Getting back on track.

"I got a strong back, steel toes

I rarely call in sick, a good truck
What I don't know I catch on real quick
I work weekends, if I have to, nights and holidays."

We live in some very interesting times. I was not around when America, and the world, were experiencing the “Great Depression,” but I suspect what we are witnessing today is different in many ways, and reminiscent in others.

Living in a large city I have seen the pain and the agony of those in need; I have also seen it in small town America. Drive on Main Street and you will witness the shell of what was once a thriving part of the community—walk down Michigan Avenue in Chicago and you can read people’s minds as they wonder, “How does this place stay open or Where did that one go” (We have some luxury jewelers, art dealers and other very high-end retailers who must be selling their goods to someone. Not me.)

These past 4-plus years have taught me a lot about how vulnerable America is to other countries. I am all for a global economy because one way or the other, we need them, they need us, we need each other. But the amount of spending needed to make the engine run is the real problem ---I know our family has had to decide, “Do we need this? Can we live without that? Is there a way to find it for less money?” That type of thinking has helped our family, but based on the way I used to think, it has killed the economy.

Yesterday I was talking with a neighbor who had just purchased a new lawn mower. His old one had finally chopped its last blade of grass after 18 years of usage. Not bad. He said, “Mark, I thought about you when I got home after purchasing this mower.” If he thought I was going to cut his lawn, he knew the answer as mine needed cutting more than his did. But his thoughts centered on conversations we have had about how the in consistencies of prices.

He found the receipt for his old lawn mower, and the one from 1994 was nearly twice as much as his new one; he knows I like to find a good deal for things I don’t have as much passion for---lawn mowers would qualify, photographic equipment would not. (I will pay for the best cameras and lenses. So of course he wanted to tell me.)

I told him about a story I had read in the Wall Street Journal the day before; it was all about how TV manufacturers and retailers have hurt their businesses by slashing prices. A retailer here in Chicago was quoted as saying, “We sell TV’s for $2,000 and our profit is $10.00.” Whereas it sounds great to we consumers, it is actually horrible. We are hurting technology, the American business, and our way of life. We have to be fair to all---not just one side of the equation. I am not suggesting we pay $4000 for a TV, I am just wondering how retailers will be able to get out of this situation? I fear they have dug their own deep hole and the light to get out is insurmountable.

If you are not aware this is an election year, you will be come the late summer and fall. We will either elect a new president or have 4 more years of our current one; that is the choice of the American people. What I hope is, that whomever is elected has a focus to get America back on track---have the vision to make us great again---because at the end of the day we need to believe and have confidence this is the greatest country on Earth. I believe it.

The photo above was taken at the recent NATO Conference here in Chicago; okay, I was hoping for much more action than we had in the city but in many respects I am glad it didn’t happen. The thought of capturing a melee or riot was a once in a lifetime opportunity and one I would have loved to capture on my trusty Nikon---I am happy to report, when it was all over, we acted like adults.

Thanks for stopping by.