So, America, was the trade-in of all our outsourced jobs in exchange for cheap consumer goods worth it?
I guess the answer depends on whether you’re the insanely rich CEO of a corporation that outsources jobs and underpays employees.
Of course it’s not only cheap consumer goods that we’re getting in return. It’s a lot more insidious than that. Typing, accounting, research and design, technical-support call centers… This is the best one: "New Jersey legislators acted after the state outsourced the electronic administration of welfare and food stamp benefits to a company that then sent the jobs to India. When New Jersey citizens called to ask about benefits, they were connected with Indian workers who gave Americanized names." http://www.aflcio.org/aboutus/thisistheaflcio/publications/magazine/0903_amjobs.cfm
In other words, it’s not just a matter of reading labels and buying American. To be fair, I might be a little sensitive on the subject. My job was cut about a year ago, so I’ve been working without benefits since then, at a rate of pay that’s competitive with the offshore job market that replaced me. It’s a pretty good deal for the CEO of my company, of course. He was one of the top three top-paid execs in the U.S. last year.
February 28th, 2010 at 11:03 pm
No.
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February 28th, 2010 at 11:52 pm
Hell no, screw WalMart
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March 1st, 2010 at 12:35 am
Not a chance
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March 1st, 2010 at 1:15 am
I guess it depends on who you ask.
Walfare people didn’t have jobs in the first place, so I guess they benefit from lower prices more than others.
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March 1st, 2010 at 1:23 am
So stop buying until you find what you want as an American made product.
I have been doing this a bit at a time and gradually getting switched over to American products:
Glad drinking straws
Pyrex instead of Oxo
I’m currently looking for Tires – it’s a bit difficult.
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March 1st, 2010 at 1:56 am
I’d rather ask it this way, So, America, was pricing yourself out of the labor market really worth it?
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March 1st, 2010 at 2:21 am
There was absolutely no way our government would have prevented that. China would have simply sold their products to other nations (our competitors) and eventually buried us. That’s just history repeating itself.
We still have plenty of resources in this country, and our economy will thrive again.
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March 1st, 2010 at 2:46 am
No way. I try to buy American as much as possible, even if the goods cost more. Problem is like 99% of everything is made in China. Don’t know what our government was thinking allowing a trade imbalance like that. The Chinese are using our own money to build up their military against us. I guess when it comes to making a buck, common sense flies out the window!
There should be a website somewhere where makers of U.S. goods are listed and supported.
Let me start with one:
http://www.uswings.com/
I’ve bought a couple of thier jackets so far.
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March 1st, 2010 at 3:03 am
I guess the answer depends on whether you’re the insanely rich CEO of a corporation that outsources jobs and underpays employees.
Of course it’s not only cheap consumer goods that we’re getting in return. It’s a lot more insidious than that. Typing, accounting, research and design, technical-support call centers… This is the best one: "New Jersey legislators acted after the state outsourced the electronic administration of welfare and food stamp benefits to a company that then sent the jobs to India. When New Jersey citizens called to ask about benefits, they were connected with Indian workers who gave Americanized names." http://www.aflcio.org/aboutus/thisistheaflcio/publications/magazine/0903_amjobs.cfm
In other words, it’s not just a matter of reading labels and buying American. To be fair, I might be a little sensitive on the subject. My job was cut about a year ago, so I’ve been working without benefits since then, at a rate of pay that’s competitive with the offshore job market that replaced me. It’s a pretty good deal for the CEO of my company, of course. He was one of the top three top-paid execs in the U.S. last year.
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March 1st, 2010 at 3:33 am
A few people benefited from outsourcing jobs. Most people, though, either had to take a lower paying job, got fired, or know someone who had to take a lower paying job or was fired. So even though the consumer goods (and things like tech support) are cheaper, we don’t have as much money as we used to, comparatively speaking, so most of us are worse off.
I buy American if I can find American made goods…but that’s not always easy. I particularly avoid Chinese-made products, as I’m not sure whether or not any particular product is safe.
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