U.S. debt producers fuel ‘Flat Earth’ economy

by J Scott Christianson, Columbia Daily Tribune Columnist

The port of Oakland is one of the largest in the United States. More than 750 million metric tons of goods enter this country through Oakland each year. So much is arriving that another dock was recently added so cargo could be unloaded more rapidly.

The most essential pieces of equipment to be installed at the new dock are the massive cranes that do the work of unloading the container ships. One might assume local steelworkers or a company like Link or Caterpillar would build the new cranes. But the cranes for Oakland’s new dock are constructed entirely in China and shipped fully assembled on a specially made ship.

For all practical purposes, most goods are no longer made in the United States. But I thought an American could at least get the job of making and installing the cranes at our nation’s ports.

I guess this is all just part of living on a “Flat Earth,” as journalist Thomas Friedman famously reported in his book about the wonders of globalization. It makes me wonder what we can expect next in the Flat Earth marketplace. Perhaps we can just have our stores prefabricated in China and shipped over as well.

Just imagine. Developers throughout the United States will rush to the mailbox to get their monthly BIGbox catalogs. Best Buys, Circuit Cities, Sofa Marts and Wal-Marts all available for easy purchase and quick delivery. Small, medium or large. Available in plain…