2 of 3 Carolinas textile jobs may go in 3 years, study says

The Charlotte Observer ^ | Thursday, July 03, 2003 | TONY MECIA

[jayef]

Please present evidence for what you are claiming. Chinese and Indians writing software is not evidence.

[jayef]

Please feel free to post the refutation of the argument. I've seen it, but go ahead and post it so I can debunk it again.

[lelio]

What industries do you see popping up that won't have an eye for exporting ASAP to a country where labor is 1/20th the cost? That's not a way to build up an economy where the first idea is how to get out of employing people in your economy.

[Nowhere Man]

You know what, I seem to remember a saying in the Bible, I think Jesus said it, "Forgive them Father, they do not understand," as he was being crucified. Well, I'm just starting to study the Bible so please be easy on me. B-) I feel the same with the free-traders here who just can't or won't see what free-trade is doing to us.

Well, the bad thing is that many Republicans do not see the crux of the issue that our jobs are leaving us. People who manufactured things, well yeah, some of it is mind numbing work, but in today's world, it is not, you still have to know some technical skills to run a lot of computerized machinery. Still, what do you do with the people out of work, not every Joe and Jane can program computers or track stocks, (cough), but even if that is the case, we are outsourcing those jobs too, so we are back at Square 1. I've seen the steel mills here in Pittsburgh, I remember them going full blast in the early 1970's before the big crunch. A lot of people were thrown out of work, good people.

I think the Republican Party is in a bad position although they can turn it into a winner if they address this issue but it seems like they won't. If they won't the Democrats and/or a third party will, and the Republicans will lose. I don't want to see that, but I'm afraid they are "cutting their noses off to spite their face." All this does is reinforce the idea that the Republicans are the "rich man's party." We already have handed enough ammo to our enemies, we do not need this, yet there are people out there who fail to see that, worship the false Mammon of the dollar sign where it is "to all, and be all," and are willing to crucify the gains we made on a "Cross of Gold." (With apologies to William Jennings Bryant).

What we see here is the cry of "the I've got mine" club. If it doesn't affect them, who cares? It's like we got a fire out of control on 1st Street but they live on 2nd or 3rd Street so they don't care, but it will spread and consume them along with us. Yeah, they have jobs now, but when people lose their jobs en masse, it will affect them because the economy would lose the money these people would have put into it and the shock wave will reach them eventually. As my father told me, manufacturing built this country and is needed today and "you cannot do business with people with no money."

We are losing this nation ethically, morally, economically, you name it but there are people who cannot see it but we must remain on course to flight it, otherwise the only option is to die. We cannot lose.

[ETERNAL WARMING]

and develop/encourage new technology jobs.

Havn't you heard? The American worker is passe'. Only foreigners need apply.

[ETERNAL WARMING]

There's absolutely no reason for American workers to be working in industries STARTED IN THE 1800s.

Let the Chinese peasants make our clothes.

ANd Americans will be purchasing these items with...what? Certainly not cash...no work/no pay. Where is it you expect citizens to find gainful employment? Whatever isn't made overseas is now made with imported cheap labor.

You Capitalists are killing your own market.

[azhenfud]

Here's an example of the current thinking of the state policy makers:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/931534/posts

How will losing 4500 jobs help the state?

[JohnnyZ]

It is economic treason. Bush is a total socialist.

LOL! Do you really expect to be taken seriesly?

[TommyDale]

I think Johnston County, North Carolina (home of Percy Flowers) would argue with you.

[Vaduz]

WAL-MART is helping them the most as k-mart ect,ect.

[TopDog2]

There are plenty of threads here on FR about the export of technology jobs. Find one.

[Nowhere Man]

Yor are absolutely right. Yes our Lord did say that, we here in this country are being sold out, those selling us out, are very aware or what they are doing. Those that cann't see this are very deluded. My guess, for some people, it may be age, they don't know how it was 30-40 years ago and the school system has been successfully used as indoctrnation centers for the children into socialism.

I think you're right. Our opponent, D'Anconia55 stated he was in his mid 30's. Well, I'll be 37 tomorrow so I think he and I are around the same age, maybe I have a year or to on him at best. I guess growing up and living in Pittsburgh and seeing what happened to steel and industry opened up my eyes. Capitalism and money are not bad things at all, the free market is good for things like "who makes the best car, TV, radio, and so on." I think where some get confused is that they believe it is the end all, be all for everything and it is not. It is like a double edged sword, it can come back and hit you. as we are seeing with the decline of jobs, outsourcing to other countries, and so forth which is endangering to national security and well being. Some people don't see that and won't. Hopefully they will come around one day, but I'm glad there is a lot of us who see what is truly happening.

If the bottom ever falls out, in a way, a depression can be a good thing, it would bring people back to their roots and what is important. One thing that worries me though is the mentality is not like it was in the 1930's, would people be humbled or just "go anarchy" and/or be drawn into more government programs? Also when you add into the mix where a lot of our industry has disappeared, how can you have a recovery with no plants? So again, we have a double edge sword so we must do what we can to avoid this.

[jayef]

I don't doubt that this is happening. It's just that I think that many here are engaged in misdiagnosis. Free trade and trade agreements do not cause the "exporting of jobs". If anything the elimination of tariffs and more trade agreements will make the situation better, not worse. I didn't hear these complaints in the 90's when unemployment was below 4%. Did we not have the same free trade policies then?