More On Ports

(52) More On Ports

Quick! Who won World War II?

Wrong. If you answered The US, you’re just plain wrong. If you need proof, visit our old enemies, the “original” evil empire, Japan and Germany. In either country, you’ll find the kind of prosperity that has become the envy of the world.

Yes, Germany has some labor problems, and Japan’s workaholic mentality kills people early. But look at what they’ve done.

In Tokyo, where there are no posted street names or building numbers, people are better off than ever before. In Berlin, where everything is named and numbered, same story.

The lesson here? You don’t stay alive and sell off your organs at the same time.

The closest they come in Europe is that silly tunnel between England and France. Oh, and Air Bus. Wait and see which foreign countries get chunks of the oil pipeline that Russia and some of its former Soviet “partners” are building. The answer will be no one.

Japan won the car wars in the US fair and square. And they didn’t do it by buying GM and Ford. We would never have stood for that.

Japan lost the real estate wars in the US fair and square. They screwed us, we screwed back.

Of course, this is different. The selling of our shipping ports to the British didn’t raise much of a fuss. In fact, almost no one knew about it. Now, we’re selling it to the cousins of the people we consider our enemies. Everyone knows this, no one says it. All this handwringing has nothing to do with foreign ownership. It has only to do with Arab ownership.

It’s not much of a jump from “our allies in the United Arab Emirates” to “Osama Bin Ladin now signs your paycheck. If he feels like it. You can pick it up at the mosque any time after 10 AM Sunday.”

We ought to go them one better. Maybe buy up the hospitals in Dubai and run ‘em for profit. How American is THAT! Leave it to Blue Cross and HIP and Oxford to do what the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marines can’t.

Maybe pick up a highway or two in Saudi Arabia. Let the Port Authority run those for profit, since they won’t have any ports to Authority after the US sale. Give all those people something to do, plus we’d own toll roads from nowhere to less-than-nowhere. Send in the ILGWU to organize the desert robe factories, or farm out the work to China. Buy all the camel breeding ranches. We still know ranching, right?

I'm Wes Richards. My opinions are my own, but you're welcome to them.™

©wjr 2006