Sunday, May 25, 2008

AN UNUSUAL SURPRISE.

I do not pick up hitchhiking strangers anymore, it just seems too dangerous. But recently I have a memory of this long haired bearded man that reminded me of someone and he looked at me and sort of compelled me to stop and offer him a ride.

We entered into a small conversation and political comments were made. The stranger said he was disappointed that we were not resolving our problems so I questioned him more about some of the problems. First, I asked him what he would do about our border problem.

He told me he would organize the one big problem into several small ones.
The problem the transients have finding work in their home countries.
The desire they have to come to the US and work.
The problem this creates for US workers who will do the work for more money and then are put out of work by those who take their jobs for less money.
The problem with patrolling the border. The disadvantage these visitors make for potential visitors from other countries who do not have the advantage of living near our border. He also mentioned the unfairness of border countries not granting the US citizens the same rights they ask for their citizens coming to the US.

He said we should look at this as a trade project. If we were very dependent on production and sales of a certain product and a foreign country started sending a huge amount of that product to us we would impose a trade tariff to protect our own production. Then he explained that we should do the same with labor by requiring employers pay a minimum wage determined fair and high enough to attract US workers for the same work.

He would require that all workers register with their own government, either before they came or if already here at locations designated by their country. Information about their home and family contacts would be recorded and passed on to the US authorities who would then issue a temporary work permit ID card.

Companies or entities that hired these people would be required to register them with the US authorities and show their permit number and where they were living. The US Government in conjunction with labor groups and manufacturers associations would determine the fair labor price for workers for the job hired for. Changes in labor costs would need time to balance with the market so the increase in labor payments would be spread over a time period, such as 3 years so the employer and the market could adjust. Companies that found difficulties or unfair impact could meet with the labor advisory groups setting the rates and request an adjustment.

With individuals not having to sneak across the border and being allowed to pass back and forth with proper identity the borders would have less traffic and stress and attention could be concentrated on more serious problems of fewer illegal crossings.

Workers would be able to go to visit their families and the need to bring the wife and family would be reduced and to support the practice of giving US citizenship to the child born of a non resident could be logically restricted.

The practice of giving health care to non citizens could be reduced and if the employer or visitor did not have health care insurance, emergency aid could be given and then the visitor would be sent to his home for care. Social services for these workers could be provided for by the home country and the workers should contribute there for health and retirement care.


I liked this plan so then I asked him what he would do about Iraq. He said that Iraq has abandoned the US. We were told by some so called “insiders” that the citizens would rise up and help us take over the country and make it a free nation with our aid.

These patriots have not appeared in sufficient numbers and instead have joined movements by the leading clergy and by neighboring nations. The citizens learned to live by their wits and unusual methods of deception under their past ruler. It would seem they are now using their wits against us and resisting help in hopes we will leave and their own preferential leader will take control. When we finally leave there will be a clash between ethnic groups and at least 3 neighboring countries that will move in and try to take control from the existing groups.
He said there is nothing we can do about it. Our goal is honorable but the patience of these cultures will persist and we might as well give in and leave them to their own demise. We have tried to do the honorable thing but the citizens have made their choice and we might as well leave and let them get on with their own destruction.

I expressed my concern and belief that we should continue trying to succeed, that I did not feel we should admit defeat. His response was that we were not leaving them, they had left us and we would be surprised at what happens when we leave.

The subject seemed to be closed so I asked him about our gas problem. He looked at me and said we do not have a gas problem; we have a transportation management problem. But I objected and I said I was using too much of my resources to purchase gas. He said the solution is very simple. Take the bus or the train. I obviously replied that you know we do not have a bus or a train. He smiled and said it was because my parents had not used them when they available and they stopped running.
He went on to say we had all the resources we needed but we did not manage them well. He commented on the families having 2 or 3 cars and the fuel wasted by this selfish and conspicuous mode of movement. He talked about airplanes and their heavy use of fuel and how one country had harnessed electricity for high speed travel and this travel (magnetic levitation) should be better for moderate distances with slower electric trains for a less costly method and with buses and trolleys for shorter distances. He commented on the need to support mass transportation and teach our children not to have so much awe for cars and for them to teach their parents not to place so much importance on automobiles. He said that when the problem becomes large enough museums would become the center point for teaching families about better ways to manage transportation and distribute the electric fuel to operate them. He also pointed out the ability to use electricity for mass transit could come from many sources.

In the short term he explained we could reduce the price of gasoline by approving more locations for drilling and approve the infrastructure to refine the oil to gas. Just the approval of these items would cause the futures speculators to sell their holdings and the price of oil would drop. It would also cause oil producing nations to make oil less expensive in hopes we would not continue to expand our drilling and refining. He extended his lecture with mentioning the freeways and highways that we are expanding to accommodate the cars we drive. These highways will probably have to be expanded and doubled in size over the next 10 to 15 years. This action will destroy more beautiful land than by drilling with proper mass transportation management. He went on about our buying oil from countries that will not be as restrictive as we would be about drilling so we could do more to help the environment under our control rather than buying from others who do not take as much care. He also commented on our restrictions about drilling so far off our coast when foreign countries like Cuba will drill within 40 miles of our country and with horizontal drilling methods could easily drill into our territory.

Then he asked me to drop him off just around the next curve. He wanted to meet someone there and rest before continuing his journey. I asked if I would be able to see him again and it seemed he looked deep within me and said that if I looked for him I would find him.

The only place I saw around the next turn was a church so I stopped the car.
And then he was gone. I plan to travel that road again, and I will look for him but I believe he will influence others and get his message to us.

If I did not listen and you do not listen it will be like the tree falling and no one hearing it. If you read this message then it exists, if not, it was never there.