My conversation with a Russian Immigrant

This past week a gentleman came into my shop seeking a possible solution to his dilemma. Once he described in his broken yet accurate English what he was trying to accomplish, I provided my suggestion that would aide him in his quest. Since my shop deals in art from framing to a gallery of local artist, he asked if he could browse around. which I replied by all means.

Our conversation began as he showed appreciation of the various styles of artist and how they were able to achieve their desired results. He stated that he was into art and that some of the items the masks in particular if they were to made of European stone could garner high prices and bring in the very high end clientele. I agreed but I told him my customer base would not pay those kind of prices. I continued to tell him that I designed my shop to appeal to a market base that would appreciate what I had to offer. In fact the layout of the shop would discourage those that could not afford what I was selling and appeal to those that could. My many years of experience and loyal customer base has allowed my store to grow through word of mouth. I continued to tell him that in my twenty one years of business I have grown and have not had a significant down year until 2009. My sales this past year was down 40%. He asked Why?

I went into my often repeated comments that 2009 could have been avoided if only the dumb ass politicians would have looked at the only remedy( eliminate capital Gains Tax so money would have come back into into the economy) that could have avoided the rampant fear that has become prevalent with the American Consumer. I said every one was affected by the actions of Congress that allowed the stock market to crash. Whether you were in the Market or not every person was effected. What transpired in October of 2008 trillions upon trillions of dollars were lost or taken out of the economy both here and around the world. At this point he asked me a question " Do you know were the money comes from? " I replied the Federal Reserve. He said you are the first person that I have asked this question that knew the answer. He continued to say that too many people in this country don't know how there country works. He stated How was the Federal Reserve allowed to be and be given the power to print money at will? I was intrigued by this man because he has more knowledge of the United States than a majority of its natural born citizens. I brought him to a photo display of the only pictures that I have of my youth. In seeing these pictures he realized that I was not of this country my self.

Now that we had something in common we continued to talk politics. He told me that he didn't like what was happening. The American people that are buying into Obama Socialism have no idea as to what they are getting themselves into. He left Russia because when he first got the opportunity to read about what the Communist elites had done to his people( He was Georgian), he was appalled. The Communist had achieved there desired results in making there people passive and only concerned about today. The past and the future was none of there concern. The idea of a country that allows individual freedom was to much of a draw to ignore. He did everything the right way to get here. Once here he began learning everything he could about this country and now he is of the realization that global forces have got its grips on the United States way of life and are determined to change it so that it conforms to the rest of the world.

I interjected my thoughts that I agreed with some of the things he was saying, but I still believed that their is a large segment of the population that has wakened up and has become extremely angry as to what is happening. I told him that more and more people are doing what we are doing and that is talking about was is going on. Look at how many people of my generation the early baby boomers were protesting this past summer. He said he gets a chuckle out of his wife joining the Tea Party Protest, but he is still convinced that everything is preordained. I said that no country on the face of the earth has achieved what the United States has in such a short period of time. He asked Why is that? I responded that the United States has the one document that no other country has ever had and that is its Constitution whereby the power of the country comes from its people and not its government. He asked What I thought was so different about the Constitution? I said that I was proud of my Italian heritage, however, I was so glad that my mother born in this country and realized that she wanted her family to have the advantages that this country has to offer. Though I was only six years old when my family came here I have maintained one thing that has stuck with me through my many years of life. If I was to have stayed in in Italy I would always have been identified " as the son of " I am not by any means ashamed of my birth nor my family, but the idea of being judged or identified not as me the individual but rather the class of my birth makes my blood boil. Through out my youth I would here derogatory comments about my father since he never went to school nor could he barely write his name, but the man made the most of his abilities and here in the United States he was considered successful. This country and its Constitution gives the individual the right to be who he wants to be not his status of birth.

I continued that the people of the United States are not going to give this up without a fight. To many people would die trying to get here to have that chance at what this country has to offer. I am convinced that these politicians that are so obsessed with their need for power over others are going to get a rude awaking. He asked who I thought would be the next President and I replied the Lady from Alaska- Sarah Palin she is not one of them she is one of us. He agreed that Palin would be the next President.

Some customers came in and I cut our conversation off so I could do some business.