What Fruits Will Reduced R&D Bear For The U.S.?

lucabrasi999 writes "Here's an interesting commentary from Mike Tarsala at CBS.Marketwatch.com regarding R&D spending by U.S. companies as it compares to overseas firms. It compares today's US tech firms to the Big Three Automakers of the 70's, while saying the overseas tech firms are similar to the Toyotas and Hondas of the 70's. In other words, US Tech firms are about to be taught a lesson in global capitalism. I think Mike is 100% correct. What do you think?"

Comments

I disagree

[miTTio]

I whole-heartedly disagree. We need more R+D effort...that way, I can get a raise!

What Fruits Will Reduced R&D Bear For The U.S.

[stratjakt]

Probably not enormous, mutant, cybernetically-enhanced mega-fruit that dominate the landscape and roam the earth as the megafauna of a new age.

Nope. Not without research dollars. Just plain old boring apples and oranges and crap.

I told Bush not to lower the "Research" Slider

[Illserve]

At only 500 test tubes per turn, we'll have to start stealing techs from the Psilons to keep pace.

What a newb.

Save the superior H-1B!

[humblepie]

"Instead of sending future tech wealth abroad, we need to open our doors to more top foreign scientists. We're sending H-1B visa holders home with pink slips and a basket of skills they learned from U.S. companies. We should be giving the brightest of them research fellowships working for the Department Homeland Security."

The good old USA just doesn't have bright scientists available in this downturn to award research fellowships in the Department of Homeland Security. So, let's bring in H-1B scientists, that will be employed at taxpayer expense. Americans can eat cake.

Re:We'll probably definitely suffer in areas of...

[gilesjuk]

UK research in this area is conservative as well.

If you want to talk about stem cells, cloning etc.. look at Italy. They'll do anything to give a granny another child :)

Re:I'm fine with it

[stratjakt]

I disagree.

Your computer would be smaller, prettier looking (and decidedly effeminate), would use less power, but have about half the horsepower of it's american counterparts.

But, Apple has already done that.

Re:The fruits are simple...

[greenrom]

Someone will then patent a "patent trial" and then put an end to it all.

No way. There's too much prior art.

Whoops!

[Greyfox]

I call Goodwin's Law! You lose!

Re:Yep

[rusty spoon]

...and this vision will be seen only whilst wearing our rose tinted spectactles.

Re:US Now = UK before

[garyok]

By the 1960's, the premier UK businesses were service oriented - advertising, finance, etc. They had lost all real edge in "goods" manufacture.

Or there weren't the margins in it. As long as someone's building something they'll need someone to help them sell it. And you keep your fingernails clean. While you can't make a living taking in each other's laundry, you can make a living taking in everybody else's laundry.

Once the empire dissolved in the 1950's a serious decline began.

The empire wasn't "dissolved". It was broken up because it's asset value (to the USian bankers holding its markers) exceeded its total worth.

The British Empire generally ran at a loss. What it did provide was secure access to markets, and this allowed the new British industrial manufacturers to distribute their goods further and with greater efficiency than their competitors in Europe. What's really changed is that, after the war, almost all industrialised countries in the world now have access to secure transportation links for their manufactured goods.

Industrial innovation + only secure markets = distinct competetive advantage

The playing field's been levelled is all, leading to a lower profile UK on the global stage. We're doing pretty OK, in general. We have more cell phones per capita than you luddite USians. And here's the real hallmark of civilisation: we don't pay for incoming calls.