Posted on 01/20/2011 5:03:34 AM PST by NRG1973
That's the wrong question: the true question should be "what do you think the government should make you pay out of your discretionary income to pay those Electrolux employees in Omaha enough to support the Democrat Party?"
This, to me, is the single biggest issue we face. I do not see enough people engaging on this in a thoughtful manner.
If poorly-paid people in China can pretty much produce the same material that highly-paid people in America can produce, then why would anyone hire the highly-paid Americans? From a business perspective, it just makes no sense.
So, China rapes its environment, pays most workers very little, and offers very few benefits. And they produce goods cheaply. The only way for us to hope to compete is to rape our environment, pay Americans $3000 a year (!) and cut off all benefits. Life expectancy of 50 okay with everyone?
So, what is the solution? Frankly, I do not see one, and I make no recommendation. All I'm saying is that the global marketplace is here and America is going to radically change and lose its standard of living.
People talk about lowering taxes, decreasing regulations, tariffs, trade agreements, all that stuff. IMO, it won't be enough. We're entering a new era, and most people refuse to see it for what it is.
So, you're saying auto companies build less automated and less efficient assembly lines in Mexico?
Please provide some links and support for that contention.
Or the motivation, may be the lack of simple patriotism. An a-moral Machiavellian approach to business which frees its practitioners from any thoughts other than personal greed.
It’s odd. The left is devoid of patriotism, and seeks to weaken America.
The “free trade” right is devoid of patriotism, and seeks to weaken America.
Just saying.
Dollar and cent figures are available. Tell us what assembly line workers in the US should be paid.
Who would buy the stuff we make? Will we forbid other countries from implementing a 100% import tarrif on our food and manufactured items?
And the complete subversion of contract law in this country that absolute basis that allows commerce to happen.
It has completely baffled me how the media never really said anything about that.
Typical inanity and irrelevance from you.
Who’s buying things from us now?
Seriously. How bad must things get, before we stand up for ourselves?
Well I hate my Frigidaire appliances and will never buy Frigidaire/Electrolux again!
re: your 1968 electrolux
The expression anecdotal evidence has two distinct meanings, one of which is:
Evidence, which may itself be true and verifiable, used to deduce a conclusion which does not follow from it, usually by generalizing from an insufficient amount of evidence. For example “my grandfather smoked like a chimney and died healthy in a car crash at the age of 99” does not disprove the proposition that “smoking markedly increases the probability of cancer and heart disease at a relatively early age”. In this case, the evidence may itself be true, but does not warrant the conclusion.
You are talking about making people pay more for products at the point of a gun.
Government is force. Right now I can vote with my wallet. If I want to buy the cheaper product, I have that choice. You are wanting the government to point a gun at my head and say that I can’t do that.
The protectionist right mumbles stuff about "greed," and are too stupid to realize they are mimicking the left. And to top it off, they think they are being patriotic.
Businesses exist for only one rational purpose, to make money for their owners (shareholders). They do not exist to provide jobs - that is merely a side benefit
When unions and governmental regulations and taxes makes it difficult or impossible to make money for the owners the business has an obligation to take appropriate steps to fix the situation and return to profitability. If this means closing down the unionized, taxed and highly regulated plant then so be it.
Put your 100% tarriff in place and the all other countries put a 100% tarrif in place. What has changed? Other than expanding government that is.
Its a Swedish company, owned by people and institutions from all over the world, making and selling all over the world. They made/make things that people all over the world with their money want to buy.
Now, what’s the problem? What, are they trapped here? Can you point me to any private industry with unionized people that is growing in labor force? I can’t think of one. Hummmm.
Think of the American things that have grown. Computers, pharma, software, agriculture, home building. Union or non union? Hummm..
What ever people bid on. Ballpark, five bucks, no benefits. Its unskilled, here’s how you do it work.
“Businesses exist for only one rational purpose, to make money for their owners (shareholders).”
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Not so. American companies exist as American companies. They risk retribution by Americans, if they do things contrary to the national interest.
By pushing this “free trade” insanity to the point of America’s ruin, those businesses are going to see the mother of all pushbacks, from an enraged American public.
The problem will either resolve itself because corporate leaders wake up and start placing patriotism among their motivations for what they do.
Or America will abandon them.
Let’s see them try that argument, with their new bosses in Beijing.
Totally agree here.
One solution is to look to friendly Right to Work states where jobs and personnel are handled in a different manner. Where it allows the company to hire people and pay them decently without being constrained by contracts and the resulting hierarchy of the unions.
It means raises by MERIT, not negotiated settlement.
I'm not saying ALL unions are bad, but when they stifle growth and innovations, they force companies to look elsewhere for workers, they are going to go where there are less hassles. And don't even get me started with Teachers Unions.
The last census showed the South and West as the growing populations and the North/Northeast areas losing more people. Why? Because business and jobs are heading South to those RTW states.
I work as a contractor, installing and maintaining automation equipment for the big 3 ( until I was laid off, you see, those same companies that yell buy american, are buying their equipment from china and korea now ) but simple observation and counting tells me that there are at least double, if not triple, the amount of bodies on the same production line. Sorry to say this, and I will sound like a racist for saying it, but have you ever watched a mexican national work? Not an illegal here, but a mexican national in mexico. Total lack of productivity would be a kind way to put it. No, labor is not the reason they move.........what could the reason possibly be???
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