Monday, May 28, 2007
Rebuttal
Oh so because it's made in Texas somehow makes it more American? I don't really think so. I think that all of these foriegn car companies have a plan. I think that the whole purpose of putting them here in the first place was to give people a warm fuzzy feeling about buying them. You say to yourself, well gee they make these Honda's in Alabama so they are just as American as a Ford right? WRONG! What do you think is going to happen to all of those plants once Toyota has killed off Ford and Chevy for good? Do you think Honda will still need to keep paying workers in Ohio twice as much as they pay workers in Osaka? You know sometimes the enemy doesn't come in waving the flags of war. Sometimes they come in waving the flags of peace and good intentions. Ten years from now everyone will be wondering what the hell happened, and how come we can't buy any domestic made products at all anymore. Wondering why there is no steel industry left, why there is no plastic industry left, and why suddenly there is nowhere for Mr. Blue Collar Worker Man to collect a paycheck from.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
"Oh so because it's made in Texas somehow makes it more American?"
Well, yes. American workers are the ones getting paid here and American governments are collecting tax revenues.
"What do you think is going to happen to all of those plants once Toyota has killed off Ford and Chevy for good?"
They're going to keep getting made here. You'll notice that both plants are located in regions of the country with low land prices and lower costs of living, thus making it cheaper.
"Do you think Honda will still need to keep paying workers in Ohio twice as much as they pay workers in Osaka?"
Wages are about the same in Japan and the United States. It was true in the past that you could build something cheaper in Japan than in the United States, but not anymore.
"Wondering why there is no steel industry left,"
With all due respect sir, there is no American mass steel industry left. The American steel industry collapsed in the '80s. These days, steel is made in India and China. That's why American industrial centers like Detroit, Youngstown, and Gary are all depressed and Pittsburgh has refocused onto computer technology.
"and why suddenly there is nowhere for Mr. Blue Collar Worker Man to collect a paycheck from."
Mr. Blue Collar Worker Man is already an endangered species. Anyone who stakes their future on getting a manufacturing job these days is doomed. The key to economic survival these days is really education or skilled labor.
"Oh so because it's made in Texas somehow makes it more American?"
Yeah, it does. It employs a lot of American workers, puts money in their pockets, and tax revenues, directly or indirectly in local, state, and federal coffers.
"What do you think is going to happen to all of those plants once Toyota has killed off Ford and Chevy for good?"
They're probably going to stay Alabama because politicians are going to maintain import quotas and tax incentives to build plants there.
"Do you think Honda will still need to keep paying workers in Ohio twice as much as they pay workers in Osaka?"
Wages in the United States and Japan are about the same, so that wouldn't be it. If anything, they may move manufacturing to China or India. But that's nothing unique to Japanese firms or foreign firms in general; they're going to manufacture wherever the labor is cheapest. All companies, including American ones, are like that.
"You know sometimes the enemy doesn't come in waving the flags of war. Sometimes they come in waving the flags of peace and good intentions."
Come on, don't be paranoid. Firms, by their very nature, have no real, lasting loyalty to nations. With the exception of firms owned either wholly by governments or ones where governments make up a majority of shareholders, like Gazprom, firms don't act on behalf of governments for the sake of simple nationalism.
"Ten years from now everyone will be wondering what the hell happened, and how come we can't buy any domestic made products at all anymore."
I can barely buy anything built in America as it is. American manufacturing has been dying ever since the 70s simply because it's cheaper to build stuff elsewhere.
"Wondering why there is no steel industry left,"
Aside from some niche firms, there is no steel left. That industry died in the '80s.
"why suddenly there is nowhere for Mr. Blue Collar Worker Man to collect a paycheck from."
That's not sudden. With the exception of skilled labor like plumbers, auto mechanics, and machists, blue collar work has been dying in this country since the '70s. Manufacturing has moved abroad as foreign workers have increased productivity, allowing labor costs to go down and thus actually lowering prices of consumer goods.
Mr. Blue Collar Worker Man is already dying. Anyone who graduates from high school and enters the work force without post-secondary education or real skills is doomed. The days of prospering as an unskilled laborer or semi-skilled laborer are long gone. These days, you need to get an education and/or skills to avoid flipping burgers/serving coffee/some other crappy job that pays crap.
But once all that happens, it might be easier for us to make mission...
SSG K
Post a Comment