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["Marie McHarry" <mmcharry AT gmail.com>]

On 11/12/06, Clansgian AT wmconnect.com <Clansgian AT wmconnect.com> wrote:
> I think most of the changes you outlined will take place.  But how will that
> change the overall direction of our consumerist country?

I don't think we can look to the federal government to change
consumerist attitudes. That's asking too much of government.

Only a president can ask people to make the sort of sacrifice that
will have national impact. If, say, Bush had called for energy
independence after 9/11 and included a little sacrifice on the way to
achieving it, he might have had some response. All he asked was that
people keep spending. Duh!

I think people will have to figure it out for themselves and bring the
government along.

> Each of those changes brings with it other unintended changes.  The price of
> drugs will come down, no mistake, which means people will be taking all the
> more of the damned things.  Minimum wage will go up, which means it's all the
> more attractive to hire illegal aliens. Etc.
There are some drugs that people need, but that's a whole other
argument. More to the point, as long as we have the Medicare drug
benefit, we need to bring the costs back in line, and the only way to
do that is bargaining with the drug companies.

As for the illegal aliens, I regretfully believe that the time has
come for a tamper-proof ID. That, coupled with severe sanctions for
employers who hire illegals, is the only way to remove the draw of
jobs. No wall on the border is going to do it.

Marie