiger suit, but he doesn't look the type.) Well the Progressive Party, not sure I actually go along with all their platform ideas.

By and large the Rs and Ds have proven ineffective at governing Washington, or even coming together on anything at all. They go from railing about "light bulb choice", "deregulate the EPA" (even when the health effects of cement dust may actually cost society *more* in the long run than any few jobs that would be lost right now), and "tax the rich". No common ground.

Now, the Tea Party and OWS parties - may actually be able to find some common ground. The average person is who they represent. Government and corporations - both seem to be in league of late, and the individual be damned. Glad there's no FCC regulating my free speech here.

Second theory: military prowess determines our fate
What if the whole nature of our American character is based on our military success? Lack of objectives, endless war - we are sunk. Clear objectives, success (Libya?) - we rule. Must ponder this.

Third theory: a little bit of truth in all of it
Everyone has something to say, and all of it contains shards of truth:
* Immigrants taking jobs. True - why can't my kid work at McDonald's in high school? Why can't my neighbor take a construction job?
* Overcrowding. A fact of life? No one is espousing this, but it happens constantly out in the suburbs, must be responsible for something.
* Environmental regulations killing jobs (to some extent). Why do we need to protect every last slug from being endangered? Perhaps God wants some of them to go away, so we can cut down a few trees? What is missing in the polarized no-win arguments of fish vs. dams, or logging vs. owls, is any sense of balance.
* The Financial system out of control. I think everyone would agree with this. Supposedly one of the protesters in Portland had a sign "Reinstate Glass Steagal". Heard this on cspan too. We never really did undo all the crafty financial instruments that left so many people without even knowing who actually owns their mortgage. Not fixed yet.

Bottom line, I think a lot of people are clinging to the past. The past is over. We are going to get more crowded. We are always going to have a Defense Department. We are always going to have a tug and pull of rich people and poor people. And no, everyone does not want to be middle class. Everyone in the USA wants to be rich.

In Tribute - Steve Jobs

I'm glad my travels took me to the Apple store at Pioneer Place today..










There was a Portland style tribute to him, everyone thanking him and RIP on little sticky notes. The 2 green apples in front had hearts carved into them. Some people were just sitting on the bench outside watching and pondering him.

He was an amazing human, and the ipod, ipad, iphone, full-length animated movies starting with Pixar, all will forever live on in his memory..