It's all your fault, Marco Polo 
by Jack Flobeck

Civilization lived in a world of modest resources and of mostly one source for most of them; until that fateful trip to The East by Marco Polo. He brought back, not only the dyes, spices, fabrics, and scents of another world, but he also started all this big time "out-sourcing" nonsense. People, Corporations, and Nations began to trade all kinds of commodities across vast continents and wide oceans. It may well be that the true benefactors of all this commotion and trading are in reality the transportation business owners, who in those days sailed ships and drove camels, and who now, drive trucks, ride rails, and fly planes.

In 2004, in our state of near hysteria over outsourcing in The United States, we have state legislatures and even those paragons of pork barrel, our United States Senators; weighing legislation that would fine, punish, and even incarcerate any evil business owner who buys parts and labor on continents other than ours. I guess the cave dwellers could also be blamed for the start of outsourcing. Just think of when one of them paddled down a river for a sharper flint or a stronger stone axe. He was probably ostracized for 'down-stream sourcing.' In this day and age, when my wife spots sales on certain ingredients for her favorite recipes, she hustles across town to purchase them at 'half-off' or 'two for one.' I sure hope that Senator Kennedy doesn't plan on putting her in jail for making my favorite roast. 

Folks, the plain and simple truth is that it's just natural for people to want to 'get the best deal.' It's also incumbent upon all of us to make our products and services 'the best deal.' That way we are assured of success. 

It's ironic that many times our own government interferes, and actually creates artificially higher prices for labor, goods, and services. It doesn't require a degree in Economics or Rocket Science to recognize that we have created most of the increases in the cost of doing business all by ourselves. We artificially raise crop prices through agricultural price controls and surplus purchases; we create high wages by passing 
arbitrary minimum wage laws, and we stack silly subsidies on top of other silly subsidies until balance of trade data are indecipherable. Yet, as a people, we quickly overlook all those concrete economic examples to complain bitterly about jobs that are 'going overseas.' What has really gone overseas and overboard is our common sense. We put ourselves in this position. 

Consider this situation. Now it's your own money and you're making the decision on the location of a new plant. Where would you locate the plant? Would you locate it in a city where the wage rates are $26.00 per hour, plus benefits; or in a city where the wage rates are $10.00 per hour, plus benefits? Well if both of the competing cities are in West Virginia, Senator Byrd will gladly come to the plant opening, cut the ribbon, and what's more will graciously let you name it the Robert Byrd Plant. The same thing goes for Arizona, Colorado, Maine, and Massachusetts; from sea to shining sea.

However, what if your two cities in question are Chicago and Bangladore? OOPS, you can't have a software group in India, that's un-American. The truth of the matter is a cruel joke for those of us who had the opportunity to go to school enough years ago to learn American History. The Colonists, The Founders, and the Builders of this great land were all world traders and world thinkers. We built the Panama Canal to bring the world closer to us. We pioneered aviation, we transformed a continent with the Iron Horse, and we now pioneer space. The criticism of out sourcing is a straw man and a weak excuse for our own wastefulness, our own deliberate disregard of crazy laws and crazier lawmakers, along with our own acquiescence toward politically uncomfortable situations. You're off the hook, Marco Polo. We have just ourselves to blame.

© Jack Flobeck Colorado Springs, CO 80907 June 21, 2004

Jack Flobeck lives in Colorado Springs, where he 
has started a new think tank, Aqua Prima Center, 
directed primarily at water. He writes a small business
newsletter, and also mentors hi-tech CEO's