The Return Of The Giant Sucking Sound

SFGATE.com (The SF Chronicle) ^ | 02/09/04 | Adam Sparks

[sfwarrior]

Since 2001, the United States has lost 2.8 million manufacturing jobs. Hello! Is anybody listening? This is a crisis. Our house is on fire, and few in Congress are paying attention. And, at the rate things are going, the only jobs even college graduates will be able to get will be in the service industry. That's political lingo for flipping hamburgers.

[hedgetrimmer]

Bump.

[lelio]

You bet you have to have skill to lift loads that weigh tens of thousands of pounds and place them in the exact spot they're required

I think part of what people miss is that a job's pay can also be determined by how much money a company can loose if they screw up, ie you drop a box full of TVs and the Sony importer's going to file a complaint. Or harm they can do if swayed to the dark side -- in the longshoreman's case letting a couple of boxes walk off the yard.

[Clock King]

Bush is in trouble and is too Stupid to know it. I don't buy the Republican crony lines (esp. Linda Chavez and her "Productivity is up." BS). Productivity is not up. People are working 70 hrs./week and getting paid for 40. They do it because they don't want to risk loosing their job. This BS line about only 330,000 jobs lost is garbage too. Yeah, maybe it is less than what the Demonrats (habitual liars like their God, W.J. Clinton) say, but the jobs that have replaced those lost are low-paying service jobs. People WILL work to save their homes and families, so if it means working two or three McJobs, they'll do it.

[Lael]

People are working 70 hrs./week and getting paid for 40. They do it because they don't want to risk loosing their job.

BTTT!!

Trust me...if we had ANYONE to stand up to these...but, that is for another day!!!

[Look at the TAG line !!!].

[looscnnn]

"Still don't find all that many people who agree with me that it is a serious problem, even on FR."

Maybe because they are in denial or because they have been wooed by the spin of NAFTA, etc.?

[TXBSAFH]

I flor one feel the loss of good paying jobs and the manufactoring base of this country are a crisis that threatens the nation security of us all.

[Mikey]

"There's no way any of us can stop it either."

'When a man is convinced he's going to die the next day, he'll do everything he can to make sure it happens.'

Its amazing how many people I've heard say that same thing as you and how many of them say, "What can I do, I'm only one man (or woman)."
Even when I state to all of them, if they'd all join with me in this common problem, than maybe we ALL can effect change, but that defeatism attitude comes back into play and NOTHING gets done.
Who was it that said, "You can't beat city hall"? Was it city hall?

" Hence to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting. "

"To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself. "

"Therefore the clever combatant imposes his will on the enemy, but does not allow the enemy's will to be imposed on him. "

I refuse too give into defeat.

[EagleMamaMT]

Not to mention the costs incurred by the company if said crane operator drops one of those containers on some of the dock workers!

My husband has never worked on the docks. He's always worked construction - building, bridge and road work. He does a lot of loading and unloading of equipment, however, and lifts a lot of steel beams, pours concrete with a crane-operated concrete bucket and also lifts the laborers and iron workers up and down in the man cages. His main job, though, is running the drill attachment to punch the holes for the support columns for bridges. That is grueling, hard labor - hard on the arms, legs and backs of the crane operators. Think of the drill auger as a giant jackhammer, but requiring a certain "feel" and skill for how fast to drill while also making sure the hole is kept absolutely straight.

As a testament to his safety record, most of the guys on the job prefer to have my husband manning the controls when they're riding the man cage. They trust him because they know he would never be pushed to disregard safety issues to save the company a buck or two.

After reading that post about dock workers making so much money out in California, maybe I need to encourage him to join the union and go out to California and get a job. That's certainly a lot more money than he makes here in the Midwest as a nonunion operator. :)

[Mikey]

"This phenomenon didn't really catch the attention of a majority of Americans who were being affected by the loss of jobs until the "white-collar" jobs"

Kind of reminds one of this;

"In Germany they came first for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist.

Then they came for Catholics, and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant.

Then they came for me, and by that time no one was left to speak up."

Rev. Martin Neimoller, German Lutheran pastor arrested by the Gestapo in 1937.

To put a twist on it.

First they outsourced the textile workers and since I wasn't a textile worker, I didn't speak up because I didn't give a damn.

Next they started to outsource the auto workers and and since I wasn't an auto worker , I didn't speak up because I didn't give a damn.

Next they started to outsource the auto parts builders and and since I wasn't an auto parts builder , I didn't speak up because I didn't give a damn.

NOW THEY'RE OUTSOURCING MY WHITE COLLAR $250,000 JOB. MY GOD SOMEONE HAS TO DO SOMETHING. HELP ME HELP ME. BAWAAAAAAAAA.

* * * *

Apathy on the part of white collar America has created the indifference blue collar America feels towards the loss of white collar jobs.

Its a viscous circle that'll continue w/o end, unless ALL Americans start to live by a very simple rule. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

[Jim Cane]

Isn't the leftie argument for illegal immigrants that they do the work Americans won't?

Well, this is what Bush is saying, so you are correct, it is the leftie argument.

[Happy2BMe]

Excellent - may I guote you please?

[Protagoras]

It's time for conservatives to stop the bleeding of jobs overseas, protect labor and our economy from being a virtual nothing.

It's time to address the problems at their source, not make them worse with more government meddling.

[Protagoras]

It's time to stop the insane regulations and social engineering that are forcing companies offshore. The liability insurance, costs of doing business, and other costs are staggering.

Bingo.

[Mikey]

Thanks and Yes you may

[Highcard]

We all will continue to buy the less expensive product. We need to lower the price of our products. We are losing jobs because our current tax system is a VAT. Everything is taxed from digging up the ore, to refining the metal, to making the base for a light bulb, to making the whole light bulb, to putting the bulb in a light fixture in a car, to the car itself. All of these taxes cascade down to the consumer. We just don't keep track of all the value added taxes and then reimburse them to companies that export. That's why American companies that export have a difficult time competing in the international marketplace.

We'll get our jobs back when we switch to the FairTax, a national retail sales tax. The FairTax will lower the cost of exported goods and services by an average of 22%. Watch for new jobs in a booming economy.

[phil_will1]

"We'll get our jobs back when we switch to the FairTax, a national retail sales tax. The FairTax will lower the cost of exported goods and services by an average of 22%. Watch for new jobs in a booming economy."

Great post, Highcard. This article was great in that it took a topic that is dominating the news and connected it to tax policy - which noone else in the media is doing. In addition to creating price shifts that will make US goods more price competitive, both in the US and in international markets, it would also save tens of billions of $$$ in compliance costs. Talk about a BIG increase in productivity!!

In addition, by levying the sales tax on anything sold in this country, it would work like a tariff. However, unlike US goods which would see price declines because of the removal of the current system, imports would be higher priced on an after-tax basis.

[phil_will1]

To add a little to the last post, everyone concerned with this problem should realize that WE are handicapping ourselves with our current tax system. The FairTax would level the playing field by levying taxes on anything sold for consumption in this country, but not on US production exported. Exports would thus be tax-free and imported goods would have to bear a tax burden commensurate with domestically produced goods.

That is a system that is easily defensible to the WTO and our trading partners. Even though the FairTax would operate like a tariff, it would not precipitate a trade war as tariffs probably would.

[applemac_g4]

ping! Excellent article.

[applemac_g4]

"...that we engage in a Smmot Hawley tariff war with the world and since that directly led to the election of FDR and the depression of 29-32..."

-----

As Pat Buchanan documents in his book "The Great Betrayal" (p. 240+), the above statement is an out and out lie. If you haven't read this book, you should. It was written in 1998, and the intervening five years have proven the text practically prophetic.

Another excellent source is Dr. Ravi Batra (an Indian Economist): "The Myth of Free Trade."

Dear Mr. President: "It's the economy, stupid."

[raybbr]

We'll get our jobs back when we switch to the FairTax....

While I agree that taxes are ruining our economy, what makes you think our beloved poloticians will give up our money?