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February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
May 19, 2005
/ 10 Iyar, 5765
Buying American is darn near impossible; how will we live out of balance?
By
Karen Heller
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Alan Greenspan visits my dreams. He appears to me more frequently than
perhaps is healthy. Several times I swore I saw the Fed chairman with a
beer on the beach. Many people nurse rich fantasy lives. Mine involves
Alan Greenspan.
So I listen to him. When he worries about the $61 billion trade
imbalance, I worry, too, rationally and exuberantly.
Greenspan and other experts observe that since the dollar is worth squat
and a euro could buy a Missouri pig farm, we'll purchase fewer imports
while our trade partners buy American gewgaws.
Ideal, but what goods?
What does America produce besides import-adoring Americans?
We may be invaded by a horde of French come summer, but only so they can
buy their stuff at reduced prices. Laugh, but New York stores already
reported this happening at Christmas.
Try spending a day, as I did, consuming American. Unless you're a
Luddite sustainable nudist farmer, it can't be done.
Right off the bat, you're looking at a vast desert of denial and one
extended foul mood.
Coffee is from elsewhere except Hawaiian, the price per pound rivaling
platinum. Milk's domestic, but most sugar is foreign, the only
alternative being chemical substitutes that I've long suspected are
candied hazmats.
What to wear? Most shoes, cheap or prohibitive, are made offshore.
Nothing could be more American than the Gap, except it isn't, almost all
of its goods produced overseas.
If only one could invest in jean futures, and their wifty koan names
(Citizens for Humanity, 7 for All Mankind, True Religion), their prices
escalating with importance because, as any fashionista can tell you, the
best jean dye processes are coming from overseas, specifically Japan.
Because nobody does American like Asia.
America long led the world in exporting culture, but even that is
becoming debatable, the Japanese besting us with anime, Hong Kong
martial-arts movies shaming our car crashes and Tarantino rip-offs, the
Japanese kids being the earliest adopters of everything. They shop
better than us.
Now we're down to exporting "culture," represented by movie stars, junk
food so other countries' waistlines match ours, casual togs that look
American but are manufactured there, the idea of Americanness more
prevalent than the products.
Try getting to work by buying solely American. Many cars are made here,
even a good portion of those with foreign names, but forget about the
oil that fuels them, which comes from countries whose politics range
from questionable to wretched.
You cannot turn on the television because, while the shows are domestic
(though many star English and Australian actors feigning American),
virtually none of the sets are made here. Same for other electronic
toys, which have a way of procreating like bunnies.
It has become as difficult for Americans to buy domestic as it is for
most of them to save, so the money keeps pouring in one direction -
outward bound.
Most of what we create is conceptual, information, buzz and choice.
We're down to performance-art industries with little sticking power.
Soon, as the baby boom knows all too well, we'll be good at creating
something else: old people. Some folks will be better at contributing to
the workforce than others, who will be spending their capital largely on
the world's costliest care.
v
And this is why I dream of Greenspan. It's hard to balance an economy
based on ether. Somewhere in this mess there must be smarter people
thinking about what happens to an aging nation with an inability to
save, hooked as we are on an ever-increasing river of imported stuff.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
Karen Heller is a columnist for Philadelphia Inquirer. Comment by clicking here.
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© 2005, The Philadelphia Inquirer Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.
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