Problems Abound

These are extraordinary times. The negative news just seems to never end. I keep waiting for things to hit rock bottom, but there must be a bottomless pit out there. Thank God the world is not flat, because there might be a lot of people lining up to jump off. (Of course, they wouldn’t get hurt because all the trash that would have spilled over the edge by now would cushion their fall.) There are significant problems facing virtually every facet of our world—economic issues, environmental issues, security issues—and these just skim the surface. Our new president has his work cut out for him.

The world’s economic picture began crumbling several months ago and though things may have stabilized somewhat, the ramifications are being felt and will continue to be felt for years (decades?) to come.

It wasn’t long ago that our federal government debated and passed an economic stimulus package of $160 billion dollars that was designed to avoid, or at least soften, recessionary conditions. You remember that, don’t you? Most individuals got a $600 rebate, couples $1,200, and parents of dependent children got an additional $300. Businesses benefitted, too, with accelerated depreciation for new equipment that was geared toward stimulating capital investment. I’m sure quite a few companies in the package-printing industry took advantage of that benefit.

But that seems so long ago, and has since been dwarfed by financial commitments from the federal government to stave off a collapse of our financial institutions and even some industries. President Barack Obama has made the economy a top priority and expects to move swiftly to take further action. He recently announced the outline of a new stimulus package that may cost anywhere from $700 billion to $1 trillion. With this on top of the previous actions taken to stabilize our economy, reports are saying the total amount committed by the federal government is in the neighborhood of $8 trillion (ouch). Our grandchildren will be picking up the tab on this one.

Yet, action must be taken. The U.S. Labor Department reported earlier this month that 2.6 million jobs were lost in 2008, with unemployment running at 7.2 percent. That was the most jobs lost in a single year since 1945 when the massive industrial effort to support World War II was grinding to a halt.

If economic issues ever fade from the front pages, maybe some of the more serious environmental issues will make it back to page one. The continual build-up of CO₂ and its impact on global warming seems like it has gone from scientific curiosity to front page news over a relatively short span of time.

A recent issue of The Economist did a special report on our oceans called “Troubled Waters.” The series of articles not only covered the impact of global warming on the seas, but also other man-made environmental excesses such as over fishing (one article says that more than three-quarters of all marine fish species are below, or on the brink of falling below, sustainable levels) and pollution (there are two masses of plastic materials that have collected on the surface of the Pacific Ocean, each as large as the United States).

The concept of sustainable levels is one in which package printers can relate. Environmental concerns and issues relating to the rapid consumption of our natural resources are making big noise in the packaging arena. The topic will continue to be covered in -packagePRINTING for many years to come.

The topic of homeland security isn’t one that you will see written about as a focus of packagePRINTING, but it is clearly an area that is on the forefront of our national agenda. Very few people in our country will forget where they were and what they were doing when they first heard about the events of 9/11. We are now engaged in two wars related to the war on terrorism, and the turmoil in the Middle East—which feeds the flames of much of the terrorist hatred directed toward our country—has flared up once again into open warfare.

So, as President Obama starts his new job, it is clear he has a lot on his agenda (remember, there’s still healthcare, social security, alternative energy, and a few other campaign issues to address). Even though I wasn’t an Obama supporter, I believe his presidency is one of the real bright spots for our country. Whether you voted for him or not, the historical significance and what it says about the possibilities of our country, reaffirms our country’s greatness. I wasn’t sure I would be around long enough to see an African-American become president. God knows we still have plenty of social problems to contend with in our country, but maybe President Obama’s example will inspire “a new generation of Americans” (as President Kennedy once said) to help solve many of the problems we face. We need all the help we can get.

Early in January, President Bush had a lunch at the White House with Obama and all the men still living who had occupied the Oval Office. President Bush, taking liberties to speak for his predecessors (Republican and Democrat), told Obama that they wanted nothing more than for him to be successful. I hope our Congress heeds that thought. With what our country is facing, and what it means for our businesses and our families, we need President Obama to be successful. pP