Patriotism: Don't look to Washington for solutions

The solution to our nation's economic problems isn't in Washington. More government isn't the answer, but the problem isn't 'too much government', either.  There's a reason things aren't getting better:  people are looking for the government, one way or another, to solve the problem.

The solution to our economic woes is non-governmental.  The solution is more patriotism.

True patriotism has little to do with saluting the flag or reciting the pledge of allegience.  Patriotism is love of one's country, and acting based on this love.

Love is a feeling of connectedness with someone or something outside of yourself.  When you love someone, you feel pain when they feel pain.   When they are happy, it makes you happy.  You act in the interest of those you love, because you feel connected to them; helping them helps you.

Self-interest is the other end of the spectrum from love. An individual who is completely self-interested loves only himself or herself.  A completely self-interested man may help others, but only to the extent that such help is likely to benefit himself.  "You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours."  That's not love.  But more and more these days it's the way people think of their country.  "What's in it for me?" they ask.  Self-interest is killing our nation.  What we need is more people who truly love their country.

How can patriotism solve our economic woes without involving government?  It's a matter of simple economics.  What does our country need?  More American jobs!   If people consumed more American products, there would be more work for Americans to do.  Much of what Americans purchase is produced overseas.  If we Americans would increase our spending on American products by 20% while reducing what we spend on imported products by the same dollar amount, American businesses (at least those that don't export) would have to increase production by 20%.  This would have a significant, positive impact on our high unemployment.  And the money earned by the newly hired / re-hired workers would have a compounding effect on those workers' communities.  This is what our country needs.  And it has little or nothing to do with government policies.
Why aren't federal elected officials pushing this idea?  The answer is simple: they can't.  Encouraging citizens to 'buy domestic' smacks of protectionism and would upset our trading partners, most especially China, who owns a huge amount of our debt.  If President Obama, or even a Republican president, touted such a campaign, the consequences could be devestating.  (If China sold all its U.S. Treasuries, the interest rates on our $15+ Trillion debt would soar, and hyper-inflation would be a distinct possibility.)  So Washington can't suggest this simple solution. 

The other obstacle to the solution is our society's entrenched focus on individual self-interest, which competes with true patriotism.  A self-interested person looks at the cost of the solution, which is significant.  The truth is that American goods are (in general) significantly more expensive than foreign goods.  There are reasons for this.  Yes, many of those reasons directly or indirectly related to government regulations.  American workers are paid far more than workers in developing nations.  American workers receive more in benefits than counterparts in other countries.  American companies are required to meet certain environmental and safety standards that other countries don't require.  And for these and other reasons American-made products tend to be significantly more expensive than foreign-made products.  Therefore in order to consume 20% more American-made products, Americans would have to reduce consumption of foreign products by significantly more than 20%.  In short, consumers would get less while paying the same amount of money.  Self-interested people would say "This is a bad deal!  Why should I get less for the same amount of money?"  The answer, which self-interested people probably won't accept, is "you're doing it for your country."  Patriots should understand what this means.  Their love of country, their feeling of connectedness to their country, means the cost of the action is balanced by the benefit the country as a whole receives.

In summary, we are faced with a situation where patriotism is needed, but the traditional idea of patriotism (following the government's lead) doesn't apply.  Our nation has given us freedom; it's time for patriots to use that freedom to help our nation out of these dark economic times.  It's not a matter of taking up arms; it's not a matter of supporting one political party or another; it's not a matter of increasing or decreasing the size of government; it's a matter of using our economic freedom in a way that helps our country, even though it requires some sacrifice on our part.  As the song says, freedom isn't free.  This is an opportunity to help pay for it without joining the military.