Don C. Brunell: Polish Love America but Perplexed by Americans

Donald Trump’s address in Warsaw on July 6 was his best as President. His prepared remarks carried the right tone and hit the mark. It was a message the Polish people were waiting to hear from America.

He called on the U.S. and its Western allies to confront common threats, declaring "Our values will prevail, our people will thrive and our civilization will triumph."

The President added (paraphrasing): We write symphonies, pursue innovation, seek to explore and discover new frontiers, reward brilliance, strive for excellence, empower women as pillars of our society and success, and treasure the rule of law and right to free speech and free expression.

Poland and the U.S. share bonds which are deeply rooted. Some of those roots extend into Washington State. Polish leaders embrace our entrepreneurial spirit and market-driven economic system.

Educators along the country’s Baltic Coast adopted Washington’s free enterprise experience called Business Week. Polish students excel in math and science, but they want to be more innovative. Thinking outside the box and unleashing student’s creativity is “The Magic of Business Week.”

Washington Business Week, which started in 1975 at the Association of Washington Business, is a series of week-long business “boot camps” where high school students get hands-on experience in what it’s like to run a business, create new products, compete in the global marketplace, and make decisions that change people’s lives.

Since its inception, Business Week has spread to 22 states, Australia, Italy and Poland. Polish leaders learned about the program through a sister city relationship between Seattle and Gdynia.

In the beginning, Polish students attended Washington Business Week at Central Washington University. Then nearly a decade ago, city leaders in Gdynia brought American teachers, business leaders and students to their country to start Poland Business Week. It has been a vibrant partnership.

This summer, Poland Business Week will be in Gdansk, Gdynia and in the tiny hamlet of Bolesławowo.

During the school year, Polish teachers and students follow a very rigid academic curriculum. But at Business Week, they learn how to unleash their creativity which was suppressed by the Communist regime.

Poland broke the shackles of Soviet domination 27 years ago with the rise of Lech Walesa and the Solidarity labor movement. Free for the first time since World War II, Poland cast off its yoke of government control and central planning.

Today, Poland is a European Union powerhouse. Poles eagerly jumped into open markets where consumers dictate. The once dreary cities with drab government buildings now are modern and bustling with malls, shops and restaurants. If it was not for a different language, you would imagine yourself in Seattle, Spokane or Vancouver.

While most of European economies tanked during the last “Great Recession”, Poland’s gross domestic product expanded by four percent in 2009—the depth of the severe downturn.

By contrast, the U.S. economy struggled through the weakest recovery since the end of World War II. However, most perplexing to the Poles is during the severe slump, they saw a pattern of increased government intervention and more stifling regulations in the United States.

But government intrusion does not work as the Polish people know all too well. It leads to shortages, higher prices and lost opportunities.

America's economic freedoms inspired a revolution in Poland. Trump’s speech gave Poles hope that we’ve not lost our way.

As for President Trump, Wall Street Journalist columnist Peggy Noonan summarized it best: ‘If he talked like this at home, more of us would be happy to have him here. If he gives serious, thoughtful, prepared remarks only when traveling, he should travel more.”

(DON C. BRUNELL is a business analyst, writer and columnist. He retired as president of the Association of Washington Business.)