[agere_contra]

The high unemployment - correctly reported by Shadowstats - isn't because America cannot compete.

It's because America has decided to compete with both hands tied behind its back while wrapped in four tonnes of chains.

Remove those chains and America has an excellent chance.

And just to reiterate what I mean by 'chains':

Massive corporate taxation, limitless legal vulnerability, crushing environmental regulation, employee-disrupting Obamacare and pro-Union arbitrary Government: these are why industry chooses to locate away from the USA.

Year on year dollar devaluation due to huge government and punitive healthcare costs/hour cuts due to Obamacare: these are just two reasons why the American middle-class don't have the discretionary spending that they used to have.

[DannyTN]

No, it's not that America is competing with both hands tied behind it's back. It's the wage differential and nothing else. Chinese are making 1/100 of American's salaries. At $2/12hr day, the Chinese are making $0.17/hr. While the average American manufacturing wage is $17.00/hr.

Even with many of our high labor industries outsourced, BLS reports that labor costs still make up 30% of manufacturing product costs. If you can outsource and reduce your product costs by 29%, you had better do it before your competition does.

Most regulation except payroll taxes affects only specific industries. And payroll taxes aren't going away. Neither is EPA regulations or OSHA Regulations. EPA regs only affect businesses producing toxic waste. OSHA regs are pretty much common sense that any manufacturing business should be doing.

The cost of regulations is pennies on the dollar. The wage differential is huge compared to the cost of regulation.

It's not over regulation for most industries. It's labor costs.

[DannyTN]

No, it's not that America is competing with both hands tied behind it's back. It's the wage differential and nothing else. Chinese are making 1/100 of American's salaries. At $2/12hr day, the Chinese are making $0.17/hr. While the average American manufacturing wage is $17.00/hr.

Even with many of our high labor industries outsourced, BLS reports that labor costs still make up 30% of manufacturing product costs. If you can outsource and reduce your product costs by 29%, you had better do it before your competition does.

Most regulation except payroll taxes affects only specific industries. And payroll taxes aren't going away. Neither is EPA regulations or OSHA Regulations. EPA regs only affect businesses producing toxic waste. OSHA regs are pretty much common sense that any manufacturing business should be doing.

The cost of regulations is pennies on the dollar. The wage differential is huge compared to the cost of regulation.

It's not over regulation for most industries. It's labor costs.