Obama And Romney Are Wrong: Outsourcing Is Actually America At Its Best

Forbes ^ | 07/28/2012 | Harry Binswanger

[SeekAndFind]

Mitt Romney and Barack Obama are currently fighting over who is the more patriotic. Obama slams Romney for having outsourced jobs to China during his Bain Capital days. Romney punches back by labeling Obama “Outsourcer in Chief.” The latest is that both John Boehner and Harry Reid are voicing outrage over America’s made-in-China Olympic uniforms. “Burn them!” thunders Reid.

Republicans and Democrats strangely agree that outsourcing is unpatriotic, and that the moral and patriotic thing to do is to “Hire American” and “Buy American.”

Well, no. Not in a thousand years. The fear of outsourcing and international trade is economic nonsense and moral blindness. More than that: this anti-profit attitude is un-American.

Despite the ongoing Europeanization of America, America still symbolizes the land of freedom, entrepreneurship, profit-making, above all, individualism.

But collectivism is the premise of “Hire/Buy American”: we are to view ourselves and others not as individuals, but as units of a nation. Businesses are urged to pay more in labor costs, simply to hire workers who are American; consumers are urged to forgo Walmart’s low prices, pay more, simply because the pricier goods were made by “our guys.” This is not rational patriotism, it is not Americanism, it's primitive tribalism.

American individualism means making buying decisions on the basis of economic merit, giving no regard to the nationality or race of the seller. Let’s not hide behind patriotic-sounding slogans. Let’s name things straight for a change: giving preference to American sellers over foreign sellers is the same mindless injustice as giving preference to sellers who are white over those who are black.

Economic nationalism is as morally outrageous as racism. Buying on the basis of nationality or race is the same collectivist evil: judging men and their products by the group from which they come, not by merit.

[WilliamofCarmichael]

China's Cyber Thievery Is National Policy—And Must Be Challenged It is more efficient for the Chinese to steal innovations and intellectual property than to incur the cost and time of creating their own.

"Evidence of China's economically devastating theft of proprietary technologies and other intellectual property from U.S. companies is growing. . . The bottom line is this: China has a massive, inexpensive work force ravenous for economic growth. It is much more efficient for the Chinese to steal innovations and intellectual property—the source code of advanced economies—than to incur the cost and time of creating their own. They turn those stolen ideas directly into production, creating products faster and cheaper than the U.S. and others."

A recent NY Times article said that China recognizes that it does not even have the capability to do its own development and until it does it will continue stealing or doing what ever it takes.

My question is, Opposing that is Protectionism?!

China is a bubble. About to burst. 2020 at the latest. Mao took Nationalist China because of widespread corruption, too much foreign influence, rampant poverty, and general dissatisfaction with the system. (Yes the country suffered from W.W.II -- that is the one key difference from today.)

Right now for the first time there is chaos installing a new Communist government. The Maoists may be forced to act.

The Dengists are totally corrupt, there is too much foreign influence, rampant poverty, and general dissatisfaction with the system.

[Toddsterpatriot]

The definition of economy (GDP) says that 2/3 of U.S. GDP is consumer spending and then most of the rest is government spending .

Wrong, consumption does not mean production.

[Toddsterpatriot]

Whatever the price demand curve spells out, without the "dumping". I am good with that.

The steel consuming American industries appreciate your generosity with their money.

[WilliamofCarmichael]

Here is the aforementioned NY Times article (immediately above in my last post).

What other kind of technology is there in Red China other than stolen? When the Nytimese publish an article agreeing that one of their favorite countries has problems you know it's true!

The Real Problem With China "For the United States, the No. 1 problem with China’s economy is probably intellectual property theft. Technology companies, for example, continue to notice Chinese government agencies downloading software updates for programs they have never bought, at least not legally . . . China’s leaders have reason to be nervous about all the barriers they have built. China’s elite, in government and business, are deeply concerned that their companies remain unable to create truly innovative products."

China calls us a paper tiger. Red China is carbon paper -- and they had to steal the carbon paper!

.. and when Red China kicks U.S. investors out with NOTHING! don't go begging Congress for another TARP, guys!

[Toddsterpatriot]

China has 10 times more workers in manufacturing than the U.S. has.So china's economy is at least 10 times bigger than that of the U.S.

I blame our public schools for your weak grasp of math and economics.

[rurgan]

No I think the real economy is manufacturing. The stupid economists say GDP is consumer spending and government spending (which produces nothing).

This is a quote from a link:
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/10/29/gdp_numbers_consumer_spending/

“Consumer spending accounts for two-thirds of U.S. economy
by Annie Baxter, Minnesota Public Radio
October 30, 2008”

[Toddsterpatriot]

No I think the real economy is manufacturing.

I think you're wrong

The stupid economists say GDP is consumer spending and government spending

Obviously Gross Domestic Production is not consumer or government spending. That is a stupid definition.

[1rudeboy]

The stupid economists say GDP is consumer spending and government spending . . . .

Ok, so if the public sector should buy nothing, and the private sector should buy nothing (or less, anyway), where do your vaunted manufactured products go?

[rurgan]

This picture is happening all over China:

http://www.dirjournal.com/info/images/shanghai-wfc.jpg

However U.S. cities are decaying hell holes and the U.S. is building only massive debt . So you say the U.S. has a better and bigger economy than China. You must be delusional. You really believe this "greater than China" U.S. economy won't collapse under all this debt including lady obama's 16 trillion federal debt? The U.S, economy is done. china's economy has grown 10% per year for the last 30 years. And you think China doesn't have at least a 10x bigger economy than the U.S. . You have a weak grasp of reality.

[1rudeboy]

If one of my marketing managers ever told me, “I don’t care where the steel goes, as long as it is produced,” I’d have had him escorted from the building.

[Toddsterpatriot]

Inefficient government directed infrastructure? We've got plenty of that here too.

So you say the U.S. has a better and bigger economy than China.

Everyone who can add says the U.S. has a bigger economy than China.

You really believe this "greater than China" U.S. economy won't collapse under all this debt including lady obama's 16 trillion federal debt?

Our "bigger than China" economy is not helped by wasteful Obama spending.

china's economy has grown 10% per year for the last 30 years.

Yes, if you believe the economic numbers released by local and regional governments in China, they've had very good growth. If you don't think they have their own real estate and banking bubble, you haven't been paying attention.

And you think China doesn't have at least a 10x bigger economy than the U.S. . You have a weak grasp of reality.

It's like I knew you were out there when I came up with my tagline.

[1rudeboy]

You really believe this "greater than China" U.S. economy won't collapse under all this debt including lady obama's 16 trillion federal debt? The U.S, economy is done.

Apart from the fact that the above statement has nothing to do with trade, you are correct.

[rurgan]

For the past 30 years China has averaged 10% growth per year. That’s 19 times the size in 30 years.

China has a billion people

You say the U.S. economy is 3x that of china

So you are saying that the U.S. had 19 x 3 = 57 times the size of China’s 30 years ago.

So you are saying 30 year ago the U.S had an economy 57 times the size of a country that has a billion people. That’s totally ridiculous. China has a much larger economy than the U.S.

[Toddsterpatriot]

I know what you mean, but it's probably difficult to measure production until you sell it.

So if consumers and government bought nothing, your steel production wouldn't count until it's exported. In which case it adds to GDP.

[rurgan]

Here’s some math for you since you say I’m so dumb at math.For the past 30 years China has averaged 10% growth per year. That’s 19 times the size in 30 years for you in rio linda..

China has a billion people

You say the U.S. economy is 3x that of china

So you are saying that the U.S. had 19 x 3 = 57 times the size of China’s 30 years ago.

So you are saying 30 year ago the U.S had an economy 57 times the size of a country that has a billion people. That’s totally ridiculous. China has a much larger economy than the U.S.

[Toddsterpatriot]

So you are saying that the U.S. had 19 x 3 = 57 times the size of China’s 30 years ago.

That only works if the US had the same sized economy 30 years ago as we do now. Another math fail on your part.

That’s totally ridiculous. China has a much larger economy than the U.S.

Your claim is totally ridiculous.

[rurgan]

The U.S economy hasn’t grown that much in 30 years at least living standards haven’t . all you have is insults. Even so by using the stats you dumbly believe that means that the U.S. is supposed to have an economy now 57 times bigger than china’s 30 years ago . The U.S. has an economy 57 times that of a country of a billion people :that is ridiculous and so is your reasoning.

[1rudeboy]

The U.S economy hasn’t grown that much in 30 years at least living standards haven’t.

Typed on a computer that didn't exist, transmitted through a network that didn't exist, and posted on a forum that didn't exist, on an internet that barely existed 30 years ago.

[Toddsterpatriot]

The U.S economy hasn’t grown that much in 30 years

It's like you're not even trying.

Even so by using the stats you dumbly believe that means that the U.S. is supposed to have an economy now 57 times bigger than china’s 30 years ago .

I don't know about you but I'm 57 times more productive than a Chinese farmer using a stick to plant rice.

The U.S. has an economy 57 times that of a country of a billion people :that is ridiculous and so is your reasoning.

With your weak math and poor reasoning skills, it's no wonder a Commie dump like China is able to compete with us.

[maxwellsmart_agent]

For those concerned about outsourcing, what kind of car do you drive? I drive a Ford.