Political Shills Abroad
Recently, there’s been a lot of cheering in America for Boeing. Though Airbus unveiled its newest flying monstrosities, proving that Europeans are intent to compete with America’s biggest airplane builder, it’s Boeing that’s recently been winning the best contracts.
Though many Americans think it patriotic to cheer for their companies, and jeer foreign ones, to me this is bizarre. I’m not a stockholder in Boeing. I know, casually, only a few people who work there. Though Boeing’s success would help some people in these United States, successes by Airbus aren’t acts of war. I don’t consider it my duty to cheer for our American giant.
Nor do I feel any tinge of guilt when the company behaves badly — as it has often done, sucking up subsidies here and there, moving its plants and offices around like checkers on a game board.
It’s not my business.
Nor is it our politicians’ business. Can you imagine Washington, Jefferson, Jackson, or that mountain of man and principle, Grover Cleveland, shilling abroad for this company or that?
Well, George W. Bush recently did. Our president went to India and pushed for Boeing. When, soon after, Air India made a huge contract with Boeing, Airbus got all upset. A scandal ensued.
How unnecessary! Let Boeing pay for its own sales reps. Politicians should stay out of marketing other people’s businesses. Calvin Coolidge said that America’s business was business, but he learned from his predecessor that when the link is too strong, that’s just corruption.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
