Unless GWB acts now to remedy the situation he is likely to be a one term president as if the unemployment rate continues to go up a Democrat who promises jobs programs to alievate the situation will get elected. I am not stating that a DEmocrat will do anything to improve the situation merely that they will promise to do something. We are facing a situation where manufacturing, engineering, IT, medical services, customer services, and even financial analysis services are all being offshore outsourced. We are continuing to import guest workers while unemployment is at 6.4% and apparently still rising (note the figures are seasonally adjusted). New unemployment insurance claims are rising and still we keep on with the US government subsidizing foreign development to compete with the US workers.
We are in a trade situation where the rules are stacked against us. Airbus industries is subsidized by its governments and Boeing to compete is moving operations to China. Why not? They get government grants and loans to do this courtesy of the US taxpayer. Microsoft has moved many operations to India as have its competitors. Venture capital will not fund US based innovation any more.
Either we change and change soon or the USA will be in civil war soon and no one is going to like that.
I think that is still along way off.
It will be too far gone until average American realizes what has happened. Even after September 11th, the average American really believes nothing too bad could happen to them. We are a pretty naive country.
I say Americans will batten down the hatches (is that how you spell that expression, anyway..) and take the Subway job, the Wal Mart job, the paper route. Two, three four of them and try to weather it. For a long time, they will think it is only temporary.
Couple that with the fact that we now have a huge population that comes from 3rd world squalor and won't even consider revolting against what is a massive improvement in living standard.
Richard W.