Somehow, amid all this "disastrous" outsourcing, the U.S. continues to have one of the lowest unemployment rates in the world. This is despite the fact that virtually all of our women have entered the workforce as well.
Sure, the naysayers will respond that "But, but...all these jobs are in restaurants and retail stores...blah, blah, blah." So then I retort, "Well I guess that means there's got to be a whole bunch of people eating in all these restaurants and shopping at all these retail stores."
I remember growing up as a kid that it was big deal for a family to go to a "sit-down" restaurant. Now the majority of families eat in places like Applebees, Chilis and Outbacks several times a week! It ain't cheap to take the family to places like this. I dropped over $100 just last night taking my family to a chain Mexican Restaurant, where the "minimum-wage" girl taking my order got a $25 tip at my table along. You can make good money working at these restaurants. But then again, you need to be making good money to be eating in them too.
So I'm getting sick and tired of these "service" jobs being demeaned by those who believe that we were better off when we were slaving away at some factory job. I'm thinking these "factories are going away" alarmists listen to too many Bruce Springsteen albums.
"So I'm getting sick and tired of these "service" jobs being demeaned by those who believe that we were better off when we were slaving away at some factory job."
I think one of the reasons this doesn't bother me much is that I pretty much have never really seen a factory, other than the one that makes Nissan vehicles over in Jackson, MS. None of my relatives, friends or friend's relatives gave worked in a factory.
Somehow, everybody I know managed to survive, and some of them even thrive, without ever setting foot in a factory or manufacturing anything. There was simply no alternative. I live in the South and it has NEVER had a manufacturing base but somehow, the people here manage to actually earn livings (gasp!) in the service industry, among others.
I, for one, just don't see how we can set record home sales, boast of some of the lowest unemployment in the world and fixate on the material items that we do if outsourcing is killing our economy.
I was with you up until that. Isn't that a bit of an exaggeration? Most families can spend $100 at chain restaurants several times a week?
RE: ". . .slaving away at some factory job. I'm thinking these "factories are going away" alarmists listen to too many Bruce Springsteen albums."
I remember the 1940s, 50s and 60s. It weren't that bad. Low taxes. Twice a day mail delivery by the only Fed you'd ever meet in your life (besides doing military duty), low taxes so that the little wife didn't have to work, secure jobs promised to most high school graduates, retirement and mortgage burning -- and NO damn Bruce Springsteen.
Someone above suggested that those days were an anomaly. Maybe so but slaving away at 'dem factory jobs weren't that bad for most.
They were complaining 20 years ago about how hard the factories and mines were on the people.
They were complaining 20 years ago about how hard the factories and mines were on the people.