I saw an entire alternate existance of slow death and anti-fungal spray flash before my eyes the second I read it...
Also, if I may say so -- both free traders and protectionists miss the point. Business will always follow cheap labor. It's a rule as sound as any physics law. Given the spread between American wages and those of third world countries, there is no way American workers can compete head to head in similar industries.
The real point of the debate -- if I may say so -- is how to make the U.S. workforce relevant in this new century?
I would phrase it a bit differently: Given the current spread between American wages and those of third world countries, there is no way American workers can compete head to head in similar industries on the basis of price alone.
That is, if you are asking for $20 per hour and the other fellow is happy with $1 per hour, you had better be offering something to justify your higher wage rate. That something could be higher quality, higher output, or (more likely) both.
For example, my dentist recently charged me $180 to drill and fill a tooth. There is a guy named Pablo who works on a construction site and knows how to handle a drill. I'll bet Pablo would do my dental work for much less. Why don't I hire him instead of my dentist, and save some money?
The real point of the debate -- if I may say so -- is how to make the U.S. workforce relevant in this new century?
Excellent point.