Blog: Maybe not world peace, but certainly a good time for American business

With the signing of the “Phase One” trade agreement with China, the United States should be entering a rare period of stability, the best in this past decade, in my opinion. This should be good for our economy, our customers and the world, too.

Maybe, just maybe, the tension over Iran might be lessened thanks to our catching the head of their terrorism efforts and probably the heir to the Iran leadership given the age of its current top guy, the Ayatollah.

We cannot say all is well with North Korea, but at least we are having discussions and soon meetings, again. Our president seems to like their leader. I think they should have their next meeting in Disney World. There is plenty of hatred and conflict left, no doubt, but it appears globally, things are getting better, not worse, on a nation-by-nation level.

We dare not let our guard down, please, but maybe this is a time that might be good for business. Our current largest fight is among the anti-Trumpers and the pro-Trumpers, and it will not be resolved with the November 2020 results, I hate to say. The level of hatred is so severe that it might take a complete generational change to eradicate it.

Please try to not infect our youngsters with political hatred. I think our young people are largely over racial hatred, but it took a generation to do it.

Our economy is doing some promising things. We are experiencing growth without inflation. Nice. Interest rates are low and stable within a narrow range. Great. I just read a detailed article explaining why the Millennials are finally beginning to purchase homes and have children. Wonderful.

Incomes are rising for almost everyone, which can be meaningful when inflation is low. The education level in the U.S. is the best ever, with women and minorities making the largest gains, as it should be. Jobs in the service and technology fields are outgrowing our ability to fill them, and this imbalance is also driving salaries.

We may never get back to being the manufacturing powerhouse we once were, which is okay if we have plenty of other better-paying employment and allies that can make what our consumers need that we don’t make any more.

Did you think the U.S. would ever reach energy independence? I doubted it. With this, a key reason for conflict among nations is gone. Think of all the wars that have been fought over natural resources, such as oil.

I have been dreading 2020 because of the upcoming presidential election and the exaggerated anger and hatred we will all see and hear. It is a shame we cannot just enjoy being Americans and trust the majority will do what is right.

Here is my only contribution: Can we get the world’s religions to meet and discuss peace and justice for us all, especially our young people? I think we can all get together individually and be friends, but when groups gather, that is when troubles seem to begin.