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The war between Russia and Ukraine is scary. Although it is a long way away, it still threatens our economic well-being. We have become dependent once again on foreign oil, part of which comes from Russia. As a result, we hesitate to stop supporting their war effort by purchasing their crude. China has remained officially neutral but continues to support the Russian war machine through trade and blocking the UN’s efforts to condemn the invasion. China has repeatedly said that Russia is responding rationally to NATO expansion. We are fearful of standing up to China because we depend on them for much of our consumer goods. Maybe this war will be a wake-up call for America.

Our nation has gone from being energy independent to importing oil from countries who have vowed to destroy us. Within our own country, we allow radical conservationist to threaten national security. Russia is not, and never has been, our friend; but our politicians are more afraid of American consumers than they are potential foreign threats. The national media decided to be part of the equation when they coined the phrase “pain at the pump” and forecast drastic consequences if we stopped importing crude from Russia. In truth, however, we have some of the cheapest gasoline in the free world. When my wife and I traveled through Europe in 2007, the price of gas was eight dollars per gallon. European governments intentionally keep the price of gas high as a conservation initiative. If we were serious about the release of hydrocarbons into the atmosphere, we would do the same.

American consumers also drive our relationship with China. For humanitarian reasons, if nothing else, we should object to Chinese factories. Prices at Wal Mart are suppressed because Chinese workers are paid less and suffer under some of the worse working conditions in the world. American companies who seek cheap labor in China contribute to the system that allows those in charge to become rich. A portion of everything manufactured is openly skimmed off and sold on the black market. It is no secret the Silk Market in Beijing is now a tourist shopping destination. The profits go directly into the pockets of corrupt government officials who become wealthy beyond our wildest dreams.

Everything in the universe is connected to everything else in some way. Thus, every action causes an often-unforeseen reaction. Sometimes the reactions are positive while others fall into the category of negative consequences. We have a growing problem with undocumented immigrants. Most proposals to stem this tide of illegals involve intercepting them at the border with walls and security guards. Little if any effort has been made to providing jobs in their own country to lessen their incentive to go north. Our government should penalize companies who build new plants in China and give favorable consideration to American companies who create jobs here at home or in Central America.

We need to think long term and stop letting consumer’s immediate shopping trends impact our national security or long-term economic health. There an absolute connection between the global economic and political networks. We need to use the worldwide system to our advantage. Quit supporting our enemies, and use our economic clout to our advantage.