Bureau of Economics and Business Affairs

Alistair woke up in his bed, next to his wife with a throbbing head and groggy vision but nonetheless, not in 1939s Germany. The sleeping pills had worked! He scampered out of his bed in delight and crossed the room to the bathroom. His relief was enourmous but there was no way it could wash away the heavy feeling that resulted from being knocked out of sleeping pills for almost 7 hours straight. So he got under the shower, turned the faucet towards 'cold' and began to rinse himself with the fresh water. In mere minutes he had cleared all of the fog out of his head. 

He stepped out of the shower and finished his morning routine, ending with picking out a suit and tie and putting it on. He'd have an early breakfast and then head to the quarters of Economics and Business affairs. 

Five other men were present. Three of them were new, Alistair shook their hands first. Then she shook the hands of the trusted Todd Baker and his long-time partner Erin Schwartz. Alistair took a seat and let himself be humoured by the economists. 

Erin Scwartz started: "the GDP is starting to go on a trend downwards."

"Well, right now it's actually just going in a pretty much flat way-." Todd Baker interrupted. Erin shot him an angry look. 

"Dr. Baker is right, for now it's running very flatly. Since the last five years it hasn't been casually rising anymore but rather sinking, or as Todd - Dr. Baker has pointed out, running flat."

"Why is that so?" Todd asked rethorically. "It's because although the US are producing things, quite a lot of stuff, we're investing in the wrong economic sectors." The two Doctors of economics were working against each other more than with, something they always did, and if they weren't so smart Alistair and the previous President would have long seem them fired. "You see, we're still investing in manufactoring things that we shouldn't be manufactoring anymore. Why are we doing this? Because whole regions of the US rely on jobs in these fields. But these things are being outsourced. It's cheaper to get them from other countries, for example China. We have to start making more 'high quality' products."

"Look at Germany," Erin Schwartz piped in, "they realized that they could hold their game by importing these certain goods from China and then exporting other goods; like machines, engines, cars. They didn't lose in the mass boom that China made, they were one of the 'winners'. Let's face it; America is losing."

"Don't be so dramatic, Dr. Schwartz." Todd Baker interrupted. "But yes, she is right. On this 'new global economy' the US is losing it's place. We're going to keep sinking. We need to invest into different sectors, to start making other things that are valuable to places like China, like Germany, stuff we can export." 

"Alright, sounds good and fair." Alistair said, speaking for the first time in a while. "I've heard of it. But what are we going to do with the middle-class workers who relied on that 'kind' of work in the manufactoring sector in which we'll be investing in less?"

"For one we prevent the next generation to start working there," Erin started, "and we try to offer courses for the people who do work there, to slowly get them away from exactly that and broaden their knowlage so they could work in another field."

"Dr. Schwartz, it's a good thought, but I believe it's simpler to re-educate the already fairly well-educated then just any worker who's been doing a certain job his whole life." Alistair pointed out. 

"I agree Mr. President," Todd Baker said, "that's why we should try to slowly make this change, as I said, prevent the next generation from working there and re-educate those we can."

"Send me concrete plans on how you'd do this next week, Dr. Baker." Alistair requested. "And ich which sectors would you say we should start investing? Which products should we make?"

"Silicon valley is one of the most promising things we can offer," Erin Schwartz said, to this Todd Baker nodded, "and the service sector. People will always need people for certain goods. We need pilots and teachers and hairdressers. We should focus more and more on the service sector, more than we already are. As for building things...we can certainly design new products, but the actuall manufactoring will have to continue to be outsourced more and more. It just makes more sense that way."

"Alright. It sounds like it makes sense," Alistair said. "Thanks for the meeting. If you can't get plans to me by next Tuesday just write my secretary Abby a message and we'll see how much more time you need." He stood up and shook hands again. This time first taking Dr. Erin Schwartz'. "And a good day to you al!" He wished them as he headed back out of the bureau. 

He chuckled to himself as he thought of the two economists. He'd been to so many business meetings, including the pitches of the start-ups where the two main people just argued the whole time. Next time he'd make them simply write a report, that would make it easier to understand then them interrupting each other constantly. He checked his schedule, next up was a meeting with a newer but very successfull enviromental agency. The last president had founded it and with as much government support that it got it had, in short, thrived. Funny, first meet with the economists and learn how to pollute the world, how to outsource and afterwards meet with the men and women doing their best to clean up the mess left behind. What a wonderful world.