If you are someone that is working at a low level manufacturing job where it is probable the same thing will be produced in tiawan at a lower costs, highly likely it is because you made decisions some point in your life that got you to where you are.
I guess everyone should have either an MBA or a broom.
The other side of the coin, is that we have a "global economy" yet corporate influence in Washington makes sure that we do not hold these global partners to the same ecological, worker safety and compensation standards that we feel are just and fair -- and in some cases moral -- at home. Who benefits?
1. The politicians have full campaign coffers.
2. The corporate officers that receive enormous compensation for their performance in these areas (long term impact need not apply).
3. Those with the surplus money to invest
4. I suppose consumers get to save .30 on that singing plastic lawn gnome at Wally-World that breaks in 3 months from slipshod quality and with no customer support. Of course, as wages are stretched downwards it becomes a vicious circle - you need to save to survive.
5. Foreign nationals able to earn fast wood server wages writing code (better than nothing, fer sure I guess).
Now, I personally could give a **** about #s 1, 2, 4, 5 and like # 3 IF the investments promote long term benefits to the country (such as driving new localized development that creates jobs and an increased tax base in the US), and not just benefits a shrinking "gated community" subset of the country. So, who loses?
Employment is still high, but we are definitely working to bring that “Taiwan” standard of worker (even white collar) compensation to America. And, we are giving away intellectual capital and marketing know how, likely future marketshare, and critical competitive "know how" to people who will cease to become “partners” as soon as they can get aligned to become fierce competitors. Some of the Chinese Joint ventures I’ve looked will benefit the Chinese FAR more than the American partner -- but there is that “promise” of access to that “vast” Chinese market (that, of course, will ultimately be met by the Chinese companies themselves once they suck all the capitalistic know how they can from us).
So for me… Free market but international agreements that provide at least somewhat of a level playing field (not perfectly level, just marginally level) between the developed and developing countries.
Charon
