Exporting Jobs

Capitalism Magazine ^ | August 19, 2003 | Walter Williams

[HiTech RedNeck]

You, too.

[warchild9]

The Mrs., in her role as industry writer, attended a conference with a Federal official who told everyone that one of the steps involved in resolving disputes between "American" companies and "Chinese" companies was asking the Chinese executives if there was any problem at all. If they said no, the matter was to be dropped.
W is selling us out for $200,000,000+ in bribe money (not that the Democrats would be any better).

[Willie Green]

Let's look at a few of the reasons why some U.S. corporations choose to carry their operations overseas. Much of it can be summed up in a phrase: less predatory government and the absence of tort-lawyer extortion....
Free trade helps make those costs explicit. American workers are just about the most productive in the world -- however, our government and legal establishment have reduced that productive advantage.
It'd make far more sense for Americans to start attacking the real sources that have contributed to making foreign operations more attractive to those at home.

Looks like Walter Williams is making a flacid attempt becoming a conservative. Unfortunately, he's been an enabler of those who would tyranously remove trade restrictions while leaving burdonsome domestic conditions intact.

Tort reform? Fine, I'm all for it. And I was for it BEFORE NAFTA was enacted. I don't need a wanker like Walter Williams to tell me that we need tort reform. IMHO, Walter fell flat on his face by not insisting that this and other reforms take place PRIOR to undermining our industrial infrastructure. The heck with the moron.

[Texas_Dawg]

The Mrs., in her role as industry writer, attended a conference with a Federal official who told everyone that one of the steps involved in resolving disputes between "American" companies and "Chinese" companies was asking the Chinese executives if there was any problem at all. If they said no, the matter was to be dropped. W is selling us out for $200,000,000+ in bribe money (not that the Democrats would be any better).

It's been almost 15 years since the Japanese were first going to take over America and have us all speaking Japanese. Almost 10 years since every major American company would have folded up shop in America and moved entirely to Mexico. And we're into about our 5th year of China getting ready to wage nuclear war against us. Ummm... I guess I'm just wondering when you guys are ever going to be right on anything and how we will know. Just curious what I'm supposed to be watching for. Thanks.

[HiTech RedNeck]

So what does that have to do with the price of "Western Wear" made in China?

[MonroeDNA]

"Libertarians don't understand that their is such a thing as a community. And a community has a moral character for good or for ill. "

Well put, Comrad!

[HiTech RedNeck]

China has an arrogance that Japan and Mexico can't hold a candle to.

[MonroeDNA]

"What about requiring goods sold in America to have been made in countries complying with minimal regulations for worker safety and environmental responsibility? "

That is a line from the democrat handbook.

[HiTech RedNeck]

You're right, I guess we don't care whether Chinese metalworkers are constantly falling into molten metal so long as we get our junk at bargain basement prices.

[MonroeDNA]

I personally will not buy from China, or any communist country. I avoid buying from socialist countries, too, like France. Or Massachusets.

The democrats want to force other countries to adopt our rules and regulations on workers in other countries. Do you?

[HiTech RedNeck]

We cannot "force" any other sovereign country to do anything (short of a shooting war or its equivalent). But we can certainly "incent" them with more favorable trade treatment for those who don't let, say, their metalworkers constantly plunge to their fiery deaths, or their chemical workers to get poisoned, etc.

[MonroeDNA]

Yes, that is what democrats want.

From the democrat, Martin Sabo's page:

"Unfortunately, Republican congressional leaders have made it clear they will protect patent rights for U.S. big businesses, but will not demand that our trading partners adequately pay their workers and provide humane working conditions. Without these worker protections, Americans are at a distinct competitive disadvantage and could be hit with job losses and lower wages. In short, if the Republican majority has its way, the interests of wealthy corporations will be protected in trade agreements, but workers will be left exposed. "

[MonroeDNA]

What do you think about the Kyoto treaty?

[MonroeDNA]

What do you think about the Kyoto treaty?

[MonroeDNA]

What do you think about the KYOTO treaty?

[MonroeDNA]

What do you think about the Kyoto treaty?

[HiTech RedNeck]

Well meaning hot carbon dioxide.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Well the Rats have one thing pretty much right. Just as a broken clock tells the correct time twice a day.

[A. Pole]

Among George Orwell's insightful observations, there's one very worthy of attention: "But if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought." Let's look at a few examples of corrupted language, thought and information.

Pretend you're a customs inspection agent. There's a cargo container awaiting a ship bound for foreign shores. You ask the shipper, who works for a big corporation, what's in the container. He answers, "It's a couple of thousand jobs that we're exporting overseas to a low-wage country."

Who is "buying" those "exported" jobs and for what price?

[Tauzero]

A like Williams. He's sharp. And he has an excellent point about the sloppiness of language and thought.

He is also correct about the hostility to business in this country.

He is also correct that increasing the total tax burden is almost certainly counterproductive.

However, his capital-flow argument is very weak, and nowhere does he address non-economic effects of current policy.