Today (3/12) Diane Rehm had a discussion on manufacturing, trade protectionism, economic growth, jobs, and other related issues. I actually got into the phone queue to comment/question, but managed to cut myself off (accidentally flipped my cell phone and it shut) and that was the end of that. But here are the concerns I wanted to air:
As Tom Friedman (whom many Kossacks, including myself, enjoy mocking from time to time) put it a few days back, we Earthlings simply cannot continue to produce and consume at levels that we have for the past couple of decades. Doing so will destroy the planet.
But those concerns don't seem to enter into convesations about free trade, declines in GDP, job loss, etc.
These were the points I wanted to make to Diane's guests:
- Listen to Friedman. We've got to stop. Not only will a return to or expansion of past levels of production of goods, transportation of goods and consumption of goods devour natural resources, they contribute to pollution of the air, water, and soil.
- No one seems to talk about WHAT is being produced and consumed. Here, unfairly perhaps, I think of going into Hobby Lobby and seeing all the useless crap with which that store is stuffed. Think of all the retail outlets that sell things that no one really needs. Yes, they have become part of our economy. Yes, people will lose jobs if they go away. But the health of the natural environment actually is more important than those low-pay, non-union, probably-no-benefits, service-industry jobs. In other words, create or save jobs that provide stuff of real value (not just candlesticks with marbles stuck to them) and dump the rest.
- Create new manufacturing that is based almost entirely, if not entirely, on recycling.