CHICAGO ONCE HAD THE COURAGE TO REBUILD
In 1871, the citizens of Chicago used a devastating crisis that left 300 dead, destroyed over 17,000 buildings, covering 3.5 square miles, and caused damage of over $200 million (nearly $4 billion today) to rebuild a much greater city. A year before the great fire, Chicago was the fifth largest city in America. Just two decades after the fire, it was the second largest. The modern-day Chicago owes it birth to that fire.
Our nation can use the devastating impact of COVID-19 to accomplish the same thing. Do we the citizens have the courage?
https://www.prageru.com/video/the-chicago-fire-america-at-its-best/?utm_source=Main+
OUR WEAKNESSES
- The U.S. k-12 education system is producing students who score on average 30th globally, in math and science. Our public education system has failed and left millions of inner-city children to a life of poverty.
- The U. S. federal government is continously bogged down in bitter, vile, partisan politics that accomplishes ZERO of value with the exception of pleasing the special interest lobbyist who line the politicians greedy and unethical pockets.
- The U.S. health care system that Barack Obama promised would cover the uninsured still DOES NOT COVER ~20 MILLION CITIZENS. When the uninsured face catastrophic health emergencies they often lose EVERYTHING.
- After World War II, the U.S. middle class grew and prospered. Today we see a slow destruction of that once powerful middle class, that allowed millions to turn dreams and hopes into REALITY. Buying homes; sending their kids to college and graduating debt free; good retirements after decades of hard work. We gave away superior manufacturing expertise, and watched the Chinese load cargo ships with cheap, plastic garbage, headed to Walmart and the Dollar stores. U. S. business in their greed, destroyed major portions of our manufacturing capabilities, and middle-class jobs and made China into the second richest nation in the world! My revised definition of stupidity – Helping your enemy destroy you!
- The continuous outsourcing of Essential Materials and Products, to LOW COST AND LOW QULAITY BIDDERS. Including ~80% of ingredients for prescribed lifesaving medications.
- A college education today cost the equivalent of a house. Unlike a house mortgage, you pay two to three times the interest rate and you have 20 instead of 30 years. College dropouts and graduates are in debt to the tune of ~$1.8 TRILLION. And many of these students are unqualified to find a job paying much beyond minimum wage. Some of these schools will close their doors following this pandemic. Has anyone asked the question, if this failing model should be reinvented versus bailed out? Ford is utilizing Japan’s Kaizen principles to modify their work sites to minimize the risk of COVID 19. Why not use such principles to redesign U.S. public education? Can we produce an intelligent competent grad in four years, where two of those years are spent working as an intern for real world experience? Allowing students to reduce tuition cost, earn money, gain valuable experience and potentially land a job following graduation?
- A porous border that allows up to one million poorly educated people, with few job skills, to sneak into the country. While we face failing schools, over inflated colleges and fewer middle-class jobs. We cannot deal with the poverty of American citizens and yet we add on hundreds of thousands more each year.
AMERICA’S MANUFACTURING IS SMART, TALENTED AND RESILIENT – PUT THEM BACK TO WORK!
It wasn’t the government that rebuilt Chicago after a third of it burned down in 1871—it was determined citizens and free market capitalism. By 1890, only 20 years after the fire, Chicago’s population passed the one-million mark, becoming the second-biggest city in America.
We have turned to American manufacturing in a time of need and they PROUDLY answered the call. We cannot go back to a dangerous past where China holds us hostage over Essential Products such as: ventilators, personal protective equipment (mask, gloves, gowns, etc.) Eighty percent of our prescribed medication ingredients come from outside the US. Let that simple fact sink in. Do you believe if we engage in an economic war or any other war with China they will continue to ship us SAFE medications or ingredients? And if they do, would you take it!
WE ASKED AND THEY ANSWERED
- Today, we have car manufacturers making PPE and ventilators, because their leaders and employees care about America. From vehicles to ventilators, Ford and GM take on coronavirus.
- Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is producing up to one million face masks per month, that will be donated to hospitals and first responders across the U. S. and eventually the world.
- General Motors is ramping up production of quality ventilators with the help of medical equipment supplier Ventec.
- Ford, is engaged in COVID-19 production and working with General Electric to build ventilators.
- Ford announced it was also making respirators, face masks, and hospital gowns, the latter of which is being made from repurposed airbag materials. The company collaborated with Beaumont Health in Detroit on the design of the gowns, and with assistance from supplier Joyson Safety Systems, 1.3 million airbag-related reusable gowns ultimately will be made.
- My Pillow CEO, redirected two of his three plants to make face masks. Because he and the employees care about America
The U. S. VOLUNTARILY gave our manufacturing strength away to save in some cases pennies. We gave away good paying jobs with pensions that matched employees 401K’s. We essentially went on a path of self-destruction of the American middle class.
USE THIS TIME TO IDENTIFY CRITICAL ESSENTIAL MANUFACTURING THAT MUST BE RETURNED TO OUR SHORES!
The U.S. while a great nation is no longer a strategic nation. We spend thousands of hours in strategy sessions as a nation on war and the military. But little time on our deteriorating key systems and processes.
REDEFINING STUPIDITY – HELPING YOUR ENEMY DESTROY YOU! ENOUGH!!
This is NOT rocket science. Simply think of the materials and products we need in this country at ready access where we can immediately increase manufacturing capacity when needed. I listed some of the products above I believe meet that definition and I am sure you can name more. Let’s NOT make the mistake of simply returning to a world that places the lives of Americans at risk. Let’s be smarter!
WHEN SOMETHING BAD HAPPENS, YOU HAVE CHOICES: LET IT DEFINE YOU; LET IT DESTROY YOU; OR LET IT STRENGTHEN YOU
WE CAN USE THIS TIME TO STRENGTHEN
- Restaurants providing food to our courageous health care workers- Because their leaders and employees care about America!
- Americans of all colors and ages are stepping up to lend a hand – Because they care.
- What if we task industry leaders and companies to partner with federal and state governments and work towards the above ambitious objectives and more?
- Imagine the CEOs of Apple and Microsoft, etc tasked with improving public education in America.
- http://Cuomo Taps Gates Foundation to Help New York ‘Revolutionize’ Education After Coronavirus
- If we tasked Elon Musk, CEO SpaceX, Tesla, The Boring Company (Who Knows What else!) with anything, he will achieve it!
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- Jamie Dimon, CEO Morgan Stanley, to improve the quality of US college education and cut the cost by 60% minimum.
- CEO’s of J&J and others to improve operational efficiency of US health care and lower cost by 40%.
- Jeff Bezos, CEO Amazon – Just give him something big!
The possibility for government industry partnership are endless! Let’s put our strong and great talent to work leading! We have some of the best companies, leaders and employees in the world. USE THEM!
The big question is whether, after this crisis ends, Americans are willing to look at what has worked and what has failed MISERABLY — and take on the vested interests that bribe our useless politician’s from serving us better. I suggest and beg you that we emerge from this crisis with a new sense of creativity, possibility and urgency.
CONCLUSION
In December 2019 and January 2020, China had the moral obligation to alert the world to COVID-19 and request international assistance containing this virus. China deliberately chose to lie, and allowed their citizens to fly all over the world. The consequence of that decision- over 181 countries are fighting this pandemic. At the same time China was lying, the communist government was hoarding critical medical supplies during these weeks, stoping exports and increasing imports, because other nations were not informed of the truth.
China is NOT a friend to the United States and the American people. The Communist government’s actions contributed to the deaths of almost 250,000 global citizens and cost hundreds of Trillions of dollars in economic damage.
WHAT WE LEARNED
COVID-19 exposed the vulnerabilities and inequities built into our U. S. manufacturing, health-care infrastructures, social safety nets, and economies. We have a choice. Return to business as usual or follow the example of the citizens of Chicago who built their city bigger and better for future generations to come. This is where “normal” has gotten us, and if we settle for a return to normal, — for returning to the politics of marginalization, irresponsibility, and GREED — we will find ourselves in even worse shape when the next disaster strikes.
This pandemic will end at some point. But in the meantime, we need to start reimagining how our society should work. Don’t be fooled into thinking that it will be quick or easy; it WILL NOT be. We SHOULD NOT go back to the broken systems in our past. We can improve our cities health care systems, national/global businesses and supply chains to make them less vulnerable to future disruption and unethical nations. That must be a priority for the future. We can use this crisis to remove manufacturing from nations that consistently threaten us, back to our own soil or the soil of true aligned nations. This will be difficult, expensive and take time, but as Margaret Thatcher, Prime Minister UK said: “There is no alternative.”
This is our Chicago Fire. We can rebuild with flammable wood and wait for the next fire or pandemic. Or we can rebuild so our grandchildren and great grandkids inherit a better, safer, healthier world.
THE WORLD HAS CHANGED AND THE UNITED STATES MUST ADAPT!
Thank you to all the “Essential Workers” who go to work to keep this country running. Our brave and terrific health care workers, Police, Fire, EMT’s; the employees we used to ignore at the grocery, drug stores, Walmart’s, Target, etc. The employees who produce our food, where so many have become ill with COVID-19 and some have lost their lives.
To all the families who lost a loved one to this virus, I send my sincere condolences and prayers.
{CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS COVID-19 BLOGS}
HOW TO MANAGE CORONAVIRUS HEALTH AND INVESTMENT RISK – MARCH 2, 2020
WHEN THE U. S. HAS A COUGH THE REST OF THE WORLD CATCHES A COLD – WHAT HAPPENS WHEN CHINA HAS A CORONAVIRUS? – MARCH 9, 2020
PANICKING WILL NOT ERADICATE THE CORONAVIRUS PROBLEMS – MARCH 16, 2020
https://wealthbuildingpowers.com/2020/03/16/panicking-will-not-eradicate-the-coronavirus-problems/
WHEN FEAR RUNS HIGH, THE NEED FOR COURAGE MUST RUN HIGHER! – MARCH 23, 2020
THERE IS ONE THING WE CAN ALL DO TO HELP SOME OF OUR TRUE HEROES – MARCH 30, 2020
A CALIBRATED LIFTING OF THE CORONAVIRUS EMERGENCY SHUTDOWN – APRIL 6, 2020 100
THE S&P 500 REBOUNDED 25% IN THREE WEEKS – BUT THE WORSE MAY NOT BE OVER APRIL 13, 2020
THE S&P 500 REBOUNDED 25% IN THREE WEEKS – BUT THE WORSE MAY NOT BE OVER
COVID-19 HAS KILLED NUMEROUS “ESSENTIAL WORKERS” – AMERICA’S EMPLOYEES ARE NOT DISPOSABLE! APRIL 20, 2020
COVID-19 HAS KILLED NUMEROUS “ESSENTIAL WORKERS” – AMERICA’S EMPLOYEES ARE NOT DISPOSABLE!
WAKING FROM THE COVID-19 NIGHTMARE – BETTER, RICHER AND SMARTER! APRIL 27, 2020
WAKING FROM THE COVID-19 NIGHTMARE – BETTER, RICHER AND SMARTER!
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ABOUT ME
I am a proud nerd (as my beautiful wife and daughter have told me) investment and finance blogger, with a NC State, Chemical Engineering, University Rutgers, MBA and Harvard University, Advanced Management education.
I left a corporate career because I had a desire for making a difference as a speaker and writer, to help others. I was blessed to be coached and mentored by strong women and men in both my family and professional life. It is my time to serve and give back.
DISCLAIMER
I started my first business at ~13 years of age (small but brilliantly created plant nursery). I am a successful investor in stocks, options, real estate and happy to share my personal finance and investment lessons learned with you.
However, I am NOT a licensed financial advisor. Please do not construe my suggestions on this blog, as recommendations for your personal situation. For individual finance advice please seek your own licensed CPA or fiduciary financial advisors.
I write this weekly blog to make an impact by reaching an audience and demonstrating the need for financial literacy. I will help you get there.