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To: Prodigal Son
Corporations belong to the shareholders and the shareholders demand a profit. That's not about politics or anything- it's just math.

It's bad math. These corporations may make some money in the short term, but they are not thinking dynamically.

Look, Polo shirts are made in Taiwan and also with near slave labor on the mainland. The ones made in Taiwan will land at 9 dollars and go directly to the big chains for markup. These shirts will have better quality than the very same design from the mainland. Those shirts land a 4 dollars and go directly to those "factory outlet" stores for a more modest markup. Bottom line, you get what you pay for.

American workers, for all the bad things said about them, are among the very best in the world. Mainland Chicom slaves are not going to buy either the better quality Taiwan Polos nor their own lesser quality versions. Americans, meanwhile will be increasingly unable to afford the American brand, and will choose the even cheaper Chicom Faded Glory brand at their local WalMart. Now Faded Glory gets the earnings and since they don't have to pay squat for the labor, they can build better missiles with which to lob at those stupid, out of work Americans.

I guess patriotism is for suckers, because only the little guy, the one who always goes off to war to defend Exxon's property, ever gets suckered into it. The stockholders, while they demand Uncle Sam come rescue them, never dirty their own hands, and laugh derisively at such quaint notions of patriotism, never mind that they are cutting the throats of their own customer base.

America's death spiral.

32 posted on 06/28/2002 6:38:13 AM PDT by Wm Bach
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To: Wm Bach
Oh, I understand all that very well. But that's actually a seperate issue. The gov't, in the interest of providing for the general welfare of this nation can place an embargo on a country's goods and services and forbid citizens and companies from doing business with them. That's not the same though as saying to a US citizen "You are not free to leave".

My argument is that if somebody doesn't get forced to pay the price for the government being an impediment to progress, nothing will ever get done about it- now that's a fact. Like I said, the USA, as the land of freedom, should be where corporations flock to, not leave from. And that's about more than just the commies over in China and their sewing machines.

Look at Lifesavers candy, pulling up stakes and moving to Canada for cheaper sugar. Why should they have to do that? Sugar is more expensive in the USA than it is in Canada and Europe- ask yourself why that is, and it isn't because of expensive labor. You see, the gov't "protects" the US sugar industry but in the end they lose Americans their jobs because a manufacturer that can't afford the price of sugar in the US has to leave or go under. If the US sugar industry wasn't propped up, they would be forced to be more competitive, Lifesavers would buy the cheapest sugar available and those workers would still be punching out that hole in the candy.

There are many proactive things the gov't could do to make American manufacturing more attractive. This business with the sugar is just one such example. Abolishing the minimum wage would be another. Lowering taxes another still. The gov't is part of the problem. They're standing in the way of American workers- not helping 'em.

37 posted on 06/28/2002 7:15:28 AM PDT by Prodigal Son
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