Rise of the robots: 60,000 workers culled from just one factory in China (truncated title)

South China Morning Post ^ | PUBLISHED : Saturday, 21 May, 2016, 9:50pm UPDATED : Sunday, 22 May, 2016, 9:29am

[DugwayDuke]

DannyTN wrote: “Buying foreign goods and productivity enhancements are not the same and don’t call for the same kinds of protection.”

Buying foreign goods results in a cheaper product.
Productivity results in a cheaper product.

Buying foreign goods costs jobs.
Productivity costs jobs.

The effects are the same so why shouldn’t we protect our jobs from both?

[DannyTN]

Only some of the effects are the same...

• Buying foreign goods results in dependency on foreign countries. Productivity makes you less dependent on foreign countries.
• Buying foreign goods drains wealth. Productivity builds wealth.
• Buying foreign goods results in no jobs in the US. Productivity retains some jobs in the US.
• Buying foreign goods results in technical knowlege in the foreign country and none here. Productivity builds technical knowledge here.