Home of Today's Common Sense

Published Brownsville Herald 7-2-2006
On January 9 of last year The Brownsville Herald published my article entitled Capitalism is alive and well. That article has become one of the most popular “Today’s Common Sense” columns ever published. More than 370 of you went to my Web site and re-read the article or secured reprints. I thank you for your interest.
I have been back to the flea market on Route 77 often, for a repeat of the “elotes” that I am so fond of, to buy some of the spices and herbs, that I don’t grow in my garden; to get the great produce at such good prices (the red – green – and orange peppers and watermelons were especially good last week). However, one of the biggest reasons that I brave the parking, traffic and occasionally the dust is to buy that wonderful tasting, locally caught gulf shrimp at such good prices. I also love to listen to the stories of Louisiana in that Cajun “twang”. I have yet to find better shrimp (from the standpoint of taste or even size/price) at any price – anywhere.
This Saturday, (I still have shrimp from last week) I ventured way down south to Mexico Blvd. to visit the flea market in the old Walmart Building. I remembered that they have an “elote” vendor there also and made a note to time my tour of the place to end there. As it happened not only did I find the “elotes”, I also found some great tacos with a homemade salsa and nearby some french-fries with chili meat on them. Oh – wow it was super. I stopped at one place and found that my Spanish wasn’t up to the description of a product but the daughter of the neighbor vendor came right over and mediated. That kind of thing impresses me, a competitive vendor helping a neighbor to solve a problem. Whether they have papers or not, regardless of whether they came from Honduras or Mexico or even Canada, I would still call them “Great Americans”.
My wife had lost the antenna from her cell phone and needed a replacement – so off went “Captain Common Sense” to the rescue. I walked from my car to the first door I saw and was greeted by a cell phone repair shop flanked by another that sold accessories. The proprietor found just what I needed and installed it for a very modest price. Not only that but he took the time to actually talk to me – not at me, just like I was spending enormous sums. I mentioned that I was looking for something else and he even took me to the other vendor. That sense of community and courtesy pervades the place just as it does at the 77 flea market.

I am afraid that kind of personal service isn’t as common in the emporiums uptown as it once was in days gone by. It does exist though very often in the home grown stores down town. These are the kinds of places that gave our kids their first job, remember you from church, or heard you were sick and are pleased to see that it has passed.
I am here to tell you that real capitalism is what is practiced in those places and is the bedrock of the economy that is expanding as never before.
When I moved to Brownsville more than twenty years ago, an unemployment rate in the single digits was only a dream. NAFTA and the tax cuts in the recent past provided some of the kerosene to throw on the embers but it is small business that keeps it chugging.
What the booming economy hasn’t been supported by though, are some of the big sharks that were recruited by the local development organization, like Titan. While there have been some companies that were persuaded to come here initially for the incentives and became good neighbors, so many others ate and ran, leaving a bag to hold – not the jobs. Corporate welfare, in my mind is bad for business at any time and very expensive in cost per job added. I suspect it could be personally beneficial for the public officials however.
Certainly the community should do all in its power to encourage new business and expand the job base but that need not be to immigrate “foreigners from up north” whether they seem to have good documents or not. Many businesses look good like the old Enron but have fake identification. Lets face it our “Business Patrol” may not catch them until they have used our benefits and run.
I would like to see our development folks use the resources and political leverage to develop our home grown businesses and help them get a leg up.
The University of Texas, The SBA Retired Senior Executive Counselors and the Chamber of Commerce have the beginnings of a great program to help folks with starting and expanding businesses that just cries out for expansion and promotion. A number of the businesses I have seen at the flea markets, such as my cell phone repairman, have been in business for some time, have branched out into the community and are successful. With a little guidance and perhaps a tax subsidy, a grant or a low cost loan might just fuel a future regional chain or more.
Our home grown businesspersons are creative also but we are not keeping up with them. My shrimp vendors, previously bought and sold shrimp on a different scale. The increase in cheaper farm shrimp and inferior foreign imports flooding the market that drove many of our fishermen out of business in the last few years also suggested a new concept of direct sale at places like the flea market. Despite the new interferences imposed daily by political scare mongers with personal interests to protect, this new boutique for really flavorful shrimp persists. Why can’t our development folks think outside the box like our entrepreneurs? Would not the community and the businesses benefit with a “Wet Market” specializing in seafood and perhaps custom meats and toss in some local produce as well. I also suspect that the kind of farming that might result from a specialty market such as this might make it feasible to grow other produce such as Asian vegetables that are becoming in demand around the country. The demand and the high market prices of that kind of produce may just justify the high cost of irrigation, even to the point of desalinated water. All one need do is watch the Food Channel on TV and see what is needed. I am told it all can be grown here. In smaller amounts and at the boutique prices common in the cities, it could work. These kinds of markets are commonplace around the world but for some reason not here. I seem to remember that there is an empty building at the four corners that might just be ideal.
Lastly, I wonder if a market of locally hand produced items and those that recall the rich history and lore of South Texas might also be commercially feasible. As long as I am looking into the stars perhaps an exhibition of crafts and products from our neighbors to the south might enhance some of the vacant space in the Seaport Foreign Trade Zone and we could really become a “Homeport of NAFTA and CAFTA”. The laws don’t prohibit such a thing and I am sure that the Customs folks would be pleased to be asked how compliance could be effected to make something like that become a reality. I know I was overjoyed when I worked there to be asked before the fact how something could be legitimately done.
The development dollar for the immediate future must focus on our homegrown entrepreneurs or we might see a substantial increase in the unemployment rate of experienced politicians.