In the American vernacular, national defense is a buzzword. It is discussed in elections and in households. The images immediately spring to mind: Coast Guard cutters plying the waves, our troops overseas, clean-cut Marines in dress uniforms. Less than a year ago Desert Storm gave our collective ego a boost. The United States has a long and glorious military tradition. However, the strength of one's army is not the only facet of national defense. The question must be asked periodically, "What are we defending?" The answer might seem obvious; it lies in our Declaration of Independence and Constitution: unalienable human rights and economic opportunity, the quality of our life. Unfortunately, we are not doing an adequate job in those areas. The very real problem is that although the United States can out muscle just about anybody with technology and manpower, we are in serious danger of losing the heart and soul of the nation. National defense, therefore, must include the protection of not only the physical and ideological realities, but also those things that make a country work.

President Bush has just returned from a series of meetings in Japan designed to assess and work out a solution to the glaring trade imbalance between the two countries. This is a case in point. Were there a "hot" war between our countries today we would win, hands down. We have made sure of that over the years. But while we have been resting on our laurels, Japan has quietly been winning the markets of the world. Time was when "Made in Japan" meant junk; I can remember as a child singing a song with a line to that effect; but no more. It is, ironically, only slightly tongue-in-cheek now to say, "All the best stuff comes from Japan." This illustrates two things: our attitudes toward work and the things we value as a people.

First, America doesn't work, at least, not the way it should. The reason is quite simple, really; Americans don't work. We go to work and we put in our time, but the reality is that the grand majority have their hearts and minds elsewhere. Phrases like, "Weekend Warrior" and "the Five o'clock world" typify our attitudes. Work is a means to an end not a real source of pride and satisfaction. We work to earn money to pursue the things we feel are truly important. As a result quality suffers. We lose valuable time to labor "walk-outs" and bargaining. Employees feel little wrong with skimming off the company. Executives give themselves pay raises while laying off line workers. All of this in turn fosters an attitude of resentment toward the job, which further affects the quality of the products. The work ethic may as well be eulogized because we have just about killed it.

The second problem lies in what we hold dear: stuff. After all, "he who dies with the most toys wins", has become the motto of many people. The stuff we want is what will entertain us and bring us prestige. Japan is good at making the kind of electronic gadgets that amuse us and that are perfect for showing off to friends. We could make this kind of "stuff" ourselves, but we have places to see and people to impress. Who can concentrate on the details of assembling a machine?

These attitudes permeate every facet of American life and are therefore difficult to battle. Perhaps the worst abuse is in our system of education. This is where most Americans learn a good deal of their values. They spend 5-8 hours a day there. Assuming they sleep another 8 hours (or more) that is about half their waking hours. Television is an overrated danger. We should be more concerned with what our children learn (or don't learn) in school. There, in a misguided attempt to make kids feel good about themselves, grades come easy. Content is slighted. Due to the report A Nation At Risk, we are familiar with the problems of our educational system, yet they continue despite the money we pour into it. In New York in 1989, $6 107 was spent per child. $4 135 of that ended up going to administration. It is estimated that in some schools non-teaching personnel outnumber the teachers. This kind of bureaucracy effectively blocks attempts at reform. The result is a breach in our national defense. Because we value prestige (and having a high school diploma and a college degree is part of that) we make sure kids graduate - but often lacking the skill they need to survive. Business (and the military) must then spend thousands of dollars re-educating people in order to do their jobs.

The result is exorbitant, and unwieldy budgets that lend themselves to abuse. The ridiculous price of certain items of military hardware has been too well publicized. Unfortunately, some suppliers's high costs make them uncompetitive abroad and therefore they appeal to "national security" as an excuse for subsidies rather than shape up their operations. The Department of Defense has little recourse as many companies would rather not deal with an organization so bogged down in politics.

The nation is not the land mass, airspace and water that a country possesses; that is its territory. The nation is the citizenry. As Americans we have been very good at territorial defense, the purpose of which is to secure space and freedom in which to pursue the betterment of the nation. Now that we are entering a period of possible demobilization and stepped up technology that will allow us to do more with less, we must realize that we have been neglecting true national defense in recent years. Unless this trend is reversed our territorial defense may begin to suffer as well.

Bibliography

Colson, Chuck and Eckerd, Jack. Why America Doesn't Work. Word Publishing. Dallas, TX. 1991.

Levinson, Marc and Barry, John. "Defense: The Real Debate". Newsweek, 15 July 1991. Newsweek, Inc. New York, NY. 1991.

Monsma, Stephen V. The Unraveling of America. InterVarsity Press. Downers Grove, IL. 1974.