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U.S. falls to 6th in world competitiveness (China is #54)
CNN ^ | 9/26/06 | Mikey_1962

Posted on 09/26/2006 10:55:25 AM PDT by Mikey_1962

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To: Mikey_1962
The word "competitiveness" implies that there is a mutually agreed-upon "competition". I am not sure what the sought-after "prize" is in this so-called competition, but as in the NFL, we let the debate get settled on the field, not some pencil-jockey's desk.

My money is, and will always be on the U.S. of A.

21 posted on 09/26/2006 11:34:12 AM PDT by Lekker 1 (("...the world will be...eleven degrees colder by the year 2000" -- K. Watt, Earth Day, 1970)
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To: Mikey_1962

I say we buy Switzerland, then we'll be number one.

I'll chip in $20.


22 posted on 09/26/2006 11:46:20 AM PDT by rightinthemiddle (Without the Media, the Left and Islamofacists are Nothing.)
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To: Lekker 1
we let the debate get settled on the field, not some pencil-jockey's desk.

How do you feel about college football? lol

23 posted on 09/26/2006 12:01:30 PM PDT by Rad_J
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To: Rad_J
How do you feel about college football?

Touche...

24 posted on 09/26/2006 12:22:17 PM PDT by Lekker 1 (("...the world will be...eleven degrees colder by the year 2000" -- K. Watt, Earth Day, 1970)
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To: Bommer

money laundering banks.


25 posted on 09/26/2006 12:22:45 PM PDT by Proud_USA_Republican (We're going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good. - Hillary Clinton)
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To: Chi-townChief

You bet...........if we were more socialistic, we would be far more competitive in the world........especially the world of socialists.

Rates right up there on my fantastically accurate bullshitometer.


26 posted on 09/26/2006 12:48:09 PM PDT by newcthem (Brought to you by the INFIDEL PARTY)
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To: ClearCase_guy
What you say might be true. But if they phrased it as "an increasing budget deficit" or something to that effect, they might be more clear.

I just read a bit more at the author's site, it's about debt. Elsewhere in the report they talk about lowering taxes as good for the economy. They praised Israel's cutting spending and cutting taxes as good for growth. They nailed Venezuela for basically all of Chavez' policies -- and said his otherwise noble goals like education for the poor aren't happening.

27 posted on 09/26/2006 1:34:15 PM PDT by antiRepublicrat
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To: antiRepublicrat
"The Geneva-based World Economic Forum said Switzerland's well developed infrastructure, plentiful scientific research, intellectual property protection and sophisticated business culture helped launch the country to the index's leading position."

Geneva-based - says it all

28 posted on 09/26/2006 3:09:43 PM PDT by bruinbirdman ("Those who control language control minds. " - Ayn Rand)
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To: Mikey_1962

Their top ten list includes 7 European countries, but only 3 of them use the Euro.


29 posted on 09/26/2006 6:16:22 PM PDT by Verginius Rufus
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To: Mikey_1962
From World Factbook--U.S.:

US business firms enjoy greater flexibility than their counterparts in Western Europe and Japan in decisions to expand capital plant, to lay off surplus workers, and to develop new products. At the same time, they face higher barriers to enter their rivals' home markets than foreign firms face entering US markets.

Couldn't have anything to do with how the ranking turned out, could it?

30 posted on 09/26/2006 7:01:40 PM PDT by skr (We cannot play innocents abroad in a world that is not innocent.-- Ronald Reagan)
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To: cinives

But in the US Business have to worry about organizing and financing 401K's, health insurance, continuing education and so forth. In those socialist countries, they can devote all their time and resources to making money.


31 posted on 09/27/2006 12:16:46 AM PDT by Hong Kong Expat
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To: Mikey_1962
I believe Switzerland would be in the top 5, and Singapore is definitely very competitive - the others in the top 5, I seriously question.

Regards, Ivan

32 posted on 09/27/2006 12:18:26 AM PDT by MadIvan (I aim to misbehave.)
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To: Lekker 1

Never heard of the Salary Cap.

There is no more socialist institution in the world than the NFL.


33 posted on 09/27/2006 12:19:11 AM PDT by Hong Kong Expat
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To: Mikey_1962

"Switzerland was deemed the most competitive economy in 2006, followed by Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Singapore. After the United States, which had topped the 2005 index, Japan, Germany, the Netherlands and Britain rounded out the top 10."

This can't be correct. Muslims are, according to them, the chosen and best among us all.

And based on things I've gleaned, Ireland has enjoyed fantastic economic progress.


34 posted on 09/27/2006 12:28:25 AM PDT by truth_seeker
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To: dfwgator
The countries ahead of us are all relatively small and more or less homogenous.

You've got it. The USA has a societal strata from the world's bottom to the world's top. You gotcher illegal aliens living 30 to a small house, crack dealers filling the projects, and then you gotcher billionnaires whose feet never touch the ground. And still (yet) some middle class stuffed in between!

We are sorely lacking in the proper way to educate our children, however. Gay months and global warming are wasting our kiddies' time when other countries still have the 3R curriculum.

35 posted on 09/27/2006 12:30:31 AM PDT by Yaelle
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To: jveritas

They have better standards of living day-to-day, though the medical care is far worse than here.


36 posted on 09/27/2006 12:31:21 AM PDT by Yaelle
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To: bruinbirdman
Geneva-based - says it all

And DO note who is saying it. All the international folk in Geneva are expats and don't pay the taxes there. They outnumber the Swiss living there who do.

37 posted on 09/27/2006 12:33:12 AM PDT by Yaelle
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To: Yaelle
They have better standards of living day-to-day

Oh please! In all these countries their people make less money than us and everything is much more expensive then here, they simply cannot buy and consume as much as we do, they are not anywhere near to our great standards of living. We simply have the best standards of living in the world based on income and purchasing parity.

38 posted on 09/27/2006 5:43:42 AM PDT by jveritas (Support The Commander in Chief in Times of War)
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To: Yaelle

Go to any of these countries and try to buy clothes, eat in restaurants, buy a car, buy a house, fill your car with gas, purchase a computer, or simply order a Pizza and you will know that their people simply do not have even half of our standards of living.


39 posted on 09/27/2006 5:49:28 AM PDT by jveritas (Support The Commander in Chief in Times of War)
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To: jveritas

I only know Switzerland. I lived there a decade. Virtually no one is poor. Everyone gets a decent chunk of money a month. No one has credit cards. People don't buy as MANY clothes or things, but what they have is usually fairly good quality. Everyone has 4-6 weeks vacation a year. People work longer hours but not as hard as Americans. People get paid fully for all sick days up to 2 years, yet rarely miss work due to illness (they tend to come in to work quite ill - I was in Human Resources there). Everyone spends a good part of the time engaged in outdoor sports or activities. It's as if the whole country were solidly middle class. It's not as socialist as most European countries, either.

I prefer the freedom and heterogenity of America, and I love my country very much. I love the American spirit and people. It's the best country in the world, despite all her faults.

Still, you cannot knock the average standard of living in Switzerland compared to here. "Here" is relative; we are a one-earner family in illegal-alien-soaked L.A. County. Our standard of living doesn't approach what it would be if we had the same job in Switzerland.


40 posted on 09/27/2006 10:35:46 AM PDT by Yaelle
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