Where In The World Are We Headed?

A lot has changed since I started doing radio 9 years ago. Our national debt has increased about $5 trillion dollars. The Internet has interconnected people of all nationalities and beliefs. World populations have opened new markets for goods and services that were previously non-existent.

World Populations and What It Means To Us

At 315 million people, the United States is the third largest country on the planet in terms of population. The top five in order are, 1. China - 1.3 billion, 2. India - 1.2 billion, 3. U.S. - 313 million, 4. Indonesia – 248 million, 5. Brazil – 205 million, 6. Pakistan – 190 million. As you can clearly see, population doesn’t always equal prosperity. Many parts of China, India, Indonesia and Pakistan are extremely poor in terms of per capita income. According to the CIA World Fact Book, the odds favor India passing China as the most populous country in the world in the very near future.

However, India has a particular set of problems. In 1947 boundaries between India and Pakistan were redrawn on religious grounds resulting in massive loss of life between the factions and an ongoing unrest between the two nations. Both countries have nuclear capabilities. Throw in Indonesia, another highly populated Muslim nation, and you have all the makings for military conflict.

World Population and Gross Domestic Product

The Gross Domestic Product of a country is a barometer of that countries purchasing power. A value of all the goods and services produced over a given time period. The top GDP’s in the world are, 1. European Union (27 European Countries combined) - $15.6 trillion, 2. United States  - $15.2 trillion, 3. China - $11.4 trillion, 4. India - $4.5 trillion, 5. Japan $4.4 trillion. Indonesia (16) and Pakistan (28) have GDP’s nowhere near their populations.

Why Should I Care?

You should care because, what happens in these countries in the future, is going to affect every aspect of your daily life. The United States produces way more goods and services than it’s possible for us to consume. That means, in order for you to maintain your comfortable lifestyle, new markets for our goods and services must be opened across the globe to pay for your Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, military, roads and highways and other costs and government programs.

It’s in your best interest for companies to open manufacturing and shipping hubs in other parts of the world. Taxable profits produced by these overseas efforts contribute to your stock portfolio, your 401(k), your pension funds, and most importantly grow our GDP so more companies are free to create future products and services people want.

I know, I know, this company or that company paid no taxes. It was in all the papers. Well, guess what? They did pay taxes. They may not have paid corporate income taxes, due to loses from the recession or fancy bookkeeping, but they still paid. They paid payroll taxes, excise taxes, property taxes, fees and licenses, city, county, and state taxes just to name a few. And, if they are located in foreign countries they paid whatever taxes are accessed in those countries as well.

Some Final Thoughts

It’s really frustrating to watch the narrow vision of voters in the upcoming election. The so-called “1%” is the only hope of the future to hold our economy together. No one gets rich at the expense of someone else. That’s just not possible. No one can profit by providing a product or service that no one wants. Corporations and small businesses are not the “bad guys.” They produce products and services, those products and services require a certain number of people to bring them to market.

Why has the quality of the workforce improved around the world allowing businesses to open locations in what were previously third world countries? People in those countries want to live the same dream we do and they know education if the key to lift themselves out of poverty. These foreign countries don’t have student loans or affirmative action. Just a citizens desire to improve their lives through their own efforts. Wonder if that will catch on here?