So the new keyword for the Obama Administration is apparently going to be "American competitiveness," even forming a "commission" for that purpose. It's is hard to describe just how utterly unmoved I am by that. I would be equally excited if Michelle Obama was proposing universal free enemas as an anti-obesity measure.
The minute that the word "competitiveness" is mentioned in a business context, I see anti-union measures. I see management saying that we have to cut wages and improve productivity in order to "be competitive in the world market." Improved productivity means that fewer workers do more work, of course. How does that translate to job growth in today's economy?
Jeffery Immelt, the new commission chairman, had a column in the Washington Post yesterday that was full of meaningless "upbeatism" about American spirit and know-how leading us back to "becoming competitive" and utterly devoid of concrete suggestion as to how that is actually going to happen. Nothing at all, of course, about the artificial overvaluation of the dollar and what that does to our "competitiveness" in the world market.
I would be delighted if this administration is going to focus on rebuilding exports to create jobs, but if that is the plan let's say so rather than pussy footing around with flannel mouth nonsense about "competitiveness."
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