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I know what you mean…but I think what’s been happening is inevitable, given the growing population, the rapid advances in technology and the flat world that comes with it. Its completely changed how businesses have to operate to be successful.
I agree that the standard of living is steadily going down, and this is especially evident in high cost of living areas like mine. 30 years ago most people could afford to buy the median priced house in this area, but right now only about 10% of the people can. And even for the ones who can, a much larger proportion of their income is devoted to paying the mortgage than in the past.
I don’t think it’s inevitable. I’m studying economics as a major and it always irritates me when textbooks talk about anything having to do a “global village.” There’s really no such things, and there is no excuse to ruin one’s own economy by opening it to cheaper, lower quality things from outside. The economic principal of Nachfrage and Angebot (demand and sellers willing to sell – I don’t know what the English terms are) works just as well within a nation; the platform doesn’t have to be the world. I don’t believe there’s any excuse for all this outsourcing.
I have a very different view on this. I think that the main goal of most companies is to make a profit and to survive — so they’ll do whatever it takes to reduce costs as much as possible and to remain competitive. Whichever companies don’t do that will probably go out of business. And technology’s made all kinds of outsourcing highly effective as a cost cutting measure. If the government prohibited outsourcing (in its various forms), then it would be putting its nation’s companies at a disadvantage, as long as other nations allowed outsourcing. That’s why I think the current trend is inevitable.
Semiconductor companies are a good example of what I mentioned. Every single one uses various forms of outsourcing, such as building manufacturing plants in Asia, partnering with foreign companies, or having IT support in India. Any company that didn’t do that wouldn’t be able to survive, because they’d be at a severe competitive disadvantage.
So I don’t necessarily think that outsourcing is good, because a lot of it isn’t. But I do think that this is a trend that’s going to continue.
I agree it’s going to continue. No doubt about that, since everybody is doing it and everybody wants to be a global player. The point I was trying to make is that it would be better for the every national economy and employees if the national companies settled for a a little less profit and instead secured the buyers a decent income. Some things can only be made in one place – like Swiss chocolate – but semiconductors could just as well be made in the States and the States would be a big enough market for a decent profit.
Basically what I’m trying to say is I’m against globalism. 😆 It’s not human. People were made to operate on a human level. When something goes global its not human anymore and it doesn’t care about its employees, just about – as you said – a max profit.Aha — you’re a radical! 😛 I agree with a lot of what you said, but globalism does have its good points too. For one, look at how fast technology is advancing, because everyone is sharing ideas — and the developments from that increase the quality of life for a lot of people.
But I also wish that things weren’t so impersonal nowadays. Companies have no loyalty to their employees, and vice versa. Its all about money. And people are so busy working that it seems like there’s not much time for anything else. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to live in one of these small towns that I hear about, where everyone knows everyone else, and neighbors are actually friends, instead of just casual acquaintances. And I wonder what it would be like to have a relaxed pace of life, instead of constantly working like crazy….
Well, but “working like crazy” nowadays means putting in 8 or ten hour days five or six hours a day at most, usually.
Just think about a few hundred years ago, when nearly everybody had to work from sunrise to sun down every single day of the week, all year round, with no vacations.
Ok.. I had started typing here and I was up to about 10 pages, and no one wants to read that much. GB when I get the new chat server running you and I can sit down one day and fire thoughts back and forth.
mimitrek wrote:I agree with a lot of what you said, but globalism does have its good points too. For one, look at how fast technology is advancing, because everyone is sharing ideas — and the developments from that increase the quality of life for a lot of people.
Yes but in essence what globalism is doing is taking higher quality standards of living, like the US, and lowering it to match a middle ground- so while China is doing GREAT for themselves and their standards of living are increasing we, in essence, are stooping to THEIR level which is several levels lower than what we are at now. Say they are a 1 and we are a 10- globalism is going to help them to make level 5 (good for them) and decrease us to level 5 (bad for us who are used to living at a 10). The previous good economies aare going to suffer intensely all in teh name of cheaper labor and higher profit- so 10% of the execs of the world are going to be BANKING while the middle class becomes poverty stricken.
I SO agree with you, Cheryl! 😀 I couldn’t have said it better myself. And Mimi, you’re not the first one to call me radical. 😉 But some folks have really gotten uptight with my views, so now I’m rather more careful about stating them without knowing my counterpart better. But I see we’ve got even more in common than Windstones, so voilà !
Hey, and Snap, I’ll be happy to fire away when you’re ready. But I thought you didn’t like politics? 🙂Well, I don’t, I try to keep discussions of financial and economic factors away from politics, but I guess you can’t since one ultimately drives the other and vice versa.
Unngh.. can we wait until my taxes are done and I’m not sick of economic factors.. lol
I thought we were waiting for the new chat server? But hey, you’re the one holding the plug, after all…
😀 I’m looking into those options today, something that is simple enough for everyone to understand and use.
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