What we are seeing is not a part of the normal business cycle, but a profound shift in the Nation's economy; from a manufacturing base to a service based economy. This does not bode well for future generations as manufacturing is the life blood of any country. The Chinese know this too well.
Mr Hunt is correct. This is a path we've been following for a number of years. When I was a kid, Kodak,Xerox, Roch Products,Bausch&Lomb all provided a great deal of jobs. Fast forward a quarter century, and those same jobs are non-existent. Why? Because we created a vicious business environment, all predicated on greed, taxes and government meddling. The consumer demanded lower prices at any cost, the manufacturer shipped jobs overseas to provide those supposed lower costs,the government allowed our import/export ratio to get out of line,and now the consumer can now buy cheaper products made of inferior and sometimes dangerous components. This is where we are. i am sending for my Rosetta Stone CD to learn Mandarin Chinese. I think it will come in real handy.
As horrible as the business environment can be in New York (high taxes, burdensome bureaucrats, over regulation), the advantages of the state (temperate, seasonal climate, attractive lifestyle, recreation and friendly neighborhoods) would still make it a reasonable place to do business.
It's no so much that consumers demand lower prices as we all want to get better prices when we can, and our short term views of getting a low price at Walmart often obscures the long-term issues associated with those lower prices.
The cause of the shift of good paying jobs are several:
-- Walmart's ability to demand its own prices, forcing manufactures to look for cheaper labor overseas (I think many manufacturing CEOs would prefer to manufacture even at higher labor costs in the US if they could still sell their products to the largest buyer -- Walmart).
-- Free trade agreements, which removes any barriers or tariffs for good manufactured overseas and shipped to the U.S. Free trade makes sense among equal trading partners, but as we manufacture less, we don't have many goods to ship and sell overseas.
The only control over any of this we have as consumers, is to try and make as many wise purchasing decisions as possible, which doesn't mean always making the purchase about price.
Personally, I have reworked my purchasing methods. Unfortunately, I still find myself shopping at the Wal (because I can't always afford elsewhere) but I now look at the back of every item. If it was made in China, I do not buy it. More times than not, though, that results in my leaving the store without the item. Luckily, being summer, I am usually able to find those items (& made in the USA) at garage sales.
What we are seeing is not a
What we are seeing is not a part of the normal business cycle, but a profound shift in the Nation's economy; from a manufacturing base to a service based economy. This does not bode well for future generations as manufacturing is the life blood of any country. The Chinese know this too well.
Mr Hunt is correct. This is a
Mr Hunt is correct. This is a path we've been following for a number of years. When I was a kid, Kodak,Xerox, Roch Products,Bausch&Lomb all provided a great deal of jobs. Fast forward a quarter century, and those same jobs are non-existent. Why? Because we created a vicious business environment, all predicated on greed, taxes and government meddling. The consumer demanded lower prices at any cost, the manufacturer shipped jobs overseas to provide those supposed lower costs,the government allowed our import/export ratio to get out of line,and now the consumer can now buy cheaper products made of inferior and sometimes dangerous components. This is where we are. i am sending for my Rosetta Stone CD to learn Mandarin Chinese. I think it will come in real handy.
and we all support it by
and we all support it by going to walmart and target. its hard to find things not made in china anymore
As horrible as the business
As horrible as the business environment can be in New York (high taxes, burdensome bureaucrats, over regulation), the advantages of the state (temperate, seasonal climate, attractive lifestyle, recreation and friendly neighborhoods) would still make it a reasonable place to do business.
It's no so much that consumers demand lower prices as we all want to get better prices when we can, and our short term views of getting a low price at Walmart often obscures the long-term issues associated with those lower prices.
The cause of the shift of good paying jobs are several:
-- Walmart's ability to demand its own prices, forcing manufactures to look for cheaper labor overseas (I think many manufacturing CEOs would prefer to manufacture even at higher labor costs in the US if they could still sell their products to the largest buyer -- Walmart).
-- Free trade agreements, which removes any barriers or tariffs for good manufactured overseas and shipped to the U.S. Free trade makes sense among equal trading partners, but as we manufacture less, we don't have many goods to ship and sell overseas.
The only control over any of this we have as consumers, is to try and make as many wise purchasing decisions as possible, which doesn't mean always making the purchase about price.
Personally, I have reworked
Personally, I have reworked my purchasing methods. Unfortunately, I still find myself shopping at the Wal (because I can't always afford elsewhere) but I now look at the back of every item. If it was made in China, I do not buy it. More times than not, though, that results in my leaving the store without the item. Luckily, being summer, I am usually able to find those items (& made in the USA) at garage sales.