Posted on 02/07/2011 4:20:42 PM PST by WaterBoard
Top Photo: Shanghai in 1990.
Bottom Photo: Shanghai in 2010.
Just an interesting photo of where American wealth has gone to fund the huge building boom in China. Shanghai is the most populous city in China.
Could you provide the name and website for this business?
America that built and America of today two different animals — tiger and tapeworm.
Just goes to prove what a number of folks were saying. Who needs manufacturing when you’ve to the tech sector to employ all your workers?
Oh yes, how did those tech jobs work out for us?
We’ve got about 25% of our workers either unemployed, holding down two or three jobs to make a living, or working one job and making half what they used to.
“A funny thing happened on the corporation’s road to utopia. One might say, we took the wrong off-ramp.”
Bull puckey. Only if you give up.
Ping!
My dad’s got pics of Shanghai he took in 1945. Looks a bit different then.
I do find it a bit ironic that so many here espouse China as a model for success, when China is essentially a textbook model of market socialism.
Wages are set by the government. Tax rates that would make American’s hurl tea (46.9%). Government price controls on many raw materials and foodstuffs. Land seizures and reassignments without compensation. Total ban on all weapons ownership. Speaking against the government is heavily repressed. Strict limitations on movement within the country. The majority of the GDP generating companies are still wholly or partially state owned. The list goes on.
China is the perfect definition of market socialism. It allows a large amount of free enterprise in pre-approved areas, and has policies in place to accelerate the development of high profit industries. Some here cheer the fact that China routinely waives their own environmental and safety laws to encourage the development of these economic resources, but they’re missing the bigger picture.
To the Chinese government, the semi-private economy is simply a means to an end. It’s a money generating mechanism that is used to fund the more traditionally socialistic activities that still hold sway over most of the government.
If an attempt were made to implement the China model here, we’d have a full blown civil war on our hands. It’s NOT something that many Americans would be willing to emulate.
That said, they still have a long way to go on civil rights, but they are hardly the communist nation we once knew...more of a mix of capitalism/socialism with authoritarian leadership. Free enterprise is everywhere in China nowadays, whether Chinese or foreign owned. That's not communism.
Personally, even with China building its military, I no longer fear them as I once did. I don't believe China wants to harm their "golden goose" of America. The more Asian countries get a taste of the good life, the more they want, NORKS and majority Islam-ruled notwithstanding. Who would have believed just 15 years ago that one of China's largest growing industries would be hospitality (hotels/tourism) and gambling? The Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) has made a fortune on their properties in China, not to mention Singapore.
The real and growing danger, besides our own Fedgov and the PC Euro-weenies, comes from the current and future rogue nations once they have access to deliverable nukes (think Iran, Pakistan, and the current turmoil in the ME and Islamic countries in northern Africa). That's why it's more important than ever to keep developing our anti-missle defenses. It's not about China or even the Russian wild card, they both understand MAD. It's about the rogues who either want the political power (NORKS) or the Islamists who WANT to die for their theology. Sorry, got off topic.
I shop at Wal-Mart for the prices. I was there again today, in fact.
I remember the Dad of a kid I coached was the head of some local union, and out of the blue he went off on Wal-Mart, talking about how terrible it was for American labor, etc. America’s communists hate Wal-Mart.
Ironic, don’t you think?
On the bus, the Chinese would constantly attempt to touch my associates blue eyes. They were mesmerized by the color and would just reach out and stick their fingers in his eyes.
Most Chinese children didn't wear diapers then. Their mothers would escort them to the curb and then whistle to let the child know that it was OK to let the movement rip. Pretty disgusting, really, but when you gotta go, you gotta go. We had a lot of fun whistling on crowded buses. I'll never forget the look of terror on the faces of the mothers.
Worst Chinese food I've ever had was in Shanghai back in the late 80's.
I don’t know where you’ve been, but while you were gone America elected as its President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces an African communist named Barack Hussein Ubama.
America is now nothing more than a land mass populated by cretins and parasites who have absolutely no respect for the military and who vote for big government to confiscate money from their neighbors and “redistribute” it to them in exchange for their votes. It is not an America worth defending anymore. There’s no point hanging onto the past. America had a great run. Remember it fondly for what it was.
The parasites outnumber the hosts now, and there’s no going back. Throw some cold water in your face and figure out how to grab every government dime you possibly can before the parasites gobble it all up.
Whatever. I just live here.
Every man for himself.
FRegards,
LH
I'm going the long way. Charlotte nonstop to London (8 hours), two days in London, then nonstop to Shanghai (11+ hour flight, yikes).
If nothing else, it'll be good to visit the folks who are lending us money.
We used to be able to build like this. Environmental regs and unions have killed us. I remember reading that the Empire State Building went up in 30 days(after foundation was set). 30 freaking days and there were almost no injuries or deaths. I think it was zero deaths. Just incredible. Government is strangleling the people.
The jobs I’m working on people are getting busted by OSHA for having ladders with no stickers. On guy got a $5000. fine because his ladder had no sticker (don’t stand above this step). This is where we’ve come to.
Again, a long ways to go, but then we have our own corruption and bribes and back-door dealings right here in DC and the private sector. Not saying they are on par with us, just stating the obvious changes they've made to their system for the good. And yes, they still opine to take Taiwan once their military is strong enough, but I tend to think it's more about political gamesmanship and being the regional power. Personally, I would like to see the Indonesian Islamists try something with China and watch them get stomped.
Last thought while talking about communists heading towards capitalism - Viet Nam and Cuba with small free-enterprise reforms. But then, we're looking at Hugo in our own hemis-sphere. The tin-pots will always be around and that's why continued advances in high-tech defense is a MUST for the USA to keep our citizens from going 1,000,000 degrees. There are no excuses for the primary job of our Fedgov not to continue.
What are Chinese women like?
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