Job Layoffs

[RM_guy]

This really hits home...

Regarding job layoffs in the U.S. Joe Smith started the day early having
set his alarm clock (MADE IN JAPAN) for 6 A.M.

While his coffeepot (MADE IN CHINA) was perking, he shaved with his
electric razor (MADE IN HONG KONG).

He put on a dress shirt (MADE IN SRI LANKA), designer jeans (MADE IN
SINGAPORE) and tennis shoes (MADE IN KOREA).

After cooking his breakfast in his new electric skillet (MADE IN INDIA) he
sat down with his calculator (MADE IN MEXICO) to see how much he could
spend today.

After setting his watch (MADE IN TAIWAN) to the radio (MADE IN INDIA) he
got in his car (MADE IN GERMANY) and continued his search for a good paying
AMERICAN JOB.

At the end of yet another discouraging and fruitless day, Joe decided to
relax for a while.

He put on his sandals (MADE IN BRAZIL) poured himself a glass of wine
(MADE IN FRANCE) and turned on his TV (MADE IN INDONESIA), and wondered why he
can't find a good paying job in.....AMERICA.....

 

[zio]

I don't know... even through my Norelco razor was made in Asia, that allowed a greater profit for the American company that sold it to me. So while our manual labor force is shrinking, aren't we basically shifting who works where? Doesn't a larger company like Norelco spell more white-collar jobs?

And how's our unemployment rate? Of course, in light of the recent recession it's probably not as good as a few months ago, but what about the decade prior? That was a great period of tremendous wealth (thanks Republicans!!!). I'd venture to say not too many of us were complaining back then. If you ask me, let the third world countries continue to provide our manual labor. That way our own people can advance into better paying, less back-breaking jobs.

No, I don't want us to be a nation fully dependent on foreign made products. But why not let them make the cheap crap? Last time I checked, GM was still the world's largest automaker. We still make the most advanced military weapons. We still drill for oil. We still farm our own food. We have the entertainment industry, the airline & aerospace industry, the my gosh... we're THE superpower.

Just my opinion, mind you. I've never taken an economics course, barely graduated high school (2.0... can't get any worse than that!), slept through 2 years of college. So I'd love to hear what someone with this kind of background thinks. Penny-on-the-dollar Foreign labor good or bad?

 

[zio]

Oh- and Merril Lynch (I think that's who your friend you mentioned in another post worked for) and Enron layoffs don't have much to do (at least directly) with foreign labor, do they?

 

[Jonala]

Zio,

One of the contributing factors that made Enron fail, is a huge power plant that they bulit in INDIA. Bad business decision on Enron's part. Good ol' B.Clinton helped in getting Enron that deal. They lost 3 Billion on that one.

 

[kingriz1]

Zio,

I am glad someone can see the big picture. Congratulations!

Enron lost how many billions? They would have lost that three somewhere else. That company went down because of ****ty management. Oh gee a 70 billion or so is lost and lets blame it on the other countries.

Whatever take that weak < mod edit > somewhere else!

Even President Bush says the way to improve the economy is to increase trade not restrict it.

By the way we have done this thread before.

 

[kingriz1]

PS Go ride your foreign made bike!!

 

[WoodsRider]

zio - I must say that your reply is ignorant at best. How many white collar jobs do you think a corporation can support? Did you know that engineers in Mexico and India make less than a third of the salary that engineers in the U.S. make! Perhaps we should send all our white collar jobs overseas too.

I'm all for making more products here in the U.S.A. (this from a guy who owns two Japanese automobiles and a Spanish motorcycle). Not everyone desires to be an accountant, an engineer or a CEO. Some people are destined to become machinists, mechanics or assemblers.

BTW - Enron fell because they were "cooking" the books.

 

[zio]

Originally posted by Truespode


Ouch. That is harsh.

Thanks, Carl. . Buuuuuurrrrpppp Hey, me an' Homer are goin' over to Moe's for a Duff. Barney's already there. Wanna come?

-Lenny

 

[kharrin1]

No company fails by "cooking the books" they use creative accounting to hide their problems. "Cooking the books" is a result of poor management (decision making included).

Cisco filing chapter 11? Please tell me you are NOT in the IT industry, then your comment could be excuseable. Best stick to talking about dirt bikes.

 

[Rattletrap'83CR480]

Originally posted by zio
I don't know... even through my Norelco razor was made in Asia, that allowed a greater profit for the American company that sold it to me. So while our manual labor force is shrinking, aren't we basically shifting who works where? Doesn't a larger company like Norelco spell more white-collar jobs

Actually, Norelco is a subsidiary of Royal Philips Electronics. One of the world's biggest electronics companies and Europe's largest (straight from their Website). They are not an American company and are headquartered in the Netherlands. The only money made off the sale of the razor was the retail mark-up and the tariffs levyed by the US government.:ugg:

 

[kharrin1]

Truespode - Everyone uses creative accounting, it's just a matter of who gets caught. Just like companies lying to wall street, again just a matter of who gets caught.

No matter though, follow your hunch, you ought to be able to make a killing on the Street. How sure are you?

I love this quote, can't remember where I read it or else I would give the author credit, "The BS stops when the gate drops".

Good luck to you.

Network Architect
CSC

I too, know nothing, "Ignorance is Bliss" and I'm a happy camper. ;)

 

[longtime]

Originally posted by WoodsRider
zio - I must say that your reply is ignorant at best. How many white collar jobs do you think a corporation can support? Did you know that engineers in Mexico and India make less than a third of the salary that engineers in the U.S. make! Perhaps we should send all our white collar jobs overseas too.

I'm all for making more products here in the U.S.A. (this from a guy who owns two Japanese automobiles and a Spanish motorcycle). Not everyone desires to be an accountant, an engineer or a CEO. Some people are destined to become machinists, mechanics or assemblers.

It seems you're arguing that Zio is wrong -- that the loss of all jobs is a problem, not just the white collar ones. It seems that you are agreeing with RMGuy that people should think about buying American. BUT you point out that not only your dirtbike (no real American substitutes) but your cars (plenty of American options) are foreign made.

I think both the original point, and Zio's qualifiers, are valid. I've lived in the heart of the gutted industrial machinist cities, and there is a very real detrimental effect, on real people, to moving their labor forces overseas. There is, though, much wealth generation for international companies on the white collar side. But all in all, it would be a very, very helpful thing for our economy to buy things made in America. That said -- you can't rely on your neighbor alone to do so. I think you should indeed make that a factor in your choice -- personally.

 

[JuliusPleaser]

Anybody know how to install knobbies on a Hogley-Ferguson? :uh:

 

[kharrin1]

Strangely enough my wife stated that we probably work for the same company, I said no way. Wrong again.

Forget about Cisco what about GX? Oh well, more fun to come.

BUT you point out that not only your dirtbike (no real American substitutes)...

Let's not start that debate here.:p

 

[WoodsRider]

Originally posted by LongTime
... all in all, it would be a very, very helpful thing for our economy to buy things made in America. That said -- you can't rely on your neighbor alone to do so.

True, but just because a product is "American made" do not think that some amount of foreign material and/or labor went into it. For instance, it's a well known fact there are more foreign made components in a Harley Davidson than there are in a Honda Gold Wing. Yet Harley is an American company and Honda is a Japanese company. Many U.S. companies are buying more and more products and services from LCC's (Low Cost Countries) than ever before. Many top companies have "help desks" located in LCC's. On Thanksgiving the door to our new oven fell off. This oven was manufactured by a U.S. company. When I called the 24-hr. service support number I ended up speaking to someone in India. After being transferred to three different people, none of whom spoke fluent english, I hung up and fixed the thing myself.

The irony of this whole ordeal, I now work for said company and all of our computer support is going to be handled out of India. After the transition, our in-house IT guy will be reduced to status of a cable puller. :ugg:

 

[zio]

I don't think that's unique to your industry. Every large company, it seems, is farming out their tech/customer service support to outside sources. It's really popular here in CA (silicon valley especially) to have a firm whose only product is telephone support for various companies. They split the force up into diff departments for each client, train those employees (sometimes amounts to just handing them a manual) & they're in business. The big corporations figure why pay Silicon Valley wages when they can farm the stuff out to a call center in BFE for 1/4 the cost.

Nowadays getting good customer service is like striking gold. No one expects it anymore. Seriously- how often have you contemplated calling a company for support and then decided not to, expecting long hold times, dropped calls & endless transfers to different departments?

I now weigh product reliability heavily when making a purchase, because I don't ever expect to get help if things go awry. Sucks.