[XBob]

well put points for the greedy, ignorant and the dumb free-traitors.

[cyborg]

Government has way too much regulations on so many levels. Also, it's not the wild wooly days of early industry and I think unions do more harm than good. There are so much practical things that can be done first before anyone starts talking about tariffs and passings laws against outsourcing. However, government gets so much revenue from companies paying off fines, paying for this and that that they won't address these basic issues. Another thing about low priced items is related to the illegal immigration issue but that's another thread altogether.

[ninenot]

Just got an email review of a book written by IBM's senior researcher and another associate. Quotation of review follows:

Press Release Source: Alfred P. Sloan Foundation

Beyond Lost Jobs, Offshoring May Hurt Americans' Standard of Living; World-Class Thinkers Call for Comprehensive National Strategy Tuesday April 13, 11:30 am ET

WASHINGTON, April 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Long before "offshoring" became a presidential campaign buzzword, Former IBM Research Director Ralph E. Gomory and New York University Economist William J. Baumol were foreshadowing the major systemic problem being debated today. "What we are experiencing is a situation where reasonable corporate objectives are potentially clashing with what's good for the country," said Gomory. "There certainly are circumstances under which cheaper goods produced by offshoring do benefit those whose jobs are untouched; there are also situations when offshoring results in a negative impact that can reduce the nation's overall income."

In their book, "Global Trade and Conflicting National Interests" (Lionel Robbins Lectures, 2000), Ralph E. Gomory, Ph.D. and William J. Baumol, Ph.D. show that new and significant conflicts resulting from international trade are inherent in today's modern economy. "Some of the things that many believe about international trade need much closer examination," said Baumol. "For example, it's wrong to assume that productivity increases abroad are always good for our country, just as it's wrong to assume that they are always bad."

Gomory and Baumol were invited to discuss their analysis at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. today. They argue that an improvement in one country's productivity is often attainable only at the expense of another country's general welfare. "A trade relationship can prove to be simultaneously good or bad on three different levels. In other words, it can be good or bad for workers, good or bad for the country and good or bad for the world, all at the same time," said Gomory. "In a modern free-trade environment a country has a vital stake in the competitive strength of its industries. Trade is a complex interaction; we need a comprehensive national effort."

A noted mathematician, Ralph E. Gomory is President of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Gomory joined IBM in the early days of computers and went on to become Research Director and Senior Vice President, Science and Technology. He was awarded the National Medal of Science in 1988. William Baumol is a world-renowned economist. He is Professor of Economics at New York University, and Senior Research Economist and Professor Emeritus at Princeton University. He is former president of the American Economic Association.
_____

Source: Alfred P. Sloan Foundation

Seems as though there's a bit of conscience-tugging going on here....