Thursday, December 13, 2012

Opportunity Denied

One of the amazing things in life is Chilean grapes showing up in Ohio supermarkets in early Spring, at the peak of ripeness, and cheap.

Some bunch of Chileans harvest them at the right time, load them on ships, sail to some coast, where they get trucked at the right time to Ohio and put out for sale.

I don't imagine that Chileans like Americans, or Americans like Chileans. Yet the Chileans get what they want out of their effort, not caring a bit for the Americans except that the Americans buy stuff for more than it cost to produce; and Americans care only that they get more value to themselves than they pay for.

Business doesn't care about liking and socializing, just that each side comes out ahead.

It would work that way with any disadvantaged domestic group, if their leaders didn't tell them it wasn't worth their while trying.