8/10/2005

 

Iowa!



THE BEST STATE EVER: More evidence that Iowa is, in fact, the best state ever (sorry Texas, although you are more keen on becoming your own country after all).

A June 2005 report issued by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis found that Iowa experienced the strongest real economic growth rate of all 50 states at 8.1%.

Okay, we tied with Nevada, but that really shouldn't count since they have NBC's Las Vegas and CBS's CSI touting their state. And we have Ashton Kutcher. Relevant point? No. Interesting correlation? Perhaps.

Comments:
Big deal.

8.1% of next-to-nothing for all practical purposes is nothing. California growing at 5% generates some serious numbers. What do we have in Iowa? Insurance companies. I am not convinced of the difference between the insurance and gambling industries. Neither one has turned out to be the boon to Iowa as promised.

Show me an Iowa that actually wants to join the 21st century and leverage technology - not just find a better way to grow corn - and I might be impressed. Most Iowans cannot see in a global economy our farmers are going to be flattened, and then what will we have? No, Iowa is being far too foolish by hitching the economy so much to ag. Not every country is going to stay third-world forever, and when they decide to grow food for themselves we are sunk. Then what happens when they decide to EXPORT?

Backup plans anyone? I haven't heard so much as a peep out of anyone in Des Moines over this certainty. What if China decides to engage the US in a cold war? Not over ideologies - economically. Say they decide to use their slave labor and give away John Deere-type farm equipment. Can't happen, you say? Hey, Microsoft takes markets the same way. Give it away, hook 'em, then start charging. Simply put, we cannot win such a conflict. China - in theory - can conquer America without ever firing a shot. That is, if they can get all their stuff in one sock, so to speak.

So what is 8.1% compared to that? So we managed to confiscate more wealth in the form of insurance and gambling than anyone else. Big deal. That won't save us when we don't have an ag economy anymore.
 
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