Garment industry brought us better markets

I was talking to somebody important on Monday, and while he spoke his words trailed off into a tangled stew of gibberish.

And then my head exploded.

Cazart–the dreaded Saipan flu of death had pole-axed me!

No warning with this bug, no gradual increase in symptoms. This time around, it’s a total ambush, with all its little flu guns blazing at the same time.

Fortunately, we’ve got a number of options for medical attention here in Saipan. Doctors give me the creeps, but Tony Stearns, M.D., who operates a medical clinic on the south side of the island, is like a normal person–and has no creepiness whatsoever–so I dropped by to cough my germs on him and get whatever magic pills he’d provide. Since I pay for such things out of my own pocket, I was relieved when the entire bill was well under 50 bucks.

How can you beat that? You can’t.

If it wasn’t for Saipan’s vibrant garment industry, Dr. Sterns’ practice wouldn’t be there, since most of his patients are, I believe, garment workers. His practice, and my consequent ability to get an affordable, non-creepy doctor’s visit, demonstrates the economic benefits that we all enjoy when an economy has a productive industrial sector. We have choices that we otherwise wouldn’t have. More businesses, more doctors, more competition, more convenience, and cheaper prices.

These benefits are, of course, what we know of as “the market.” Stores are visible, of course, but the market is an invisible world. You can’t really see it. Which is unfortunate, because people tend not to understand that which they cannot see. And, in turn, they don’t generally understand all the consequences of anti-business policies, since it’s impossible to count the stores that aren’t open, the businesses that never invested and started operations, or the doctors that aren’t here.

As for Saipan, though, we’ve got it pretty good, don’t we? We must have more new car dealers per capita than any other Pacific island. Stores, restaurants, places for happy hour, and–yes– even doctor’s offices, we’ve got a pretty good selection. This happy circumstance is rooted exclusively in the ability of our mainstay industries, garments and tourism, to thrive.

Oddly enough, not every one is happy with thriving businesses. I remember a politician lamenting all of the “rinky dink” businesses in Saipan a couple of years ago. Well, I say, “support your local rinky dink business.” I buy most of my groceries from a rinky dink business, a Korean-operated store where the proprietor is friendly and I don’t have to deal with some phlegmatic, gum-chewing clerk with a learning disability who treats me like a felon for–oh, gasp!–wanting to write a check for my goodies. I will not shop at a place that takes food stamps habitually but hassles me for writing a check backed up by the honest money I’ve earned.

But there are plenty of other places–smaller ones, entrepreneurial efforts–that are happy to take my dinero. These places wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for our two main industries. Doc Stearns and his Marianas Medical Center wouldn’t be in business to offer affordable medical care if the garment industry wasn’t here to support his business. There are, of course, a number of other medical clinics on the island, which means we’ve got a lot of options. As consumers, we all benefit from having such choices.