First, I would like to state I am not defending unions and am not now nor have I ever been a member. When the plants were closing and moving south, a lot of people cheered because they saw it as the demise of the unions - now many of those people are realizing it is the demise of American manufacturing. We cannot be a nation of consumers - we must have something to sell. The big lie was we would export technology - well guess what, other countries are just as capable of this technology as we are and now we are left with aging or closed manufacturing plants and a whole boatload of illegals that will work for less because they do not have to take care of the basics for themselves.
I talked with a man yesterday that travels abroad for work. He says people in the US just do not realize how other parts of the world are moving forward and America is either staying stagnant or moving backwards. He says many other countries are improving their infrastructure, transportation, manufacturing. In Malaysia, he said their technology was ahead of ours and their cell phones (of recent vintage) was so far behind their system in technology, they were unusable.
My husband talked with a lady last week who had called an insurance company and talked with an Indian - who was living in India!!!!!! Now how can an American worker compete with someone in India. It is just not possible. Think how many times you have called a company and talked with a person who has an accent - is that person in an office in Dallas, Philadelphia, New York, or Pakistan!!!
Now I know some will defend this as 'free trade' and some who are making a living because of this foreign influence. Also I would not be surprised if some will deny this, but can anyone deny that America is aging and sagging because we are not making the strides we should. That is undeniable. The cities are rotting, the taxes are outrageous, and we taxpayers are burdened with the upkeep of millions of illegal immigrants. That is a recipe for disaster.
The unions certainly developed a bad rep, a lot of it well deserved. But there have been an awfully lot of crummy, greedy, poorly run companies, too! They deserved to go under.
- now many of those people are realizing it is the demise of American manufacturing
So true.
We cannot be a nation of consumers - we must have something to sell.
We have already become a nation of consumers. Have you checked the appalling trade imbalances lately? Most of what we export is money!
... now we are left with aging or closed manufacturing plants
The industry I worked within went from the largest, finest in the world to the most archaic and primitive in the industrial world in the space of a few decades. Some of that had to do with unions, but more of it had to do with lack of capitalization because horrendous environmental regulations required immediate capital monies to be spent for mandated pollution controls which couldn't work because the technology wasn't ample. This required even greater amounts of money thrown down a rathole!
The manufacturing equipment and technology were what suffered most quickly as costs skyrocketed and competitive advantages rapidly decayed to burgeoning foreign technology and their lower wages. Soon the American productivity and competitive edge was lost to foreigners, forever. Now what remains are falling down buildings and huge empty lots. Oh, did I mention many of the workers are in marginal jobs or on welfare? Unemployment Insurance has long since run out.
I suppose the "upside" is, those "dirty" industries are now polluting other shores - and employing their workers at living wages. And after all, our local water is supposedly cleaner! The unemployed can now eat the fish they catch.
... and a whole boatload of illegals that will work for less because they do not have to take care of the basics for themselves.
Yet another problem, but unrelated to this story.
... other parts of the world are moving forward and America is either staying stagnant or moving backwards... improving their infrastructure, transportation, manufacturing.
Let's hear another "Amen", shall we Sister? However, we are "protecting" our Precious Environment against these awful, predatory human encroachments!
Now how can an American worker compete with someone in India. It is just not possible.
I think it is. But, Americans are increasingly burdened with unproductive anvils around their necks such as massive government regulations, trial lawyers and ridiculous liability problems, and environmental fascism. That always hurts productivity!
Now I know some will defend this as 'free trade'
'Free trade' is not "free" if we are the only ones abiding by the rules...
... but can anyone deny that America is aging and sagging because we are not making the strides we should.
Certainly not me!
The cities are rotting, the taxes are outrageous, and we taxpayers are burdened with the upkeep of millions of illegal immigrants. That is a recipe for disaster.
Dittos!