The Myth of "Exporting Jobs"

Ludwig von Mises Institute ^ | June 27, 2003 | William L. Anderson

[narby]

Health care costs have skyrocketed (mine is up 30% this last year), administrative costs have gone up (essentially all this is is government compliance work), workmen's comp is up (generous benefits), insurance (tort reform anyone?) is up, etc ,etc. The actual cost of labor is down, the cost of having an employee is way up.

This is where the problem is. Not in "evil" corporations hiring overseas or rumored government incentives. Between the trial lawyers (greedy people seeking millions from deep pockets), union bosses (greedy people getting money from workers), and even greedy citizens that want freebies from the government like perscription medicines, we're killing our own economy.

What was it Pogo said? Something like, "I've met the enemy, and he is us".

[Mad Dawgg]

"Frankly, I'm beaten."

Nah you just bashed up against reality!

Jobs are just an acronym for "Just Over Broke." The American Dream of getting a good job and retiring from it in 40 years died a long time ago.

Do what all those Oriental immigrants do and open your own business.

The possibilites are endless!

[henderson field]

The "global economy" is unraveling.

[henderson field]

Well then it's time for the feds to start creating disincentives for locating overseas. Or harsh penalties. One of the two.

[narby]

I started out in mechanical engineering.......

So how is it that a friend of mine who started his first job out of college in ME about 5 years ago, now has his own CAD firm, a huge boat, and investments in rental property of several million bucks?

Of course, he worked his ass off. And he had the brains to move from Oklahoma (my home state, so I'm not bashing it) to Arizona where the economy is growing.

For all the whiners out there, I was an IBM mainframe programmer too a few years ago. And I never did find another job in that area after 1995. So I got into embedded software, and I now design leading edge hardware and software in agricultural electronics. I'm fat, ugly, old, and white. And I'm making more money than I ever have in my life.

[henderson field]

Of course. These are the Poster Children of Diversity and of the Global Economy.

[JimRed]

...one can neither purchase nor sell a job...

Tell that one to Jersey politicians...

[Poohbah]

Well then it's time for the feds to start creating disincentives for locating overseas. Or harsh penalties. One of the two.

How about removing the harsh penalties and disincentives for investing and conducting business inside the United States? Or is that too conservative for your taste?

[Mad Dawgg]

"Well then it's time for the feds to start creating disincentives for locating overseas. Or harsh penalties. One of the two."

Hmmmm, interesting take!

One of the major themes of the article in question is that government regulation caused the problem and your soloution is to have more of the same?

Words fail me!

[henderson field]

Our own government is costing us jobs and driving work overseas. You said it.

[Poohbah]

One of the major themes of the article in question is that government regulation caused the problem and your soloution is to have more of the same?

Absolutely.

Lakotan Sioux tribal wisdom states that when one discovers that one is riding a dead horse, the best course of action is to dismount. Lots of folks don't get that.

[narby]

The "global economy" is unraveling.

The "global economy" is growing faster than at any time in human history. Our American economy isn't growing fantastically, but it IS growing. While the economy in third world countrys is growing dramatically. Nations where people lived in mud huts 50 years ago now are developing genuine middle classes who are quickly beginning to participate in consumerisim where they used to live off the rice they planted.

Africa is a basket case since the end of colonialisim, but the rest of the third world is doing well.

[Garrisson Lee]

In the best of times, 4 out of 5 business starts go broke.
Since I already am broke,but have little to no debt, I'm ahead of eighty percent of business starts.

My grandfather, an immigrant from Manchuria, had a business. My father and he, after a lifetime of having his business nipped and nibbled into nothingness by the government, pushed me into engineering, for the security, a guaranteed lifelong career.

Ha!

[henderson field]

Good point, lelio, but I don't think you undstand that the author is counting on his own standard of living being the same or better. In that case, why should he care about you care anyone else?

[henderson field]

Yes. As they say, "it's not an economy - it's a country."

[TSgt]

If what you say it true my heart goes out to you.

While I'm young...(26) I know I have the military to fall back on. Going from Guard to Active would be easy if I lost my job.

You at least tried to start over several times. It sickens me that corporate leaders don't have the insight or love of country to see where they are leading our country. Unemployed Americans can't buy goods and services regardless how efficient or cheaply they are made or offered.

I’m not for labor unions and I believe in capitalism however I also believe in the investment in America. Globalism coupled with American's lust for Government benefits will continue to destroy this once great nation until we are as turd world as any other.

[riri]

Globalism coupled with American's lust for Government benefits will continue to destroy this once great nation

Well put.

[henderson field]

PS: Nasser really was a jackass, wasn't he? He was a "tough guy" like "Chainsaw Al." But he was hated by everyone in the company and, in the end, he couldn't show any results.

[Mad Dawgg]

"It sickens me that corporate leaders don't have the insight or love of country to see where they are leading our country."

The minute you couple Nationalism with Capitalism the Free Market is no longer!

[Garrisson Lee]

Being young, single and free to move, take big risks,etc are big advantages.

My wife's refusal to evacuate the dead economic zone here is killing me. She thinks turning slowly but surely into a thirld world sheep like everyone else around here is a "stable" environment for the family. A year and a half out of any permanent work in my former field has eliminated me from that field by now anyway.

At this point, my only hope is some great new idea.