Outsourcing the American dream for nightmare

Sidney Herald ^ | Tuesday January 17, 2006 | Ellen Robinson

[Willie Green]

For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use.

Inspired by a reader who sent a list of once American corporations who's profits are no longer funneled to the hard-working American employee, I investigated the subject.

The clip that landed on my desk was from "America is Selling Out," published in The American Conservative, December, 2005. As I digested, emotionally charged from the publication's Web site at www.economyincrisis.org, I agreed with some of the information, discarded the sensational propaganda and extrapolated my take on the issues' raw facts.

From what I've experienced and witnessed first-hand, I consider the current state of the American economy as a politically driven "the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer" economic model.

There are too many alarming signs in our country for the politicians to actually be blindly racing the mad horse into the flaming barn as it might appear. The social-economic gaps in our nation are at record heights. In recent years, there have been more billionaires than ever, more fresh college graduates filing bankruptcy than ever and increasing numbers of the middle class economically sinking.

Sadly, this is all by design, not some directionless fluke. Since the rich are richer than ever and the most profitable corporations are breaking records, the misled reports boast positive economic growth that are not a true reflection to what has happened to the nation's work force as a result of active globalization.

The weight has gotten heavier for those who pull the load - the American population - because it's the increased sweat that fuels the skyrocketing extravagance of the filthy elite few. This is the reversal point of the American Dream into the American Nightmare.

The current American economic model seems like a reversal of Robin Hood. The big and powerful are profiting and becoming even more powerful as the comfortable livings of the endangered middle class are reallocated for the increasingly exclusive and isolated pockets of wealth hoarders.

No one who is aware will deny that the corporations who apparently are running this country are outsourcing our jobs. The rationalization for the mass outsourcing is to provide American consumers with cheaper products. It almost makes sense that consumables should be cheaper since the displaced workers no longer have the higher-paying jobs to afford historically high-quality, American-made products.

The American Dream - the belief that through hard work, courage and determination one can achieve prosperity - has vanished in the atmosphere of this greed and power driven frenzy.

These days it's looking more like the American Dream is being outsourced in exchange for the American Nightmare which the vast majority of the nation's population is waking up to in this cheaper reality.

[pigdog]

It may very well depend upon what "made in Mexico" means, Looey.

A lot of times things "made" in other countries are assembled there with a good content of parts from the US or some other country. Without more specific info (or even with it, most likely) there's no real definitive answer.

Kind of like asking "how high is up". That's probably why you don't get any serious response to you question.

[hedgetrimmer]

That post was /sarc

[A. Pole]

WTF? 4.9% unemployment rate (December 2005), 4.7% productivity growth (3rd quarter 2005), 4.1% GDP growth (3rd quarter 2005)

Unemployment rate can be a very deceptive thing and GDP growth might coincide with worsening of situation for the majority. Either way, can you explain why in the time of such growth and prosperity the national debt is increasing?

[Jim Robinson]

It's a commie plot. They're after our precious bodily fluids I tell ya.

In other news, I've just received via urgent email report that chemtrails have been spotted over Las Vegas:

This is no sh...

Fw: Chemtrails Are Over Las Vegas (part 2)

Sent: Tuesday, January 10, 2006 4:23 PM
Subject: Chemtrails Are Over Las Vegas (part 2)

Chemtrails Are Over Las Vegas (part 2)
http://www.airapparent.ca/library/full_text/chemtrails_lasvegas2.htm


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Awk! What happened to part 1? They left me out again!

[lewislynn]

Having to filter through your insults rather than answers is becoming more and more obvious why you won't answer...

I didn't initially post to you for an answer , but you chose to offer insults as if to imply you know the answer and I'm a fool because I'm not up to speed with you one world Globalists.

Without regard to whether I think it's good or bad or any idiotic stickers plastered on my car. Is a GE refrigerator, made in Mexico, my Dell laptop, made in Malaysia, my Kohler cast iron tub, made in China or my Volvo (owned by Ford) made in Sweden, included in the American manufacturers production statistics?

Yes or no....

[1rudeboy]

God you are insufferable. NO.

[1rudeboy]

Is a GE refrigerator, made in Mexico, my Dell laptop, made in Malaysia, my Kohler cast iron tub, made in China or my Volvo (owned by Ford) made in Sweden, included in the American manufacturers production statistics?

And now, in order to amuse myself some more. BUT YES.

Take your Dell, for example. The portion of it made in Malaysia, and the value added there, no. The portion of it made in North Carolina, Tennessee, or Texas, yes. (I'll bet you didn't know Dell has plants there).

[citizen]

Sooner or later, this is how it wil be.

Exporting technology & jobs coulped with the mass importation of poverty will drive us all (except the very rich) into the ditch.

Hard to believe this is the policy of our businessmen and politicians.......

Ooops, sorry for slipping a bit, time for a Wall Street booster shot and then bow before the almighty WAL*MART idol.

[JudgemAll]

The only reason we have economic problems is regulations. Deregulate and you'd have refineries popping up, oil drilled, new drug companies etc.

Liberals, by attacking the productivity and thus the wealthy, invariably want an untennable situation where there's more work to be done, less time to do it, less money to gain...and yet they still claim for more free money for the unproductive too.

How can you have free money at all if liberals attack productivity because they do not want a competitive US of A? It's impossible. This is why we have so much debt, by the way.

Debt is not bad, it's the kind of debt we have. When Joseph warned Pharoh to borrow grains before the 7 year famine, it were a wise thing to do, because then Pharoh repaid the debt in stored grain which had become much more valuable as a result of the severe drought.

Our debt, unfortunately, has a value dependent on future happenings. It could be very valuable in the future or very costly.

[1rudeboy]

And here is some light reading material for you.

Real GDP increased at an annual rate of 4.1 percent in Q3 2005, according to final estimates.
Gross Domestic Product as a Measure of U.S. Production

Please bear in mind that GDP figures include services. If you wish to break those out the best place to begin is here:
Bureau of Economic Analysis

[A. Pole]

Debt is not bad, it's the kind of debt we have. When Joseph warned Pharoh to borrow grains before the 7 year famine, it were a wise thing to do, because then Pharoh repaid the debt in stored grain which had become much more valuable as a result of the severe drought.

Of course, the use of debts can VERY GOOD, especially for one side like Pharaoh who with the help of Joseph enslaved his fellow Egyptians. And you view it from this one side.

And there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very sore, so that the land of Egypt and all the land of Canaan fainted by reason of the famine.

And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the corn which they bought: and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's house.

And when money failed in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came unto Joseph, and said, Give us bread: for why should we die in thy presence? for the money faileth.

And Joseph said, Give your cattle; and I will give you for your cattle, if money fail.

And they brought their cattle unto Joseph: and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for horses, and for the flocks, and for the cattle of the herds, and for the asses: and he fed them with bread for all their cattle for that year.

When that year was ended, they came unto him the second year, and said unto him, We will not hide it from my lord, how that our money is spent; my lord also hath our herds of cattle; there is not ought left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our lands:

Wherefore shall we die before thine eyes, both we and our land? buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants unto Pharaoh: and give us seed, that we may live, and not die, that the land be not desolate.

And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine prevailed over them: so the land became Pharaoh's.
(Genesis 47)

[raybbr]

If Bush would face reality for a few hours then he would possibly be able to pull himself together and save the country.

You might have missed this. Bush intends for his legacy to read: Dub'ya created a "new America".

We are now one of the largest Spanish-speaking nations in the world. We're a major source of Latin music, journalism and culture.

Just go to Miami, or San Antonio, Los Angeles, Chicago or West New York, New Jersey ... and close your eyes and listen. You could just as easily be in Santo Domingo or Santiago, or San Miguel de Allende.

For years our nation has debated this change -- some have praised it and others have resented it. By nominating me, my party has made a choice to welcome the new America.

George Bush from a campaign speech in Miami, August 2000.

[Age of Reason]

My brother in law works for a company that is very busy moving production to China. He went into detail why this is such a good thing for the US, since then we can focus on management and "innovation".

I simply asked him why he thought that the places the factories were going are to stupid to manage their own shop

Or to put it another way, what is to become of more than half of Americans having an IQ of 100 or lower?

Do they go to medical school?

[Age of Reason]

Debt is not bad . . . . When Joseph warned Pharoh to borrow grains before the 7 year famine, it were a wise thing to do, because then Pharoh repaid the debt in stored grain which had become much more valuable as a result of the severe drought.

Sure. Easy.

In 7 years, America pays its past debts by borrowing even more money.

[William Terrell]

That's very interesting. Do you not think that the capitalist system is immune from abuses? And because I think it, or any such system has room for abuse, that I'm a communist or socialist?

What, exactly, is capitalism abusing?

Capitalism isn't abusing anything. Corporations are abusing the privileges and available wealth making tools available thereunder. An American corporation, for instance, that has become "transnational", owes its existence to the laws of a state within the US. These laws, and system that make those laws possible, are a direct creation of the people, their sweat, and their blood.

Yet these corporations refuse to return to the state and its people because of the bottom line profit and that only. You can say that's normal, because that's the reason for a corporation. But, as an artificial person that takes its substance from the people and their laws, and abandons their well being for its own, is being a bad citizen for greed.

Greed is bad no matter what system you using, and capitalism is especially vulnerable to it.

[swampfox98]

Needing more facts?

The free trade outsourcing clan mustn't let the facts get in the way of their hatred for Pat Buchanan. Since they don't have any good arguments to present to us about the blessings of free trade and outsourcing all our middle class jobs to India, they drag up poor ole Pat hoping to get the same kind of reaction from us as one would get holding a crucifix up before Dracula. They did it to me the other day it didn't work. Snort Snort

[RipSawyer]

Not to be pedantic but shouldn't it be "whose" profits?>>>>>>

Well, it should be but that sort of thing hardly seems to matter in an age when supposed mathematicians can speak in a serious tone of something being "five hundred times smaller". Now you can just rattle off words and if you are not understood you just say, "oh, you know what I mean". Actual written composition ranges from the merely unclear to the absurd.

[in hoc signo vinces]

Thanks for the clarification.

I think we're probably on the same page...just try and avoid making a sweeping, hasty, generalization.

Not all corporations are abusing the system, right?

Peace,
In Hoc.

[RFT1]

The unemployment rate and how it is tabulated has been changed in the last 15 years. For one, there is around a 1.5% lower rate in terms of population involved in the workforce compared to the 90s, another is people who no longer get unemployment are considered unemployed. Then there is the thorny issue of under employment.

The bottom line for the economy overall is that it has been sustained by housing, the consumer has been kept going by the extraction of equity out of their homes, and around helf of all economic and job growth in the last 5 years has been related to housing, while much of the rest of the growth has been related to govrenment spending.

[RipSawyer]

In the past eight years my husband's income has increased by a third, >>>>>>>>>>>>>

Has it increased that much in real terms or only in terms of gross income before taxes and inflation?