Our demand for cheap crap is too insatiable for manufacturing to return to the US under this paradigm. We need to get people interested in, and buying, more expensive, quality products if there’s any hope.
Taxes are an easy target, but do you really think the companies making shitty-quality whatevers and paying their workers $.30 will ever move back here? Even if we had no taxes? We need to eliminate taxes, eliminate min-wage, a come up with a population willing to live on $10 a week so the rest of us can consume the cheap shit they make…
…or we can start paying more for higher quality goods.[/quote]
Again most businesses leave because of taxes, undo taxes and watch businesses run back here.
American’s will buy quality if quality is an option, America at one time had the best quality at almost the lowest prices. We can get back to that/do better then that but you have to get the government off the backs of business.
You trying to demonize getting rid of minimum wage is laughable, do you realize how many jobs have been killed because of that? Employees are the businesses greatest cost, now stay with me for a second, if they get paid lower, the costs of products are lower thus there standard of living does not change. And as a bonus the old retiring generation doesn’t see there savings destroyed.(This of course needs to be done after you eliminate fiat currency).
You people need to understand that your definition of “quality” is highly arbitrary-
Sometimes I buy cheap crap for the sole reason thta I already know that I will only use this tool or shirt or whatever only once or twice in my life.
There are many reasons why people buy “low” quality but, interestingly enough, very low quality and dirt cheap is somtimes exactly what you are looking for which makes this item the one with the best quality for money there is.
So cut this crap, it insinuates that people are stupid to buy exactly what they need and not more.
Plus, if you want “quality”, “made in Germany” would be what you are looking for anyway, so “quality” wont save you.
If you eliminate the progressive tax and put in the fair tax(flat retail sales tax) manufacturing jobs will flow into America. This problem is not the result of the free market but because of government interference.
Once you get rid of taxes(with the exception of the sales tax) this problem will correct itself.
This is a government problem not a free market problem, opponents of the Progressive income tax have been saying this for a long time, liberal retards said we hated the poor.[/quote]
Our demand for cheap crap is too insatiable for manufacturing to return to the US under this paradigm. We need to get people interested in, and buying, more expensive, quality products if there’s any hope.
Taxes are an easy target, but do you really think the companies making shitty-quality whatevers and paying their workers $.30 will ever move back here? Even if we had no taxes? We need to eliminate taxes, eliminate min-wage, a come up with a population willing to live on $10 a week so the rest of us can consume the cheap shit they make…
…or we can start paying more for higher quality goods.[/quote]
I think if you drastically lower taxes in America, you’ll see some crazy shit happen WRT manufacturing.
Currently, manufacturing the items purchased at Wal-Mart is highly labor-intensive. The mats are relatively cheap, so businesses use labor in whatever region is cheapest.
200 years ago, food production was very similar. But then agri-business got together with the construction industry and built gigantic farming implements that allow a single man to do the work of twenty men of yester-year.
Farming in America changed from being capital-intensive to being labor-intensive. I see no reason the same could not happen for manufacturing.
Dodge makes some seriously shitty vehicles. Americans have realized that. A return to quality would make the case for some sort of patriotism more plausible.
Whoever said fuck globalism is a serious fool. As stated previously, comparative advantage. its fun. Production possibilities frontier and whatnot.
I do agree with the sentiment that lower corporate taxes would alleviate some of the outsourcing, but its not the only solution. The labor unions and the government were also a factor. You are not going to stop outsourcing. Its also funny to think that people can be high on capitalism and refute the global market in the same breath, rather hypocritical.
[quote]666Rich wrote:
Whoever said fuck globalism is a serious fool. As stated previously, comparative advantage. [/quote]
As stated previously, education pathways and unemployment.
Assuming that unemployment was virtually zero and that education and training was easily available for outsourced jobs…well you might have a point about comparative advantage.
I love the emotion of the Jeep commercial. It’s just sad that same “American spirit” is not represented in most American vehicles.
A car is a major purchase and I (now) keep them for many years after they are paid. I refuse to dump money into an American car when they tend to be crap.
[quote]666Rich wrote:
Whoever said fuck globalism is a serious fool. As stated previously, comparative advantage. [/quote]
As stated previously, education pathways and unemployment.
Assuming that unemployment was virtually zero and that education and training was easily available for outsourced jobs…well you might have a point about comparative advantage.
As it stands neither is true. So fuck globalism.[/quote]
Nonsense-
That is like saying you can ignore gravity because not enough people have college degrees.
That is like saying you can ignore gravity because not enough people have college degrees.
[/quote]
And how is it anything like that? Why don’t you provide a proper rebuttal if it is such nonsense?
Tell me: How does free trade and comparative advantage take into account unemployment?[/quote]
It doesnt, much like gravity does not take into account that you have sprained your ankle.
It is simply indifferent but to ignore gravity when your ankle already is compromised will not help you at all, it will only make matters worse.
If you produce stuff that other people can produce better your are hurting yourself and them economically. If times are already hard this will make them even harder.
That is like saying you can ignore gravity because not enough people have college degrees.
[/quote]
And how is it anything like that? Why don’t you provide a proper rebuttal if it is such nonsense?
Tell me: How does free trade and comparative advantage take into account unemployment?[/quote]
It doesnt, much like gravity does not take into account that you have sprained your ankle.
It is simply indifferent but to ignore gravity when your ankle already is compromised will not help you at all, it will only make matters worse.
If you produce stuff that other people can produce better your are hurting yourself and them economically. If times are already hard this will make them even harder.
[/quote]
The interesting aspect in this is that if companies outsource to other countries and this causes unemployment, how will all those unemployed people buy the imports? This causes deflation and the downward spiral begins. The coolies in the producing country can’t buy the products and the people in the consuming countries are unemployed or fearful of becoming unemployed. Who buys the stuff?
That is like saying you can ignore gravity because not enough people have college degrees.
[/quote]
And how is it anything like that? Why don’t you provide a proper rebuttal if it is such nonsense?
Tell me: How does free trade and comparative advantage take into account unemployment?[/quote]
It doesnt, much like gravity does not take into account that you have sprained your ankle.
It is simply indifferent but to ignore gravity when your ankle already is compromised will not help you at all, it will only make matters worse.
If you produce stuff that other people can produce better your are hurting yourself and them economically. If times are already hard this will make them even harder.
[/quote]
The interesting aspect in this is that if companies outsource to other countries and this causes unemployment, how will all those unemployed people buy the imports? This causes deflation and the downward spiral begins. The coolies in the producing country can’t buy the products and the people in the consuming countries are unemployed or fearful of becoming unemployed. Who buys the stuff?
[/quote]
first of all this has nothing to do with deflation but with falling prices which are distinctly different phenomena.
Second, this lament is as old as industrialization itself and it was never true as long as companies were able to invest and innovate without too much government interference.
[quote]Headhunter wrote:
The interesting aspect in this is that if companies outsource to other countries and this causes unemployment, how will all those unemployed people buy the imports? This causes deflation and the downward spiral begins. The coolies in the producing country can’t buy the products and the people in the consuming countries are unemployed or fearful of becoming unemployed. Who buys the stuff?
[/quote]
I think there is a knee-jerk reaction that unemployment is always bad. People also fail to understand what it means to advance economically and technologically. As long as human capital is available, and without a government hindering things, we can increase production simply by increasing input, but this isn’t what people really want.
The actual goal, whether one realizes it or not, is to increase output while decreasing input and thus increasing the quality of life. In this way, the ultimate goal should be to be have no input and adequate output to support your chosen way of life, i.e. retirement or “unemployment”.
If one can devise a business method that let’s him and his partners stay home while paying others to invest the labor he should be considered successful, however today he is considered evil unless those that he pays are American. It really all boils down to the entitlement mentality and government squashing of entreprenuers that has taken over this country.
Instead of devising new business and living methods and putting forth the effort to become self-sustained, the majority of people have become conditioned to the idea of employment and can’t break away from the idea that they must have a “job”.
[quote]Headhunter wrote:
The interesting aspect in this is that if companies outsource to other countries and this causes unemployment, how will all those unemployed people buy the imports? This causes deflation and the downward spiral begins. The coolies in the producing country can’t buy the products and the people in the consuming countries are unemployed or fearful of becoming unemployed. Who buys the stuff?
[/quote]
HH - sorry to have to do this, but you just made a socialist’s assumption of zero-sum employment. I understand the rationale of your argument but it was poorly framed. Additional companies can be created, new products developed, new services offered, etc. This reality negates the force and intent of your argument. Just because X, Y and Z companies transferred production to another country does not mean that K, d, and t companies will not be able to hire the employees of X, Y and Z companies, thus continuing the free-market success.