American values are in conflict with reality. We expect mobility, immediate satisfaction, and cheap products, and we expect privacy, personal consideration, and quality of life. But we don't want to pay the price for these privileges.

Many of these values were embodied in the Hollywood Westerns popular from the 1930s to the 1960s. Films like Stage Coach, High Noon, and Shane defined American values. We saw ourselves as wide-roaming, rugged, independent, fair, and fast on the draw. Our military and manufacturing world prowess reinforced this image. And our arsenal of democracy transformed into an arsenal of the shopping mall without so much as a snort. We came to believe that we deserved our open life and seemingly limitless cornucopia.

The Western portrayed the open range as one of life's necessities — "don't fence me in" or get ready for a shootout. The construction of our national highway system in the 1950s was a manifestation of that philosophy. We could go anywhere, any time in big, fin-brandishing autos and on cheap gas (roughly $.20 a gallon in the 1950s). And with credit cards, we could buy everywhere.

In our post-war prosperity, we found we needed ever-more gas-guzzling horsepower. The late Evel Knievel embodied the tough cowboy spirit with his daring feats on a motorcycle. He gave the public what he thought it wanted. Detroit was doing the same thing — or thought it was. But while Detroit was paying more attention to building marketing campaigns than cars, Japan and Europe concentrated on the demand for quality. The competition, in time, ate Detroit's Big Three alive.

U.S. automotive executives lost their focus on their real business purpose — quality, pride of workmanship, tuned skills, and relentless inquiry. In some ways, they fell for their own marketing message of ever-increasing luxury and power.

Americans have failed to hold to the mark in too many endeavors. We are out-exported by Germany. We are out-manufactured in autos by Japan, and out-manufactured in general by China. Outsourcing is not a panacea; anyone can outsource. Discounting prices is not a panacea; eventually deep cuts impact profits and raise suspicion.

How do we match up our entitlement to open access, a multitude of goods, and power with widespread security checks, surveillance cameras, and distrust of our neighbors?

Regardless of the growing restrictions on our mobility, Americans are still driving 3 trillion miles a year, equivalent to 1,250,000 trips to the moon. Regardless of our credit debacles, we still live as if we can buy anything anywhere. We can, but we can also go bankrupt.

U.S. manufacturing must be led by manufacturers, not MBAs, stock analysts, or marketing geniuses. We need factory managers who are trained and educated in engineering and design. Bean counting should give way to Six Sigma counting, J-I-T scheduling, high-level benchmarks for quality, 24/7, and not measured by quarterly manipulations for stockholder satisfaction.

It is harder and harder to find amber waves of grain. Very few buffalo roam, and the deer and the antelope may best be found in the zoo or as roadkill. Times have changed. We are long past due for a values overhaul.