Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
The goal of the corporatists that have usurped power in this country is to return working conditions to pre depression levels in order to maximize their profits. They have managed to further that goal by sending investment and production to China and elsewhere that do not have any problems with unlimited work weeks, child or slave labor, killing people in coal mines, or any other of the abuses that make money.
WE not only need more powerful unions in this country we need to unionize the third world’s workforce. Until then we need to protect our domestic workers and industrial investors with countervailing tariffs set to eliminate the foreign advantages created by abusing their workforce. Without any price advantages even Wally World would have to buy American in order to sell American.
What country has the highest exports in the world today? It’s the country with the highest wage rates and union restrictions. Germany has become more of a power, not less of a power as the world has become more global. Our problem isn’t competing with China, it’s competing with Germany in China. We’re so focused on China all the time, and low-wage assembly stuff, that we’re missing what’s going on. It’s Germany that’s going in and selling stuff in China that we ought to be selling that would hold down the trade gap between the U.S. and China. It’s not China’s fault; it’s Germany’s. But no one wants to talk about that. Because that would raise questions about the whole U.S. model: Why is this high-wage country beating us? Why are the European socialists beating us? It’s too subversive an idea so we don’t allow in the discourse.
What country has the highest exports in the world today? It’s the country with the highest wage rates and union restrictions. Germany has become more of a power, not less of a power as the world has become more global. Our problem isn’t competing with China, it’s competing with Germany in China. We’re so focused on China all the time, and low-wage assembly stuff, that we’re missing what’s going on. It’s Germany that’s going in and selling stuff in China that we ought to be selling that would hold down the trade gap between the U.S. and China. It’s not China’s fault; it’s Germany’s. But no one wants to talk about that. Because that would raise questions about the whole U.S. model: Why is this high-wage country beating us? Why are the European socialists beating us? It’s too subversive an idea so we don’t allow in the discourse.
Actually, (2011 figures) world exports ... China is #1 .... the US #2 ... Germany #3 in exports measured in Billions of Dollars .... we edge out Germany by around 100 Billion ... China has us beat by almost 400 Billion.
But to say it's Germany's fault is preposterous ... because the issue is trade deficits, not what other countries are doing around the world!! And Germany didn't put our John Hancock on NAFTA and GATT and the other trade agreements ... your US Congress and Presidents did that! We've had a trade deficit with Germany going all the way back to the 1980's, ranging in the average 10 Billion area each year until 2000 and a steep rise that began averaging 40+ Billion, which pales in comparison to the deficits we have with China. Our deficits with China are gargantuan by direct comparison.
In just the past 6 years, we're close to a 2 TRILLION dollar deficit with China, while the deficit with Germany is 250 Billion for the same period .... or roughly 1/8th.
But I will agree that Germany makes great stuff ... very high end, which accounts for those good wages. You make a lot more profit on a boatload of Benz's than you do on a boatload of garbage to stock WalMart Shelves.
As for the US Exports though .... just because something might be counted as an export, doesn't actually mean it was made here. You might be surprised to know that that massive deficit with China doesn't tell the true extent of the problem we have. We could have (and I don't know those figures) stuff like Apple products (among others) made in China, that are distributed in China and counting as US Exports in those figures, which does NOTHING for the US economy other than fatten the pockets of the Execs at Apple.
Suffice it to say that as bad as the numbers are .. the problem is actually much larger.
And forget the Democrat-Republican scam ... the problem rests with Congress as a whole ... since each party has had their opportunities to fix the problem, but have only helped facilitate the problems getting larger. That's why we need to grow a few brain cells ... stop looking at this as a Left-Right problem and realize it is an Us versus Them problem .... they have sold us out to the internationalists, and the entire lot of them save for a few should be put behind bars where they belong.
Last edited by GuyNTexas; 09-26-2012 at 12:39 PM..
i have better things to do than work 60-80 hours a week.
working that much gives your life no balance at all.
Speak about your own life. You have no right to speak about mine.
I put in 70+ hours per week, because it's what I choose to do in order to keep and grow a profitable business. After doing this for a while, I will have put myself into a position where I don't have to work those hours anymore, but my business will still generate a nice income for me.
It's called "looking past your nose." You and your lazy friends should try it sometime. Maybe if you had your eye on the prize, you wouldn't complain so much about how much free time you don't have.
Back in the twenties we had mob bosses that extracted protection money from shop owners, that was illegal and finally was stopped by law enforcement agencies. Now days, we have Unions that do the same thing, except the protection money is called union dues, and it is not viewed as being illegal. But shouldn't a man be allowed to work at any job he wants without having to pay some one else for him being allowed to work? Remember all the turmoil caused when Ralph Lauren went to China to get Olympic Uniform designs made? His answer to the criticism was: "We at Ralph Lauren are sorry, but we had to have China produce the U.S.A. Olympic uniforms because of endless U.S. government, employment, penalties, and EPA regulations. The labor unions would not have allowed us to produce the clothing because the only manufacturer in the US was a non-union shop". Unions force non-union shops to pay higher wages for government construction projects and those higher wages put a strain on small businesses who can't compete. Some of you may have heard of the Davis-Bacon Act?
Speak about your own life. You have no right to speak about mine.
I put in 70+ hours per week, because it's what I choose to do in order to keep and grow a profitable business. After doing this for a while, I will have put myself into a position where I don't have to work those hours anymore, but my business will still generate a nice income for me.
It's called "looking past your nose." You and your lazy friends should try it sometime. Maybe if you had your eye on the prize, you wouldn't complain so much about how much free time you don't have.
According to the president you didn't build that; someone else works 70+ per week.
Speak about your own life. You have no right to speak about mine.
I put in 70+ hours per week, because it's what I choose to do in order to keep and grow a profitable business. After doing this for a while, I will have put myself into a position where I don't have to work those hours anymore, but my business will still generate a nice income for me.
It's called "looking past your nose." You and your lazy friends should try it sometime. Maybe if you had your eye on the prize, you wouldn't complain so much about how much free time you don't have.
As the economy continues to implode, unemployment continues to rise, and the dollar continues to decline, the reality of your illusion ... or the illusion of your reality (whichever way you want to look at it), will be smacking you right in that nose.
Why? Because you couldn't "bother" yourself to look at anything outside of your illusion, or listen to anyone trying to alert you.
A lot of things affect how many hours a person works including a single person versus a couple or single person raising a kid or kids. A person having medical bills etc. Also different people have different goals and we should all be allowed to pursue them. I was single when I worked and didn't have expensive taste, so in 2000 i lived pretty good on $1000 a month after tax. I can't drive so I had to depend on disability transport so even though i only "worked" 8 hours a day with transport it was more like 12 hours a day 4 days a week and i worked part time on weekends. It didn't hurt that I lived in a little house that was the size of a 1 br. apt. and only had to pay like $340/mo. utilities included. So that left me with about $660 and even with $20 every two weeks for lunch and saving money i still had some disposable income. I couldn't have done that with a family, but it was also no one else's business because I didn't get food stamps or anything, I didn't get EITC, or any other help other than a ride to work, I have brain damage and have seizures so I can't drive but I was able to sweep and take out trash and stuff like that. In fact they loved my work and my work ethic. I didn't really mind the rides either btw I got a lot of small things accomplished on the commute. The reason why it was so long was 1)it was in a nearby city 2) there was other people along the way to pick up/drop off most people didn't seem to mind though. Before anyone says anything about the service it was mostly taking blind people to work so they could be self supporting it seems to me like most people would think it's a good program.
Speak about your own life. You have no right to speak about mine.
I put in 70+ hours per week, because it's what I choose to do in order to keep and grow a profitable business. After doing this for a while, I will have put myself into a position where I don't have to work those hours anymore, but my business will still generate a nice income for me.
It's called "looking past your nose." You and your lazy friends should try it sometime. Maybe if you had your eye on the prize, you wouldn't complain so much about how much free time you don't have.
I was speaking about my own life, I stated that "I", meaning me, have better things to do with "MY" meaning again, me, life than work 80 hours a week.
I don't care one bit about you or your life, it has no bearing on me what so ever.
LMAO...I can't believe that people brag about working 80 hours a week ....as if that's something to be proud of.
If you want the words "I worked hard but now I'm dead" inscribed on your tombstone ....be my guest.
Some people don't have a choice employers are using the economy as an excuse...what is the alternative? Unemployment?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
