"Service Sector" for the most part = Euphenism for Shit Jobs

[ASusilovic]

Quote from ByLoSellHi:



The only thing that has kept consumer spending alive and well for the last 5 years, as the true backbone of our economy (high tech and high skilled manufacturing) was being gutted was rising property values and the extension of seemingly infinite consumer credit to anyone with a pulse.

Now that the residential property boom has reversed course, look for the amount of defaults on mortgage debt and consumer debt to keep rising at an accelerating pace.

May I cite FED´s Fisher on this issue :

" An excess of savings around the world is helping the U.S. to spend more than it earns. To cover the deficit, ``we have to remain a magnet for that surplus capital.''

Financial markets recycle ``what we pay out to make purchases abroad back into our economy in the form of investments that make us still richer and stronger,'' he said.

Fisher, responding to a question, said he doesn't expect the U.S. personal savings rate to stay negative ``for long.'' The savings rate as a percentage of disposable income fell to minus 0.5 percent last year, the Commerce Department said Jan. 30, the first negative figure since the Great Depression.

 

[Pa(b)st Prime]

A TON of jobs are outsourced to the U.S. The Japanese autoworker who used to build Camry's in Yokohama (or wherever ) has seen his job outsourced to the U.S.

Who the fuck cares if a call center is out sourced? Are we concerned about losing a generation of reservation clerks?

Do you pay up on your commissions or out of benevolence do you pay an extra quarter freakin' penny a share so that your firm can OVER PAY secretaries and compliance officers? Doubtful.

It's the American CONSUMER who slit the throat of many high paid U.S. jobs. It's the American consumer who goes to 50 auto dealers skimming deals but then pays $75 to see a major league baseball game. Thus we have $19 an hour Maxima builders and $25mil a year athletes.

So no bub, it's YOU who thinks he's more privileged than the masses. It's YOU who thinks "I'm American and I should chop wood for $20 an hour while a Chinese builds computers for $20 a month."

It's the Left who're the old school exploiters of third world resources while providing NOTHING in return. Face it: you favor economic apartheid. You wish China was still dirt roads with folks starving in rice patties. All so some bloated unionized fuck can make in one week what 50 people over there could live on.

My "world" extends beyond the closed factory in Asbury Park.

Quote from Hydroblunt:

Excuse me? The people behind offshoring are still having problems justifying the numbers behind the individual initivatives. The only way money is saved is by a serious decrease in quality. It's a hell of a racket, because you have people whose bonuses and jobs depend on the offshoring trend and you can bet your @$$ that they will lie and cheat to get it done.

But that's besides the point, because how in the world can you claim that offshoring benefits USA on the economic front. It means people without a job. It means whole towns and cities having their economies destroyed and thrown into a sh*thole.

I don't get why you are so happy to watch this country go down the toilet. Or even if you are not happy to see this, why do you support it so much. Maybe you get a kick out of being more privilieged than the masses, and that's fine, to each his own. But maybe you should consider that at a boiling point, you will be labeled the enemy by the underprivilieged.

 

[ByLoSellHi]

Hey Pabst - what will you say when (or if, if you prefer) China, with its undemocratic and totalitarian government, possesses military parity with the United States (or passes us), threatens U.S. strategic interests, and no longer relies on American consumers to grow its economy?

Will this be good for our children in the U.S. when (or if, if you prefer) this day comes?

 

[Pa(b)st Prime]

Quote from ByLoSellHi:

Hey Pabst - what will you say when (or if, if you prefer) China, with its undemocratic and totalitarian government, possesses military parity with the United States (or passes us), threatens U.S. strategic interests, and no longer relies on American consumers to grow its economy?

Will this be good for our children in the U.S. when (or if, if you prefer) this day comes?

I think China could be a big problem when the inevitable trade war comes down.

It is what it is.

One things clear. There's more American's who want to buy a $9 pair of shoes (as opposed to the 1930's when shoes were a weeks wages) than American's who want to manufacture cheap shoes.

 

[risktaker]

Jack up interest rates to prevent stupid people from buying so much imported garbage on credit.

Introduce other incentives to SAVE and not just measure the size of the fucking economy by how much is CONSUMED! Today's metrics in terms of the health of the economy emphasize CONSUMPTION up the wazoo.

Perhaps even penalize asshole employers who move their plants overseas to save a buck no matter at what cost. Make them share the burden not just the savings!

Educate the population about the problems of beings a "throw away" society. It may cost less in the short term but the long term effects of so many resources being used up will be immense.

FYI: Europeans, for example produce a LOT less trash when comparing household vs. household.

Quit this bullshit promotion crap of SAVE!SAVE! at retail stores when all people are doing is shopping till they drop.

Maybe a HIGH value-added-tax on merchandise (maybe not groceries) to curb so much unnecessary consumption.

I'm sure many of these measures would get the country on the right track in no time!

What's with the craze about owning a McMansion nowadays? A big house really benefits just about nobody. More resources used, bigger loan/more borrowing increasing interest rates. More crap to import in order to fill it with cute Asian junk. Put some damn penalty on that too (like getting rid of the interest deduction).

Quote from Cesko:

So what would you do in order to save those jobs??? Please tell me what's the solution?

 

[ByLoSellHi]

Quote from Pa(b)st Prime:

I think China could be a big problem when the inevitable trade war comes down.

It is what it is.

One things clear. There's more American's who want to buy a $9 pair of shoes (as opposed to the 1930's when shoes were a weeks wages) than American's who want to manufacture cheap shoes.

I'm not talking trade war - I'm speaking of war.

Do we, as a nation, have a strategic vision that encompasses the possibility, maybe even inevitability, that if the status quo of U.S. economic policy stays intact, China may likely exceed our military capability?

 

[Pa(b)st Prime]

No I'm speaking of military action caused by protectionism.

What other impetus would there be?

Oh, "they don't like our freedoms".....lol.

Quote from ByLoSellHi:

I'm not talking trade war - I'm speaking of war.

Do we, as a nation, have a strategic vision that encompasses the possibility, maybe even inevitability, that if the status quo of U.S. economic policy stays intact, China may likely exceed our military capability?

 

[clacy]

Quote from SiSePuede!:

Funny thing is I was going to post that the single dumbest thing the government does is put a low cap on the amount of specialized work visas they hand out every year. I didn't but you mentioned it. They run out of them in 1(fucking) day...that's crazy. The demand far outpaces supply. You can read about Sweden, Norway, Korea, etc. all moving ahead in areas ranging from architecture to stem cell research and that's the fault of the government...whether due to limiting stem cell research or not letting in all the world's brilliant minds who may want to come in. It's very sad I think. New York is a bastion of foreigners from all over the world who excel in what they do, why not let more of the best in? It's fucking stupid.

Are you fucking kidding me? People who worked at a GM plant for 30 years can't just jog over to the community college, learn about web design, and get a job. Are you kidding? Even if that 50 something did retrain(yeah right), who would hire him?!!?

And if you think our education system is better than those in Europe you might be a little insane. Private education might be great, but that's private education. I can tell you that most foreigners(from Europe and many other countries to boot) know more about American history than American kids. That's the sad truth...so if you think the US offers the world's best free education you might want to actually talk to some foreigners.

-----

I agree with most of what you are saying. As for the our educational system, it is a freaking nightmare. It will change in the future because it has to. Also, we will put a higher emphasis on highly skilled workers in the coming years. If you listen to Newt Gingrich, he talks about these issues and has a vision for correcting them.

I'm not sure if he will end up running in 08 or even if he is electable, but I sure do like the way he doesn't just point out problems, but also has introduces solutions.

 

[ByLoSellHi]

Quote from Pa(b)st Prime:

No I'm speaking of military action caused by protectionism.

What other impetus would there be?

Oh, "they don't like our freedoms".....lol.

I can think of a few - Taiwan, natural resources such as oil, a strategic alliance with Russia, an overall confidence that they won't be told who they can and can't share advanced military technology with.

Those are just appetizers.

Are you saying China and the U.S. have aligned interests, long term?

 

[ByLoSellHi]

On the issue of education, we need to set up compounds in the U.S. where children begin formal education at the age of 4, and literally live on school campus from the age of 7 forward.

They can have weekends off only if they obtain the highest benchmark scores in science, math and reading comprehension.

Teachers who obtain excellent results will be paid large bonuses. Those that don't will be penalized.

A militaristic approach to education is the only way to foster competitiveness with foreign nations, because of the fact that the U.S. is so large and non-homogeneous, and because so many parents have no control or concern over the welfare of their children in the U.S.

The education of our youth is a matter of national security and should be treated as such.