So what? Is technological knowledge the same as quality of life? Technology is fun and does some nice things for us, but if you're having trouble making a living, having technology around you doesn't make that struggle any less painful.
The horse-drawn cart analogy doesn't fit. The horse-drawn cart industry died because something replaced that product and not because companies decided to make horse-drawn carts in China. Today, companies like to make things in China because there is less regulation and less threat of lawsuits. Companies in the U.S. have to employ more and more people to shuffle paper for the government or protect themselves from lawsuits. When domestic production costs become too high, they move production overseas. They still have to transport their products, so the paper shufflers keep up with the transportation. They still need to market their products, so the ad people still have jobs. They still need to monitor their money flow, so the accountants still have jobs. They still deal with lawsuits, so the lawyers still have jobs. What they don't need are those who know how to make production work or how to help production work. As I said originally, this economy favors the paper-shufflers and the smooth talkers. I'm afraid you're the one who's spouting "an absolute crock of s#it."
The economy may never grow for everyone, but a strong country should have a fairly diverse economy with room for all kinds of skills. The winner of every major war for at least 150 years has been the side with the strongest manufacturing base. Someday, we will be in another conflict that will dwarf what is happening now in Iraq and Afghanistan. If we don't have the industry to supply our military, we will lose this one. All of the spin of the marketers and the arguments of the lawyers will be meaningless at that time.
Bill
Unemployment is below 5% (and that's with millions of people here illegally holding jobs), home ownership is at an all-time high, more people own more things than ever, yet, here you are complaining about our economy.
People today work more because they want more, that's not something created by industry...that's human nature, industry is just reacting to the needs of the market.
It must be hard to keep looking for the rain clouds hiding behind the blue skies.
That's wrong.
"Companies in the U.S. have to employ more and more people to shuffle paper for the government or protect themselves from lawsuits."
That's wrong.
"They still need to market their products, so the ad people still have jobs."
So, in your world, the hundreds of thousands of jobs displaced by manufacturing moving to China simply took up work in the advertisement industry?
BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
"As I said originally, this economy favors the paper-shufflers and the smooth talkers."
That right there tells me the absolute depth of your lack of understanding, and uncovers a whole lot of resentment seething in you.