Posted on 03/08/2003 6:04:49 AM PST by George Frm Br00klyn Park
Edited on 07/12/2004 4:01:20 PM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
In a recent cover story, Business Week magazine observed that economists haven't begun to fathom the implications of outsourcing for the U.S. economy. Economists don't understand globalism because they don't think about it. They simply assume globalism to be the beneficial workings of free trade.
(Excerpt) Read more at washtimes.com ...
Adam Smith's argument for free trade is an argument against self-sufficiency in all goods and services. It is not an argument for exporting a country's productive capability to countries with the lowest labor costs.All, But, that is exactly what the LAWS REGULATING "Free" trade encourage. Peace and love, George.
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Unfortunately, the current, and evolving, economic model predicates that intellectual capital (which used to be productive capability) is now a good and service. Point in case, yesterday I spent 90 minutes on the phone with a tech from Microsoft (I had some registry and code issues with one of my computers). During the course of our conversation, as we worked through the problems, I found out that he was in a tech center in India. This didn't shock me so much as sadden me because in our rush to compress communications (broadband, wireless, telecom) we've essentially built the infrastructure to export jobs away from the US.
Sad to say this, but the bottom line always rules, and unless you relish the idea of becoming an Amway distributor (or some other low paying marketing/sales rep) you'd better choose your line of work carefully.
What about shareholder value? Corporate profits?
Sadly, that sounds much like an epitaph.
You mean the ones like Enron? The ones that went poof in the night? :-) No offense, but everyone knows that those profits turn right around and are exported out of the country along with any job growth here.
A country devoid of high productivity jobs is a poor country. Is the United States on the outsourced path to becoming a Third World country?Guys, In short, YES, and YES! But then, that IS the plan of "in the know" globalists. To "harmonize" the "markets" and wages worldwide in order to create "equality". And, this "equality" has NOTHING to do with rights, but with equality itself for pigkind. Of course, "Some pigs ARE 'more' equal." in this New World Order. Peace and love, George.
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"Are government and economists capable of recognizing that the global labor market is a threat to U.S. living standards and political stability?
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Too true.
If the pleasure seeking generation can't see an immediate and direct military threat from countries like Iraq and North Korea, then how are they ever going to understand a longer term, less tangible threat from job exportation per the well organized Global agenda. We are in a war for our survival as a nation, and we have been consuming our stockpiles in a pleasure seeking orgy while the enemy grows steadily stronger with a focused goal of destroying us.
Probably when they can't find a job and lose their credit to purchase all those pleasurable things they were seeking. They may not care that the game-players and wide screen televisions were made here ---but they won't be able to afford them for much longer.
What does disarming Iraq have to do with anything in this article? The author attempted to add his unsolicited advice on the Iraq situation in the middle of his economic argument.
How are readers supposed to take this guy's argument seriously, when he injects unrelated "pot shots" at our nation and president?
I've said this in the past. I've increasingly become convinced that the other leaders of the world are not "against" the U.S. or our people, they are aligned against the President and the administration. With the world fast moving to a global economy - if it isn't there already - any unilateral decision by the U.S., in regards to Iraq, as manifested by the President, which is counter to this "vast global conspiracy's" agenda will result in a retaliatory economic measure. This will affect the employment situation here, which, of course, affects the election in 2004. (Incidentally, don't think DVDs and SUVs, think gears, microchips, or other boring items which can affect the economy with just a slight increase in price).
If the pleasure seeking generation can't see an immediate and direct threatGuys, Suppose, just suppose, that one of or a few of our "trading 'partners'", who are shipping US more than we do to them {I.E. China} decide that our war with Iraq bothers them so much that they elect to economically embargo US. Many U.S. of A. folks would go without clothing and shoes and other such "non"-essentials. Economics and war do somewhat coincide. Though, I do notice that increased unemployment seems to have overcome of the market's war fears. Peace and love, George.Probably when they can't find a job and lose their credit to purchase all those pleasurable things they were seeking. They may not care that the game-players and wide screen televisions were made here ---but they won't be able to afford them for much longer.
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The Bush administration should think about this question before it gratuitously attacks Iraq. The consequences of war in the Middle East are unknown.
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Good question. I could say bio-technology, but even there we seem to be exporting jobs, and, your point, creativity.
There is another key point that is often overlooked. When we outsource our IT, we let people in a bunch of other countries have access to the code upon which our corporations depend. It is very easy once the source code is outsourced for all kinds of little "back doors" and time bombs to be inserted. That doesn't happen much here because once they are found, it is possible to track back to the employee who inserted them. And then they can be prosecuted. But when the whole system is outsourced, there is no one who can really be held accountable. And no one remaining who is qualified to look.
People have made the argument that IT is just a job like any other, and is subject to the cheapest vendor. But there is a serious security issue related to IT. Sabotage in the code can: cause orders to be routed to the wrong customers, cause prescriptions to be changed to something deadly, cause inventories to be too high or too low, can cause machinery to run too hot and burn out...the list is endless. Let me ask you - if you needed an operation, would you just look for the cheapest "surgeon" who could wave a certificate and say they are qualified? With no trusted agency to validate that certification? NO! Of course not. But that is exactly what we have done by outsourcing our IT.
Any terrorists who want to strike at our economy can now just go get jobs at those IT shops in 3rd world countries and do their damage. Quietly. And with much less personal risk to themselves. That way thousands of islamofacists can cause damage to "the great Satan" while getting paid to do it. Over the next decade we will see more and more of this. Too bad, so sad. Move along folks, nothing to see here.
The Bush administration should think about this question before it gratuitously attacks Iraq. The consequences of war in the Middle East are unknown.
A country devoid of high productivity jobs is a poor country. Is the United States on the outsourced path to becoming a Third World country?
The Bush administration should think about this question before it gratuitously attacks Iraq. The consequences of war in the Middle East are unknown.
When asked about it, the best they can come up with is a belief that American "creativity" will keep us one step ahead of the game.Guys, "They" say this despite and in the face of the "dumbed down education" "they" have knowingly foisted on the public schools the past few decades. "They" also say that "U.S. workers are 'more productive' than the workers of third world countries." Which, considering that "business know-how, capital and technology ARE globally mobile", is a flat out LIE, unless they think that starving third world workers are less motivated. Then, it is only a GROSS miscalculation of human nature. Peace and love, George.
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