24 Signs That All Of America Is Becoming Just Like Detroit

Quote from Rearden Metal:

Let’s say I need to build a factory and pick a location for it. Well, if I place my factory on U.S. soil I need to worry about B.S. sexual harassment lawsuits, other B.S. lawsuits (I slipped and fell and my coffee was too hot, so I’m suing for $50 mil in damages). I need to worry about the EEOC and/or Jesse Jackson barging in my doors and shaking me down over a ‘lack of sufficient diversity in the workforce’. I need to worry about the EPA shutting me down because I’m supposedly not doing enough to protect the habitat of the white-shelled river slug. I've also got stacks of needless regulatory red-tape paperwork to deal with, and must hire an army of lawyers & bureaucrats to handle it.

If I open my factory in China or Indonesia I don’t have to worry about any of these needless hassles- I can just build the factory and get the work done. America has become uncompetitive due to too much interference from sleazy lawyers and even sleazier government regulators interfering with the natural flow of business, and Atlas is shrugging. I blame these factors far more than any union.

Let's not forget the huge medical insurance costs which can be like $1,000 per month per employee, and that is if they are single. If they are married with children, it can be $2,000 per month per employee. Plus many companies offer dental insurance, prescription plan, vision plan, 401k, matching, and profit sharing, or a pension plan. Companies have to match what employees pay in social security taxes, which is 7.65% of an employees' pay, and pay federal unemployment compensation taxes, state unemployment compensation taxes, and workers compensation. Plus the employees want tons of paid vacation and holiday time. They complain about their boss all day, spend half the day surfing the web, and gossip about other workers.

If workers in the U.S. worked without any benefits or paid vacation time, then we have a remote chance of bringing jobs back to the U.S., and I emphasize remote. Even then, I don't think it will happen.

Once manufacturing in Asia becomes too expensive, which it probably will one day, next stop is Africa, where you can find workers for $2 per day. How in the world can western countries compete with that?
 
Vinny, I'm not arguing with you, I'm just asking a question:

If rich worker compensation is such a huge problem, how come Germany still has such a strong and growing industrial base while we are in free-fall?
 
Quote from CaptainObvious:

All true, and add the slave wages into the mix, there's no reason to do business in America. We simply cannot compete on any level. Without some great new technological revolution on the horizon, one that most everyone can participate in, we're done. Stick a fork in the U.S.

And thus the conversation turns to... drumroll.... Trading Financial Futures!! As long as we are riding this dinosaur culture run by women and children all the way down might as well make some $ and enjoy the ride!! When the drug cartels finally do take over the overt leadership we might have to pay them or make peace with them somehow but whatever, that's in the future somewhere!
 
Quote from Rearden Metal:

Vinny, I'm not arguing with you, I'm just asking a question:

If rich worker compensation is such a huge problem, how come Germany still has such a strong and growing industrial base while we are in free-fall?

I'm not arguing. I'm just saying that it's very expensive to have an employee in the U.S.

As far as Germany goes, I guess the country fears riots from the people and perhaps the CEOs care about the well being of their own people.
 
The saving grace for the US will be the growing middle classes in the developing countries. Once they get a taste of the good life they will demand a higher standard of living, which will make the playing field more equal. Before then however, things will get a whole lot worse as a powerful collapse of our financial system and economy is not far off. There are many parallels to the Wiemar Era in Germany which will lead to the rise of a dictator/strongman who rallies the hungry masses.

Rennick Volker out:cool:
 
Quote from Hello:

There in lies the rub......

I writing you a citiation for mixing your metaphors. I know its more fun that shooting monkeys in a barrel but its got to stop.
 
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