HappySqurriel said:
On globalization ... The workforce in the western world has become a highly educated very expensive workforce and the only way to justify the cost of labour their productivity has to be dramatically higher than their third world competition; or their education must allow them to do work that can't be done by offshore labour. Unfortunately, unions and politicians have no interest in producing the best long term results and there has been a healthy stream of subsidies (and constant threats of strikes) in order to ensure that companies maintain the least productive workforce possible. Had we began focusing on ensuring that our manufacturing workforce was as productive as possible 50 years ago most people who worked in manufacturing today would be highly skilled machinists (or similarly skilled workers) and the work done by these people would be worth their cost. The truth is that we didn't and today you can pay a GM employee $77 per hour in wages and benefits or you can pay a worker in China $2.50 per hour and get similar results.
|
@ Numonex: If you were a CEO your main priority is to provide for your shareholders. If you can get a product made overseas for less, let me use the Ireland 12% vs US 35% corp tax for example, than why wouldn't you? I find it akin to tyranny when a govt forces a private entity such as a company to make products in its home country. Does it lay people off--sure. Would I like it if I was laid off? Hell no. The problem lies in govt intrusion into corps that get taxed to the gills. I say lower the tax on companies here and some--not all--will bring some biz back to the states.







