If Only D.J.T. was as Tech Smart as Hitler
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While both men have evil intent, Hitler actually did a great job of ushering in new technology, while Trump seems to be oddly obsessed with propping up old technology
First of all, I apologize for the gratuitous title, but this is the kind of headline that one needs, to be noticed on Medium. Of course I do not want to seem a Hitler apologist in any way, and in fact the premise of the article, that Hitler was tech-smart, may have been accidental (he may have come to power during a golden-age of German tech, facilitated by a war machine). However, isn’t it almost comical to compare the tech successes of the Third Reich (fuel-injection, superior tanks, V-1 and V-2 rockets, and even the Volkswagen) with the sorry tech visions of Trump (resurgence of the sagging coal economy, tariffs on Canadian aluminum to prop up Westinghouse appliances, squelching of energy-efficient devices such as LED light bulbs?) Isn’t there a golden opportunity to bring business back to North America using emerging electronic, energy-saving and non-polluting devices that the rest of the world would want to buy?
Hitler, of course, had to do away with some bad technology in order to make way for better technology. If Trump had been in charge of the German WW II war machine, he would have favored the Zeppelin, poisonous gas (which due to weather shifts sometimes killed Germans instead of the enemy), bi wing planes and A7V Tanks (hint: all of these were old tech by WW II). For all we know, he would have kept the mules left over from WW I (to bring out the muleskinner vote). Thankfully for Germany, they fired the old engineers and hired new ones, many of whom became the fathers of the 60s space program (think Werner Von Braun here) and designed the coolest cars of the next generation (Porsche, BMW, Mercedes, Volkswagen). He put great Physicists like Heisenberg to work (and even the exiles such as Albert Einstein, made great contributions), while Trump thinks scientists are deep-state elites. Trump seems to think that “jobs” will be created by hanging on to old technology. They are not. You could have fooled yourself in 1880 by thinking that a ban on the steam powered drill would have helped job-security for a bunch of John Henrys, but in fact the steam drill opened up the country for railroads everywhere, and many more jobs (environmental degradation notwithstanding). (Zaloga, 2015)
If Trump really wanted to bring jobs back to the United States and keep Latinos from crossing the border, here’s what he should have done:
1) Realized that a North American coalition (if not a Western Hemisphere coalition) would really help the US more economically than farming so many industries out to Asia. By taking advantage of the vast material resources of Canada, and the cheap labor and of Mexico (and the proximities of both), for instance, the US could have a slightly more expensive, but better quality product.
2) By utilizing the relatively cheap but adaptable labor of the right-to-work states (basically the red states), there would be the possibility of assembling complex widgets close to market (us), with materials from Canada, and parts made in Mexico…the best of three worlds.
3) There is an enormous developing market for energy-efficient transportation and housing devices. These devices will likely depend on things like 3-d plastic, artificial intelligence, renewable or hydrogen energy sources, HVDC and LEDs, “smart” electronics and the like. The emergence of this technology is inevitable, as it is more efficient and clean. Why on earth would you not promote this technology? It also happens to be the technology that would make weaponry more effective, but of course Trump doesn’t like new tech because it makes him look bad when compared to Obama.
4) Strangely, the average red-state Trump follower lives an impoverished existence, while supporting Trump’s anti-union, anti-minimum-wage raising, anti-entitlement safety net rhetoric, but one must ask “why”? If this new tech sector was going wild (ala World War II technology, when they couldn’t find enough aircraft workers and had to hire women and the elderly, and give them benefits in order to do so), then wouldn’t it make sense to give the workers a living wage and medical protections?
One of the most famous things that Abraham Lincoln probably didn’t say was “Whatever you are, be a good one”. Trump has even failed miserably at being a good dictator, in the Caesarian, Napoleanic, Hitlerian (and even Genghis Khanian?) sense.
5) Of course, American corporations argue that “the American worker is not competitive in today’s world”, but that is a very conditional statement. If you are talking natural resources, we are somewhat competitive, making basic components-not very competitive, but assembly near our markets-very competitive. Look at it this way, China might be able to make photovoltaic cells for $4/hr, but they are far away. Mexico can make them at $6/hr, but they are close. India can assemble the photovoltaics into a panel for $8/hr, but they are half as efficient as the American worker, who can assemble panels for $15/hr, with less shipping. The reality is that American Corporations are after the quick buck and aren’t really vested in the long-term American economy, plus they are always afraid of unionizing. But if American workers were given reasonable wages and benefits (plus exist in right to work states), this possibility would be diminished.
6) In any case, why hasn’t Trump developed the basic American advantage, the well-educated American worker? It’s scary how dependent we’ve become on foreign brains, who now make up over 50% of University of California tech grads. Why on earth don’t we crank out more engineers, doctors and nurses (instead of MBAs and Attorneys) to fill this need? Once again, because I suspect that American Corporations feel they can pay foreign tech workers less, and believe they will not unionize (plus they can send H1Bs home whenever they feel like it). Wouldn’t a concentrated STEM program in Jr High and High School make America much more competitive? Don’t ask Trump, he’s probably afraid that too many smart people in this country will vote him and his cronies out.
7) A basic 1-yr National Service program, required for every American aged 18 to 25, would go a long- way toward making our workers more competitive. Participants could choose between a type of conservation corps, inner-city renewal programs (including teaching), or military (which might have a 2- year requirement). All participants, man or woman, would have to undergo 8 weeks of “basic training”, which would make them fit and introduce them to the larger world. Each might learn a marketable skill, and perhaps this service would be the prerequisite for a kind of “GI Bill” (ie free college).
8) And finally, while we’re at it, can we please ban all foreign call-centers?
Abraham Lincoln once supposedly said “whatever you are, be a good one”. Well, Trump is an unbalanced dictator, but a lousy one. If he were a real unbalanced dictator, he would have made the real American economy (and not the free-money, sugar-high stock market) thrive, like Hitler (Caesar and Napolean) did. Trump is a sorry excuse for a maniacal despot, and if someone doesn’t do something like the above and fast, we will go further down the road of division and stupidity in America (but sadly this may be exactly what the Trump people want). Though he was cruel and insane, at least Hitler had the sensibility to invest in human capital and tech improvement.
