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Chapter 23 - You Live in Clover
The Clover Club is located in Philadelphia, and the philosophy of this club is aptly expressed in a motto inscribed on a plaque that hangs in the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel. It goes something like this: While we live, we live in
clover, The people in America today are living in clover up to their eyes. A review of the facts outlined in this chapter will open your eyes to the immense possibilities that are in store for you as a salesman. The old saying states that the optimist is right, and so is the pessimist. The optimist sees things in the light, the pessimist sees things in the dark. They see things only from different points of view. The optimist sees things as they are, and he is able to establish their proper relations. The pessimist only sees a small part of things; he is unable to establish their true relation. The optimist has knowledge enlightened by facts. The pessimist has information, but it is distorted by ignorance. There is no logical or common-sense reason for you to be a pessimist when you have such a rich territory to cultivate— open your eyes and look at it. The Economic Strength of America The United States, including possessions, has a total area of 3,738,395 square miles. This is enough land to give every man, woman and child a farm of 19 acres. The United States contains only 6 per cent of the world's area, 7 per cent of the world's population, and it normally consumes: 48 per cent of the world's coffee. 53 per cent of the world's tin. 56 per cent of the world's rubber. 21 per cent of the world's sugar. 72 per cent of the world's silk. 36 per cent of the world's coal. 42 per cent of the world's pig iron. 47 per cent of the world's copper. 69 per cent of the world's crude petroleum. The United States produces over 2/2 billion bushels of corn, 1 billion bushels of wheat, and 15 million bales of cotton each year. With 50 million automobiles, every one in the United States can take a ride at one time. The United States has over 60 per cent of the world's telephones. The United States has 250 thousand miles of railroads, with 50 thousand locomotives and over 2 million boxcars. The United States produces: 70 per cent of the world's oil. 50 per cent of the world's copper. 60 per cent of the world's wheat. 60 per cent of the world's cotton. 50 per cent of the world's pig iron. 40 per cent of the world's lead. 40 per cent of the world's coal. The purchasing power of the United States is greater than that of 500 million people in Europe. The people of the United States have their lives insured for almost 300 billion dollars. This is an average of almost $2,000 for every individual in the country. The United States has over 3/2 million commercial business concerns and over 250 thousand manufacturing concerns. The United States has over 23 billion dollars in gold nearly 75 per cent of the world's total supply. The reason we have 75 per cent of the world's gold is because each dollar represents a unit of energy wrapped up with an idea. With freedom of enterprise, your energy, hitched to an idea, turns natural resources into wealth. The United States has 66 per cent of civilization's banking facilities. Retail sales are over 172 billion dollars in the United States. Since 1910, the population has increased 70 per cent, but the physical production of goods and services have increased nearly 200 per cent, which means that more people are enjoying more goods. In the last 12 years the percentage of American families earning over $3,000 has almost increased five times. In 1940, only 4 per cent of all families enjoyed incomes of more than $5,000. Today, more than 30 per cent earn over $5,000 per year. Over 61 million people are gainfully employed in the United States today, and their combined income is in excess of 500 thousand dollars per minute. There is enough timber in the forests of the United States to make every man, woman, and child a six-room house and still have timber left over. The assets of the American people are 785 billion dollars, invested in homes, real estate, automobiles, common stock, bonds, bank deposits, life insurance, and pension reserves. It is estimated that every man, woman, and child in the United States has at least 100 horses in the form of power working for them. This is represented in the power of different machines and different electrical appliances. The Big Idea: More and More Things for More and More People Mr. Richard C. Bond, president of the John Wanamaker Store, Philadelphia, speaking on "The Big Idea," said: The American idea of rewarding more and more people with more and more is an idea which has practically overthrown poverty; and that is a lot more of a revolutionary accomplishment than Lenin, Stalin, or Malenkov, with all their demagogic phrases, ever have been able to show. The more you think that problem through, the more you are convinced that the underlying fundamental is the Big Idea of this America of ours. What is that Big Idea? To make the fruits of America's labor and capital and vitality available to constantly increasing numbers of people. Here in America, year after year, we have gone ahead to bring more and more people into the market for goods by lowering prices, through mass production and mass distribution, and by moving more and more people out of the earning bracket that provided mere sustenance and up to purchasing power levels. We produce 100 pounds of meat per person each year; the rest of the world produces only 7 pounds per person. We produce 6.2 bushes of wheat per person; the remaining countries grow only 2.4 bushels. We have a bale of cotton for every ten people each year; the rest of the world must share each bale among 132 people. We produce 6 pounds of rayon per person; other countries produce one-half a pound. Nine out of every ten American houses have electricity; only two out of ten homes outside of this country have electricity. One of every two American homes has gas; abroad only one out of 25 has gas. In conclusion, Mr. Bond says, "The American idea, the Big Idea, is that more and more people have more and more things, which accounts for our prosperity and good fortune as a nation." There are 11,000 libraries and over 1,500 universities and colleges in the United States. The United States, appraised today, including its developed and undeveloped resources, its manpower, and its potentialities, would be worth in excess of 2,000 billion dollars. It is a 2 trillion dollar concern. Dividing this aggregation of wealth by 160 million inhabitants, we find that the per capita wealth is over $12,000 dollars. What about debt? Debt is a part of the economic system. Like other subjects, to be understood it must be treated with common sense. Debt does not mean anything, as long as it is in the family. The national debt is over 270 billion dollars, but this is less than one year's income. Do not think of this debt as a liability, because a United States government bond is the best asset in the world today. This entire debt is guaranteed in government bonds and, while they are an obligation against the United States and treated as a liability, they are at the same time bought by many companies and individuals for their quick convertibility into cash. The United States debt is really the elixir of American prosperity. By every dollar it increases, our economy expands five dollars. Balancing the budget means nothing. Why try to save one dollar and lose five? It just doesn't make sense. Some people think that this great aggregation of wealth is inflation. It is not inflation. It is expansion and development. Inflation is caused from scarcity, but there is no scarcity in America today. America has the energy, the ideas, and the capacity to turn inexhaustible resources into unlimited economic values. People enjoy the fruits of their own efforts, and more and more are enjoying more and more of the good things our American economy is capable of producing. What about dollars? Dollars are based on wealth, As the national wealth increases, so do the dollars. Most of the problems of our economic system are easily solved with thought. The Future Is Bright Therefore, picture the United States today as a nation of 160 million who rise every day to call her blessed. Her cities are vast hives of thrift and industry. Her factories are rolling steel, fashioning wood, processing food, assembling machinery, cutting clothes. A nation whose wealth is over 2,000 billion dollars and whose people enjoy an annual income in excess of 280 billion dollars ... a nation woven together by 4 million miles of improved highways, connecting every state, city, county and hamlet and uniting them into one large neighborhood, where peace and good-will walk hand in hand—this is your clover field. Therefore, write into your heart
that every day is the best day. Put your faith in those great creative
forces within. The economic growth and strength of America is fundamental,
dominating, and perpetual. Our economy will continue to provide more of
the good things of life to more people as more salesmen continue to plant
ideas, and to influence people and inspire them to live better and enjoy
the more abundant life. As a salesman, you are a motivating force and a
contributing factor in making a better nation and a more secure people.
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