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As I understood this, the whole discussion here was about manufacturing in the US, not Filipino rubber plantation workers. While I understand that the rubber plantation workers didn't drive Fords, I'm more worried about US manufacturing workers. Also, the American mineworkers were able to afford cars in a fairly short period of time.

As you seem to admit, the US manufacturers were able to be paid decent wages that allowed them to buy Fords and thus create one of the great giants of the American economy. Of course the boss will always have a higher standard of living than the worker. But when that standard of living comes from off-shoring the product overseas and then pumping the lion's share of the savings into executive pay, it is not right.

As I understood this, the whole discussion here was about manufacturing in the US, not Filipino rubber plantation workers.

You missed the entire point of my post. Without those Filipino rubber plantation workers ("offshore jobs," mind you) the U.S. auto industry wouldn't have existed -- at least not as large as it was.

Also, the American mineworkers were able to afford cars in a fairly short period of time.

Yes, when many of their jobs were lost to automation. And when these mines started producing raw materials that were used for things other than automobiles that these mine workers could not afford to buy -- like military hardware, large maritime vessels, etc.

Of course the boss will always have a higher standard of living than the worker.

That goes without saying. But I've got news for you -- the customer will always have a higher standard of living, too. If you look at almost any financial transaction involving a "producer" and a "customer," the producer will always have a lower standard of living than the customer unless government intervention alters that grim reality (farm subsidies are a good example of this).

There used to be over a 1 million people employed by the railroads, another 1 million in the steel mills, another 1 million in the mines, and another 1 million by AT&T. Those 4 industries had about 10% of the working population of the US working for them.

Today, those industries produce far more with less than 1/4 of their previous number of employees. Altogether, maybe 1% of American workers work for them now. All those ex-mine employees in Montana and Illinois and West Virginia and Arizona still can't afford a car unless they got a new job using higher skills. Same for all the types who used to work as fireman or brakeman on the railroads, or telephone operators who used to direct calls. Enormous productivity gains have made it possible for those remaining workers in those industries to enjoy a better standard of living. But it came at the cost of throwing at least 3 of every 4 co-workers to the wolves.

All this bellyaching about American job losses in manufacturing, and you'd hardly know that the American manufacturing sector is more modern and productive than ever. China lost a net 15 million manufacturing jobs in the last decade due to productivity gains. Similar story in Mexico.

Jobs aren't being exported abroad, they are being zapped out of existence by technology and efficiency - all around the world. Not just in Lewistown, PA.