Outsourcing backlash hits India

NY Times via Seattle Post-Intelligencer ^ | February 17, 2004 | SARITHA RAI

[Jim Cane]

If you want the US to become a Third world country then fine, put in more restriction like the third world does right now.

Tuay po schEE? I'm not calling for tarrifs. I'm not calling for restricting companies who want to move overseas. I'm calling for ending corporate taxation at home. I'm calling for offshore countries to pick up the bill for defending offshore interests. How is this restricting? Or do you mean controlling the borders in regard to legal vs illegal immigration? Is that the source of your angst?

[StolarStorm]

It's really their own damn fault. They are a victim of their rapid success. If job transfers had simply been slowed down, American workers would have had more time to acclimate to the new economic model, and pressure on the politicians would be much less. India and Indian firms shouldn't have been so arrogant and aggressive.

[Cronos]

I did. Two hundred fifty-thousand US-made cars go to PRC buyers this year.

And how much of an increase is that over last year? and the year before that?

[StolarStorm]

"Blake's remarks rankled India's government. "That is not the way to go," said Yashwant Sinha, the external affairs minister. "It smacks of retaliation that 'if you don't open up, we will impose restrictions,' " Sinha told reporters last week.""

What friggin hypocrites.

[ninenot]

Uhhhh-that's not a lie, you-who-has-no-"about"-page...

By the 1920's, we HAD the world's leading industrial economy DUE TO TARIFFS.

We utilized it quite well after WWI and WWII, yes--and yes, there were no real competitors at the time.

But it IS a LIE to state that the US economy grows due to slave-labor competition from PRC, Mexico, or India.

[kevkrom]

Well when enough white collar workers are losing their jobs maybe America will wake up and vote both parties out of office.

I'm sorry... but it sounds like you're saying that you want the government even more involved in employment practices than they are now -- how welse would it be the politicians' fault?

Offshoring is a fad that will die soon as all of the so-called "benefits" wither fail to materialize or get cancelled out by the negatives. Involving the government would be putting in a (bad) permanent solution to a temporary problem.

[ninenot]

And those SUVs are sold all over the world including in Germany, right?

So what?

Frankly, I don't care that the Germans (and the French: see Square D) are manufacturing here and selling in Europe.

Europe does NOT allow slave labor, which is the point of my posts about PRC.

I note that you've managed to avoid that topic.

Are you a PRC troller?

[Ciexyz]

Go get 'em. Otherwise our home towns will look like Wheeling WV, where the downtown area is largely deserted except for artisan centers for the tourists who then go to Oglebay Park or the music hall for country music. No industry, no jobs.

[js1138]

...and entirely script-driven...

I haven't yet encountered the strong foreign accent, but in my experience all tech support is script driven. I would love to do buiness with a company that had a second tier of tech support for folks who build computers.

I built a server last year that included a $500 Adaptec Raid controller, which didn't work. I could tell from the symptoms that there was some incompatibity with the motherboard, but I had to go through three weeks of painful and repetitive diagnostics before the motherboard manufacturer agreed to take the whole bundle in house for diagnostics. Sure enough, the card and board wouldn't work together without slowing everything down.

But even at that level of technology, everyone insisted on working through the script. My complaint is that I had done the entire script before making the first call, and I had documented all my steps in an email.

[GOPJ]

And when is the media going to ask Mrs. Ketchup to close3 those 57 overseas plants...syriacus

[Ciexyz]

Well when enough white collar workers are losing their jobs maybe America will wake up and vote both parties out of office.

That was tried -- with Ross Perot. Knock him as you will, the primary motivation for his supporters was to change the stranglehold of the two party system and how both parties had the same agenda to outsource American jobs. Ross had many union supporters who showed up at his rallies, who worked his rallies. Oh but I remember--we're not supposed to say anything positive about unions on this board. (/sarcasm)

[Lael]

Well when enough white collar workers are losing their jobs maybe America will wake up and vote both parties out of office.

Both Parties MUST GO!!!

2008?? 2012??

I would URGE Ralph Nader to run...he has been the ONLY one talking about this issue for years!!

[Dialup Llama]

>All the "models" that champion free trade assume a free flow of BOTH capital AND labor. This is NOT reality.

The offshoring model in fact is the opposite of free trade. It is not trade at all but labor arbitrage. Unlike real arbitrage, the act of exploiting the wage differences is not ending the arbitrage opportunity. US companies create captive offshore centers in which the local employees are used to fulfill demand in the US while their wages are kept isolated from that same world demand.

[ninenot]

Well, FYI, small businesspeople are beginning to pay VERY close attention to John Edwards, along with the Unions.

It's easy to vote Republican when you have a business that's viable. But offshoring/out-sourcing are putting lots of small businesses OUT of business.

Feeding a family still is #1 on most priority-lists.

[Ciexyz]

Thanks for posting that list (Post #14) of companies that outsource. Yikes, both my bank and insurance company is on it. Guess we can't even boycott those companies who outsource--we can't even get away from it.

[phil_will1]

"Well when enough white collar workers are losing their jobs maybe America will wake up and vote both parties out of office."

"That was tried -- with Ross Perot."

And isn't it a bitter irony that EDS is now one of the biggest outsourcers? I know, Perot isn't associated with it any longer. I also recognize that Perot's company has to play by the rules that are in play or get devoured. I still can't help but remark about it.

[Cronos]

But it IS a LIE to state that the US economy grows due to slave-labor competition from PRC, Mexico, or India.

The US economy does NOT grow DUE to Mexico, etc., the US would have grown otherwise, but not as much. And it isn't quite slave labor. It's new markets released from the yoke of socialism.

[phil_will1]

"Of course, if you choose to categorize cars made by PRC factories which STOLE US designs (check with Chevrolet and Jeep...)"

That brings up another point. One of the reasons that we have become a hub for technology and innovation is that our laws protecting intellectual property are probably the strongest in the world. China's are among the weakest. I wonder how long it will be until some company outsourcing to PRC gets bitten in the you-know-what by Chinese theft of their proprietary technology.

[Cronos]

Our economy was primarily because we allowed competition and did not close it like the European socialists.

Frankly, I don't care that the Germans (and the French: see Square D) are manufacturing here and selling in Europe.

Hmmm.. so it's ok for them to outsource to us but not the other way? It's competition. Because they utilise the best of US resources they are more competitive. Because we utilise the best of US, European, Asian resources our companies are competitive and we remain on top. how else can you explain our comtinuing growht NOT a Japanese style recession (brought on by excessive protectionism)

Europe does NOT allow slave labor, which is the point of my posts about PRC.

China's slave labour. No, I don't support it's prison labour utilisation. What about it's other industries? And it does have other which are not run by prisoners. It does have a substantial middle class who are by no means slaves.

Do I dislike it's commie govt. Yes. What about India and Mexico and the other nations? You classify them the same as China>?

[Cronos]

Are you a PRC troller?

An', even more importantly, this article is NOT about hte PRC, it's about India, a democracy. And a pretty good ally against the slamics.