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.

[A. Pole]

Problem is, while many white collar workers whine about the pay of blue collar workers, the pay of the white collar workers rises in conjunction with the blue collar worker's pay...But for some reason, some at FR seem to feel thay while they are valuable, blue collar workers a value-less...

Probably the reason is that they phantasize about being a CEO who makes a quick buck by scooping a company.

[Iscool]

And Amen to that...

[Hank Rearden]

Perhaps we could stop paying high-school-dropout union goons $40/hour to do work better done by robots. Or humans for $12/hour.

Compete or die, unions. I want to see the latter.

[Sofa King]

And I'd have to say that jpsb is an excellent name for someone who cannot write a response with any intelligence or substance whatsoever. You're the kind of idiot who thinks that "I know you are but what am I" is a witty response.

Oh, and I've been here since 1-11-2003, idiot.

[NRA2BFree]

Are you aware that only 13.2% of all manufacturing jobs in the U.S are in unions. Tell me how 13.2% of that workforce has ruined it?

I'm not just talking about manufacturing jobs. Unions are involved in every business they can force their way into.

[Coleus]

Rush is very connected to the political elite and works at their will. If you notice there are some things he never talks about.

[Happy2BMe]

"In general, all international unions operating in the United States have done more to drive business off shore - even more so than government regulations."

With focus on international unions then, yes, the above statement is true. Mexico came damn close about six years ago to getting bulk and Third Class mail sorting business done in Mexico for 35 cents an hour. USPS unions jumped into action and prevented it from happening. (The US gubmint was actully going to let this go through.)

I'm no advocate necessarily of unions, they are mainly democratic propoganda machines.

But one thing is for certain, the U.S. Government is definitely NOT looking out for the American worker.

If they were, our jobs wouldn't be leaving like fleas off a dog's carcass.

[navyblue]

There is an even bigger problem than the unions. American corporate executives are the biggest problem. They are drowning themselves in perks, payoffs and bonuses.

Only part of the problem. But thier turn will come along. Fact is that we are in an international political economy that has almost taken on a life of its own. Governments participate, but can do little to control it. What control there is, is by the TNC's. TNC's do not like the unequal costs of labor throughout the world. Profit comes from labor. Therefore, they will push for the lowest cost of labor across the spectrum. Gardeners, managers, engineers or C.E.O.s. It makes no difference. They will always find ten people outside the door who will take the job for less.

And BTW! Keep this in mind when you consider the President's plan of "matching any willing employer with any willing worker."

[B4Ranch]

It's ironic that Ross Perot is one of the largest employers who is outsourcing.

Link please

[raybbr]

Perhaps we could stop paying high-school-dropout union goons $40/hour to do work better done by robots.

Where do you get these numbers? There are no jobs paying $40/hr. to high school dropouts. Also, do you consider everybody who works in manufacturing to be a high school dropout or is it just the arrogance in your own head that says that blue-collar workers are dumb and useless?

[B4Ranch]

"the country divided in two by our political parties."

Which are becoming more similar everyday.

[Paul C. Jesup]

I just wonder what the dead Americans who fell to defend the country over the last two centuries would think about Ms. Fiorina's opinions about what rights Americans don't have.

Well taking into account that they were revolutionaries soldiers, I have a feeling what they would have to say would be neither politically correct, nor civil. They would probably say something akin to, "Grab your guns cause it's time for a major house cleaning."

[Gerish]

We are now in the NEW World Order...We saw this coming at least 20 years ago but we ignored it...Just as we are still trying to ignore it...

You hit the nail right smack 100% on the head with above comment. Pat Buchanan has been warning us about this for years and has practically been laughed off as a crack pot at every chance. Things will get worse before they get better (if they even get better). The middle class is on a one-way ticket to extinction!

[NRA2BFree]

No. But there is the choice of going out on your knees or on your feet.

Exactly. :) If more people spent more time on their knees, our country wouldn't be in the mess it is.

[riri]

Or humans for $12/hour

I have got news for you, most of these jobs pay less than $12 an hour, or not much more than.

[jpsb]

So why did you pick Sofa King over such cool names like Couch Potato, or Remote Master, or Old Rug Rat. I’m sure the pop TV culture has much better names for someone that lies around watching TV all the time then Sofa King. You need to get with it, but I will concede your intellectual contributions are what one would expect from a "Sofa King".

[lelio]

Perhaps we could stop paying high-school-dropout union goons $40/hour to do work better done by robots.

Why do you think a company would invest in R&D and buying a robot if they can get the same labor overseas at $1/hr?

[Paul C. Jesup]

Bush is never going to live that saying down.

[A. Pole]

Rush is very connected to the political elite and works at their will. If you notice there are some things he never talks about.

Rush is just an agitprop aparatchik.