Hillbilly wisdom: what a dumb ass. On September 1 U.S. Secretary of Treasury Besset said “the Strait will be worthless in two years” is like saying the United States’ interstate system is of no use since we don’t need it to move military equipment rapidly from coast to coast. Secretary Besset is saying President Trump is stupid for fighting over a worthless piece of real estate? Taking a position against the president’s position is not a smart thing.

The Strait of Hormuz’ value as a transportation lane has been reinforced in the last six months. Alternate methods of transportation are being developed. This is true but it is also true that maritime shipping is the cheapest method of moving large amounts of product on the global scene. The closer to the source and the most direct route to the buyer means more profit.

The United States has oceans on both the east and west coast. Traditionally the oceans have served as a protective barrier against the enemies of the United States. Now, we must transport our excesses across the waters to trade with other nations. The oceans are not the problem.

The United States has little to export because we have become a nation, baring weapons production, with a weak industrial base. More and better weapons are fine if you plan on a forever war for the world. But the world, America included, cannot eat bullets. Which production, bullets versus bread, serves the national interest best? Expansion of the industrial base requires investments at home; retooling our factories; retraining our work force to serve the needs of our citizens, not restrictions upon trade.

It is now October and the United States is still involved in the business of the strait. Keeping the strait open is a problem we have brought upon ourselves. Maybe Secretary Besset is correct. The Strait of Hormuz will be irrelevant since we have nothing of value to export.