Very interesting chat, and we do have some areas of agreement….but I would make the following distinctions:
First, I don’t think reciprocity is necessarily do able because the customer bases of countries are so different. Reciprocity may be impossible to determine, which allows for bureaucratic monkey business.
Second, I reject your description of my prescrption as just changing “a few policies.” No, our entire structural liberalism would have to be removed.
Third, i reject the notion that jobs, the “same” jobs, need to come back…surely some will, but some are simply obsolete to our workforce today.
Fourth, the American laboroer, in the lower tiers, is simply not a good workforce. They lie, cheat, steal and file Workers comp claims and use a job as a form of welfare….this speaks to the vast problems we have in society that businesses must react to, but did not cause. This is not good for America….but I don’t blame the Chinese for this….and we can’t blame anyone for taking advantage of our self inflicted wounds….
Which brings me to fifth: this is not a zero sum game. If we got our house in order, nothing else would matter…and it wouldn’t be a bad thing for anyone…our economy would be the engine that helps the entire world. I reject that we “necessarily compete” with other countries. Economic growth is not zero sum, altho on some small levels, there is direct competition.
Great chat!
What a great American you are! So full of faith in the USA!
Paint with a broad brush much? Freepers this is what passes for a Free Traitor. Really despicable people these Free Traitors....
By reciprocity, I mean equal access and treatment by the host government. I realize that we cannot have equal treatment in terms of specific products, but we should have the same rules applied to us re foreign investment that we accord a country here for example.
Second, I reject your description of my prescrption as just changing “a few policies.” No, our entire structural liberalism would have to be removed.
I just think that is a non-starter. In fact, we are going headlong in the opposite direction.
Third, i reject the notion that jobs, the “same” jobs, need to come back…surely some will, but some are simply obsolete to our workforce today.
I agree with that, but it won't be a matter of being obsolete but cheaper to do overseas. China and India are producing huge numbers of educated people. For example, we can transmit X-rays, MRIs, etc to India for reading and analysis. Call centers are just the tip of the iceberg allowing people to work for US companies and vice-versa regardless of their physical location. Having a job may no longer be the norm and competition will increase. The numbers of educated (college graduates) Americans holding low skilled jobs is increasing significantly and it may not just be a product of the Great Recession.
Fourth, the American laboroer, in the lower tiers, is simply not a good workforce. They lie, cheat, steal and file Workers comp claims and use a job as a form of welfare….this speaks to the vast problems we have in society that businesses must react to, but did not cause. This is not good for America….but I don’t blame the Chinese for this….and we can’t blame anyone for taking advantage of our self inflicted wounds….
I am not blaming the Chinese or any other country for the condition of our workforce. I blame our government, our educational system and to a lesser extent, business for not equipping our people with the skills they need to be competitive in the global economy. Germany uses the apprenticeship program to good effect.
As this permanent underclass continues to grow, it will place a strain on the economy and the welfare state far beyond what we see now. It will also be fertile ground for violence and alienation from the society. We will take on the profile of a Third World country with a diminished middle class and the affluent living in gated communities with their own private security forces. It is already happening to a certain extent now. Unless we do something to change the current course of events, our future is under a cloud.
Which brings me to fifth: this is not a zero sum game. If we got our house in order, nothing else would matter…and it wouldn’t be a bad thing for anyone…our economy would be the engine that helps the entire world. I reject that we “necessarily compete” with other countries. Economic growth is not zero sum, altho on some small levels, there is direct competition.
A big if in terms of getting our house in order. And we are competing with other countries when it comes to exports and sales. Our domestic market is far bigger than the export market and should be our number one concern. Strangely, China, India, and Brazil (plus other developing economies) are now being seen as the vehicle to get us out of the current economic doldrums. We are being seen less and less as the engine of the world's economy.
Thanks for the interchange of ideas. I am not against free trade. I just want to make sure that our policies ensure that we get a good deal that benefits us. Take care.