Posted on 12/14/2012 5:42:22 AM PST by Kaslin
The author says this, “If they could move factories out of the U.S.A., they would be free of union demands, wage-and-hour laws, occupational health and safety laws, environmental laws and civil rights law. By outsourcing, they could produce for a fraction of the cost of doing so in the U.S.A.” Then the author concludes this, “Unions are dying because, in America, economic patriotism is dead.”
Having been an employee in companies that moved overseas or simply shut down, I can tell you it had nothing to do with economic patriotism. It had to do with strangulating regulations, EPA inspectors from the city, county, state and federal government who can show up and shut you down instantly. It has to do with the IRS, which can and did (illegally) threaten to shut companies down if they didn’t (fill-in-the-blank). It had to do with the fact that the government will supply a lawyer and encourages employees to sue their employer. (A lawyer told me, “I don’t care if somebody is lying to me. If they’re one of the protected classes I’ll take the case because the government is paying the bill. The company knows that and I can force a settlement.)
That’s why we’re becoming an economic basket case. Not because unions have fallen or economic patriotism is dead.
"Economic patriotism" is a nonsensical concept. People aren't going to buy crap just because it was made locally. Detroit's auto industry killed itself by thinking it could get away with making crap and coasting on its reputation. No one is under any obligation to buy inferior products out of loyalty - that violates the whole ethic of capitalism to begin with.
Eliminate entire Departments. Many of which were created beyond any reasonable interpretation of the Constitution. And instead of “contributing” they are totally destructive to the nation and hugely expensive.
All these epitaphs for the unions are a tad premature IMHO.
They are a massive GOTV operation for the Democrats. Not to mention a huge funding mechanism. The deck is about to be restacked heavily in their favor. Obama owes them, bigtime. Card check, thru the back door or over the transom, is coming. Soon.
This is just the best news. If unions are so great for workers, they shouldn’t need big nasty goons beating up people to protest the new law.
Hey, Pat.
Do you consider the communionists to be patriotic? You know, those same thugs that try to shut up the dissenting voice with a sucker punch to the mouth? You know, those same thugs that contribute so heavily to Obammie the Commie and the DNC machine that hates the free market, capitalism, small business, entrepreneurialism? You know, those same thugs that strike in order to extort pay and benefits their employers cannot afford, thus destroying their employers and their jobs? You know, those same socialist-/communist-minded folks who, in making and effecting these demands, forces their neighbor, the consumer to pay for those demands? You know, those same thugs that teach in our government-run schools and brainwash our children with anti-American lies and fill their heads with sugar-plum visions of a Socialist Utopia? You know, those same tyrants in the EPA who put such punitive and unnecessary regulations on manufacturing that businesses are forced to relocate in other countries just to survive? You know, those same socialists in the legislature that have exacted such confiscatory taxation on employers that they are forced to relocate in other countries just to survive?
You see, Pat, it really is fairly simple The unions and other assorted leftists are what is destroying manufacturing and jobs in the country. We wouldn’t need all the protections that you keep espousing if we would get rid of the anti-American, anti-business, anti-right-to-work employee policies are the root cause of that which you lament.
Indeed. See my post #9.
“No one is under any obligation to buy inferior products out of loyalty - that violates the whole ethic of capitalism to begin with.”
Well, starting in 18 days, there will just be an obligation to buy an inferior product called Obamacare. And that also violates the whole ethic of Capitalism.
-——the mortal blow to American unions came from globalization-——
This is the money phrase. This is the fact many here refuse to believe or to accept as reality. Even the author of the article doesn’t really get it.
While Buy America may be dead and there is no economic patriotism there are other stronger forces. Patriotism does not really apply in market operation. Competition is the driving force. The author fails to consider the wills and desires of the global business world that has millions of extremely capable have nots intent om becoming haves.
For those not involved in the day by day operation of the global business world it is difficult to see how well it functions. It is now to the point where for any given transaction, an e mail chain may develop involving participants from multiple companies in many many widely separated locations getting the product delivered or solving a problem that crops up.
Last May I crossed the width of America on the Butterfield trail. It was the route of the first US Mail contract to deliver mail from the coasts. It was all about communications. It was in large part, in California, the instrument of the Wells Fargo Co. Being both a bank and a freight company, Wells Fargo had the ability to influence communications and thus transcontinental trade.
The globalization presently underway and growing is similar. communications, instant 24 hour continuous communications, coupled with a tremendously pent up desire to improve life, has led to fantastic global trade. The same traits and tendencies that drove the growth and development of America are now at work on a global scale.
The American and even more threatened the European unions are being tossed aside by the people of the world wanting a better life. The competition is intense. The unions can’t stand the onslaught and death is their fate.
America will continue to thrive by innovating and increasingly becoming competitive. Unions and businesses that do not throw off the old ways and actively engage in the competitive fray will die.
Either change or die
To work, the Economic Patriotism concept needs to be supported by ALL THREE PARTIES in the manufacturing sector; Labor, Management and the Consumer. As unions demanded more and more for less and less, Management quite rightly started to see they were economically doomed unless something changed, and they turned to outsourcing. That didnt happen out of some greedy malevolence; it happened because American labor costs were far too high.
The funny thing about all of this is that we are on the cusp of a manufacturing revolution that will change EVERYTHING. Its already happening. Automation has already caused some companies to reverse outsourcing - they need far fewer workers so suddenly international shipping has become their largest price concern.
The next level will come with 3-D printing; a lot of cheap low-level manufacturing (plastic forks for example) is about to become a print-on-demand commodity; people will have their own printers to make what they need, or will be able to do to the local Print Shop to print up a bag of forks. When that really takes hold, much of the 'plastic crap' outsourcing will come to an end - why ship a container of cups from Indonesia when I can print them locally and save the shipping cost and inconvenience?
Great post. The union bosses have apparently decided that if they are doomed to die, they are going to take the rest of us with them. We are nearing the endgame - the US economy is far weaker than is being reported and one Black Swan event could break it permanently.
Unions are dying because, in America, some brave politicians/citizens are standing up to FORCE by TOTALITARIAN/socialist collectives. Next stop...BIG GOVERNMENT. BIG GOVERNMENT IS CRONY SOCIALISM.
Wake up, Pat. Pat, wake up.
———when I can print them locally——
How about “when I can print them at home”
There is a long article in the current Forbes about a printer company producing a machine for $2,200 that has an online library of 10,000 down loadable things. The object is down loaded to the printer and produced. The library is open source and can be added to by posters putting up their effort for all.
After Christmas, in the winter doldrums, I think I will study the piece and the various web libraries and maybe buy to play with. I might even get rich by selling my replications on ebay!
Star Trek was prescient....... the day of the replicator, the personal replicator is here.
Which issue exactly?
I looked at the Forbes website but couldn’t find it.
It turns out to be in a Forbes Special Edition....... Get Rich From Obama .....Investment Guide 2013. In the Technology, Manufacturing section. The article is titled Infinite Factory by Hank Greenberg. it is the most recent edition I have.
This is a recent companion article with a video. The article referenced above concerned the company Makerbot but I can’t find it on line. The online library is caled thingaverse and actually contains 25,000 objects to make on the Makerbot replicators
Thanks. I’ll look for it in the bookstore this weekend.
bump
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