Uplifting Americas!

There are reports that with the increasing labor costs in China and the recent move by China to no longer tether the Chinese yuan to the US Dollar, countries like Mexico, India and even Russia are cheaper for manufacturing products in many sectors like Life Sciences, Publishing and even hi-tech . So here is my idea - move manufacturing back to the Americas - namely Mexico and United States, from China !

With increasing opportunities in Mexico, it may reduce the illegal border crossings by Mexicans who are looking for opportunities to work in the United States. It may provide more opportunities for the entire transportation sector to truck materials and products across the border. With an improved Mexican economy it may create a bigger market for US products increasing the US exports. It may slow China's growth as a super power and strategically help the United States in the long run to continue its stature as an economic stalwart.

Despite severe economic distress and a prolonged recession I must admit that I have rarely seen protectionist attitudes in the corporate culture in America. The pressure and misguided short term focus in delivering to share holders have led American companies (read executives) to be unconcerned in their attitudes towards creating and preserving jobs in America. My hunch is that there will be a resurgent America (and hence the rest of the world) if we can bring back manufacturing jobs to America. Services and Innovation alone are not enough to keep Americans employed. In any population, there is a certain percentage of work force that can only do blue collar work and this is where we are hurting today and will continue to hurt in the decades to come if we can not bring back manufacturing.

The cost of printing a book now is more or less going to be be same whether it is done in China or in the United States ! Surprised ? If all things are equal, American companies have an obligation to contribute to the local ecosystem positively and this starts with a objective to preserve and create jobs locally. This is not against free trade. It is logical, rational, patriotic and sensible thing to do !

The Debate on Health Care

The political process in America is fascinating. It always starts with an objective and analytical assessment of any subject and gets filtered by special interest groups and then by media biased towards the left and right wings, and gets further synthesized into talking points based on polls leaving us with watered down bills. I guess this is part of our democratic process.

When I came to the United States a decade ago, my employer provided PPO insurance cost $50 for both me and my wife. Subsequently I worked for a start up in 2001 when I paid a customary $1 for a high quality insurance. I heard back then that the cost to my employer was $250 a month towards my premium. Today I pay $450 each month out of pocket for premium and I heard it costs my company $20,000 annually in addition, towards my premium. If this is not day light robbery, I don't know what is.

My point is the following: The 80 percent of Americans that are "satisfied" with the care and worry about this reform costing tax payer dollars to cover 50 million uninsured, should look back and see what they paid in the past and what it costs today. The cost has sky rocketed over the past decade and will continue the trend if we don't have course correction now. Universal Coverage seems to be only one part of the reform. There are many aspects - that insurance companies don't drop patients due to pre-existing conditions, competitive premiums where private insurance companies need to compete with Government offered options are just a few that make this reform very appealing.

We have been accepting choices in front of us without rationalizing or questioning whether the costs of drugs, hospital care and doctor visits are justified. Part of the problem is our lack of exposure as citizens to similar experiences in other countries around the world. We have a tendency to demonize Universal coverage in other developed countries without a subjective assessment by mainstream news organizations and cable TV networks. Here is an example: I paid $120 for a prescription skin cream for my dad who was visiting us from India several years ago which cost $20 for the exact same combination drug in India !

The debate is now turning into a big circus with the right wing assault and scare tactics in full swing with chatter about "death panels". This is just another attempt by zealous polarized conservatives who have no substantive debating left in them and are trying to swift boat the reform. Blind ideology is disabling our ability to have a reasonable debate on what the reform is about and why it is important. Democrats need to step up to the plate and make this an objective reform. They should stop pandering to their special interest groups - namely the trial lawyers and the unions and force them to make concessions. Congressional democrats don't seem to have the appetite or the nerve to fix either of these two. They need funding from groups like these to win elections and most of them will care more for their self interest than the collective good of their constituents unless each of us force our representatives to do otherwise.

America has been on the downhill the past few years. If we intend to not crash our economy further into the ground we need to engage in objective reform that positively impacts every American - Republican or Democrat. For this, those that are legislating should present a plan that does not pander to any special interest. The cost of doing nothing is a path that will continue to lead us towards exponential cost increases and eventual bankruptcy of this country.

When Congress reconvenes in September, we will be witness to what can be either an opportunity to put America back on track or a missed opportunity that future generations would reflect on and say "if only ...." !

Finding the cause for Autism

I was coming back from my morning run and I saw an autistic teenager with his parents who held his hand as they crossed the street, their grip on him firm and steady, as if he would dart across the street unconsciously. This scene was in Bangalore, India.

I have been following Autism's growing scare and the surge in the number of toddlers diagnosed with Autism back in the United States where I have my home. There has been much debate about the environmental factors and the modern lifestyle that could be contributing to increase in Autism cases and yet after many years of research, the medical community has not been able to pin point the cause(s) for this genetic disorder.

In countries like United States, the exposure to various contaminants are rather large and it may be hard to find a specific environmental condition(s) that may be leading to Autism. Processed Food and storage and heating techniques are in many ways scary. Exposure to chemicals in everyday life is very high. There is unavoidable contact with chemicals everywhere - carpets in the house, cleaning products that make the bathrooms and the kitchen sink shine and people sick, various building materials that have high degrees of carcinogenic products (I recently read about one woman's allergic reaction to dry wall imported from China).

However in countries like India, urbanization is still in the works. The exposure to modern lifestyle unlike in the western countries has not yet caught on.Unlike in the United States, most homes here in Banaglore are built from brick and cement and carpets non-existent. Microwaves are fewer and most people do not buy frozen food. They mostly buy their daily quotas of vegetables and dairy and refrigeration is limited. Most typical contaminants are the fertilizers and chemicals that may be in the vegetables and dairy, polluted carbon filled air in the big cities. There is also a surge in the middle and upper middle class on eating outside. Several multi national fast food chains like Mcdonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut are now establishing their firm presence and increasing their reach.

Despite the ill-effects of the urbanization in India and other growing developing countries I still feel that the number of variables in the environment are smaller compared to the western world and if proper statistics and research is done in such developing countries, we may get to the cause for this dreaded disorder sooner. All it requires is to do extensive data collection, management and spreading the awareness of such research so parents of more and more afflicted kids will come forward and share their lifestyle choices. I am hopeful that the combination of advances in medical research and data collection eventually will pin point to the problem(s). How soon this may take is anybody's guess.