Obamas "birth certificate"

[Imbarrie]

You are correct, but through that whole time unemployment remained low. I am not talking about during recessions which artificially increase unemployment. In fact during the 90's, after all these industries were well established in other countries, unemployment was at it's lowest point in decades.
I know people are affected by companies moving offshore, but how much demand is there for sewing machines now? What is currently taking up the space of those manufacturing plants? Newer businesses. If Manhattan would have held on to the Singer plant they would have lasted a little longer until they had to close anyway because of sagging demand. It is the life cycle of manufacturing.
You are free to buy American, part of me likes to wear my Chuck Taylors for the same reason. But I do have a USMC sticker on my Pathfinder and my other car is an Infiniti. I proudly drive both.
I want to add that the global economy is well supported by the US. If you remove energy from the equation this country is still a net exporter.

 

[Wes]

I am sure financial jobs pay more than factory jobs, but factory workers have to eat also.
Here where I live in NY, especially in Manhattan there used to be factories all over the place. The entire west side used to be garment industry for miles. Then we had Singer sewing machines, electronic factories, Machinists and parts manufacturing for Grummen industries. Virtually all of that is gone and those buildings are lofts.
A few months ago National Geographic showed a factory in China that has 2,000 workers and all they do is manufacture artificial Christmas trees for the US. Those jobs used to be here.
Many people wake up to a clock radio made in Tunisia, get dressed in their Sri Lanka clothes, eat breakfast cereal grown in Chili, and get into a Japanese car to drive to the un-employment office and wonder why they have no job. :happysad:

I know, it's just me. But I can't help it.

And about Obama's birth certificate. I didn't vote for the guy but apparently most people did so I hope he does the right thing for the country and I will support him just because he is my President and I don't want my country falling apart. :usa1:

Problem is nobody in U.S. will be willing to work in the Christmas tree factory for those wages.

Global economy means everyone in the world is competing for jobs. If someone is willing to do the same job for less money, they get the work.

It's the price we pay for "free trade"

Americans can't just expect to keep those jobs and get payed more than everyone else in the world.

I can't open a McDonalds and pay my employees $20/hr just because it's the nice thing to do. I would get eaten alive by the competition who pays minimum wage.

The reality is that if just about anyone in the world can do my job, it's not going to pay very well.

 

[IamRobG]

Problem is nobody in U.S. will be willing to work in the Christmas tree factory for those wages.

Global economy means everyone in the world is competing for jobs. If someone is willing to do the same job for less money, they get the work.

It's the price we pay for "free trade"

Americans can't just expect to keep those jobs and get payed more than everyone else in the world.

I can't open a McDonalds and pay my employees $20/hr just because it's the nice thing to do. I would get eaten alive by the competition who pays minimum wage.

The reality is that if just about anyone in the world can do my job, it's not going to pay very well.

Wage rates aren't the only problem, you have production time as well. Look at the difference between a union and non union construction employee. The non-union man will give you twice the production for half the price. Instead of paying 90$ an hour with benefits they're getting 50$ an hour with benefits and work their a** off. I know first hand (Here comes the anger from union employees now). This is the same problem we're having overseas. You can buy american, you just have to pay the price and most larger corp. dont want to pay the price. However the wages they pay in China isn't liveable in the US, but if the rates were negotiated maybe it would be better. Why would anyone pay double for the same product if they can get it somewhere else? Manufacturing jobs in this country are no longer applicable. This isn't the industrial age anymore, its the electronic and information age. People need to understand this and adjust. Its no longer a time where a house is a good investment, its a liability its not longer a time where manufacturing jobs are booming and people are doing well again. You have your main manufacturers, auto's, steel, etc and big companies such as Kohler and GM and whoever else but thats it. The rest of the country doesn't care where we get the products from as long as we get it cheaper and don't pay the premium. Sometimes you get screwed, example the chinese drywall issue. We ran out of stock in american made drywall and sent it over seas and now its made with sulfur and rotting over 60,000 homes. As americans we need to adjust our lives and stop basing our mentality on what we're taught.