Quote:
Originally Posted by Memphis1979
We've got to look how this all began.
The United States wasn't the leading manufacturer in the world before the second world war.
After the war, Europes manufacturing base had been destroyed, which left one real economic power in the world. Russia tried to keep up, but capitalism won out over communist social engineering.
We have been experiencing for decades now the arrival of new manufacturing powers, because a monopoly can only last so long without competition. This is essentially what our country was during the 50's and 60's, the manufacturing monopoly capital of the world.
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That would be the long and short of it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Memphis1979
Our employees got a bloated sense of self worth, anything less than 12 dollars an hour is unacceptable for many of us to live on in our own mind.
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That would also be correct.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Memphis1979
The population is 300 million people. The worlds population is over 6.5 billion. We aren't even 10% of the worlds population. Companies can't survive long in an economy that shuts out that kind of potential clients. So we enter free trade agreements that seem to hurt at first, but keep our companies able to trade with them for minimal cost that keeps many employed.
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The world's population is 6.6 Billion and the US is 4.5%.
What would really happen is foreign multi-national corporations would obtain so much wealth they would simply buy out US corporations and that would be the end of that.
In other words, no matter what you do, eventually you end up in the same boat, which has a huge gaping hole and is sinking.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Memphis1979
We are entering a stage where our country will be mostly service industry jobs, and then many white collar workers. Until our manufacturing workers start realizing they will have to take less, this trend will continue. Just why do you think companies close up shop in the NE, then move to the SE of the country? No union, less pay is expected, with less benefits, and a younger work force. But even that part of the country can't compete with what amounts to slave labor in China.
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There is no slave labor. $0.75/hour might not seem like a lot to you, but to people in other countries those are premium wages.
The lot of you have never been outside of the US and your gagginly grotesque ethnocentric point of view leads you to make boneheaded assumptions about a concept most of you know nothing about.
Just because you pay $900/month to rent an apartment, doesn't mean everyone on the Planet pays $900/month.
I used to pay $50/month for my one-bedroom apartment (and it had a dining room and the vast majority of one-bedroom apartments in the US don't).
I couldn't, and still can't eat at the Four Seasons, because I couldn't afford to pay $125 per person (plus tip) for one meal.
That's why I went to the Moscow in East Berlin, because the service and experience was superior to the Four Seasons and it only cost me $13 -- and that's for two people and the tip (and I gave the Maitre 'd and Wine Captain an extra tip --- y'all know what a maitre d'hotel and a wine captain is, right?).
So one man's slave labor wages are another man's dream wages.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Memphis1979
Sooner or later the scales will balance out, but it will take some time to do so.
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About 5-7 decades. By the end of this century, US wages and standard of living will have declined to meet the rising wages and standards of living in other countries, and that will be the equilibrium point.
Once the equilibrium point is reached, it won't make much difference where you build your factory.
Quote:
Originally Posted by crystalblue
How could it be stopped?
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You can't stop it.
However, a truly christian nation could have slowed it considerably, and made it less painful for everyone, by not stealing the resources, profits and wealth from other countries.
Quote:
Originally Posted by GreenScoutII
I see off shoring of American jobs to foreign countries as an act of treason.
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No one is required to give you employment. Your employment or lack of employment is your problem, and yours alone.
I guess tourism would be an act of treason as well, since Americans would be spending money in foreign countries and helping their economy.
Quote:
Originally Posted by GreenScoutII
Every factory that is closed and then re-opened in another country has done grievous economic harm to the community it left here in the US.
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That's your fault, because of your short-sightedness. Everything was peachy and your profited handsomely by sticking your head in the sand as your government raped and pillaged other countries for their resources, profits and wealth, and now that your government can't do that unless it goes to war, you're upset.
Quote:
Originally Posted by GreenScoutII
Before long, the whole of the so called service economy we are left with will consist of nothing but selling insurance and preparing taxes for each other.
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Unless the government goes to a Flat Tax, and in that case, there'd be no need for tax preparation.
Quote:
Originally Posted by GreenScoutII
I think the "global economy" will be the death of the high standard of living we've enjoyed in the United States.
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Without a global economy, you wouldn't have a cell-phone, MP3 Player or a computer, because you wouldn't be able to afford it.
I won't even bother addressing the fact that you have none of the raw materials required to make those things (excepting the heavy and intermediate oils required to make them).
Quote:
Originally Posted by crystalblue
The theory I have read is, ANYTHING that can be done overseas cheaper can go. Thats a heckuva lot of jobs!
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No one is going to drive to Mexico for massage therapy.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Back to NE
I agree 100% but all this is pure Capitalism. Enabled by computers and other technology. When profit is THE motive, why would a corporation do anything different?
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That isn't Capitalism, that is Hedonism. I can understand why you blame Capitalism, because that let's you off the hook for your own hedonistic tendencies.
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Originally Posted by Back to NE
The best we can do is invest in the machine (stock market), and vote Democrat of course, but it looks to be too late.
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Um, publicly traded corporations (as opposed to private corporations) have a moral, ethical and legal obligation to make profits.
They have no obligation to employ people. In fact, if a publicly traded corporation can make profits without employing anyone, then that is what the publicly traded corporation should do.
So, please, continue investing in the stock market to give the publicly traded corporations the capital they need to purchase sufficient automation to do away with employees completely.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DrummerBoy
Offshoring actually has the potential to create jobs in the U.S.
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Aha!
There's someone who has at least a bit of a clue.
These people are too dumb to realize that it is off-shoring that allows companies to make profits and keep US plants open and employing Americans.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Leisesturm
There are 20 million vacant homes in the U.S. and more every day.
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Which only proves there is a glut of housing.
Quote:
Originally Posted by odinloki1
4. There is no reason why we shouldn't be making all we consume here in the U.S. We should learn to be self sufficient.
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Yes, and that would create a standard of living equal to that of 1910.
Cell-phone and self-sufficient is an oxymoron.
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