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Intel Co-Founder Calls For Tax On Offshored Labor
theodp writes "Intel co-founder and ex-CEO Andy Grove calls BS on the truism that moving production offshore to locations with much lower wages is a sound idea. 'Not only did we lose an untold number of jobs,' says Grove, 'we broke the chain of experience that is so important in technological evolution. As happened with batteries, abandoning today's "commodity" manufacturing can lock you out of tomorrow's emerging industry.' To rebuild its industrial commons, Grove says the US should develop a system of financial incentives, including an extra tax on the product of offshored labor. 'If the result is a trade war,' Grove advises, 'treat it like other wars — fight to win.'"
As usual, the only solution the small-minded can come up with is to tax something into oblivion
That's anti free trade and will only hurt the consumer. If USians can't compete in the open market maybe we don't deserve to have a 'chain of experience'. The only thing we need to teach our children is how to collect a government handout and shop at WalMart. Andy should be haunted by the spirit of Reagan in the church of Limbaugh.
(sorry, too much energy drink!!)
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Another baseless, rhetorical argument that meanders on to unrelated claims of purgatory. I suppose our current course of increased regulation, spending, and taxing is going to lead to some bright place?
I once took an excursion to Reddit, and later HN. Unlimited up/down voting sucks when dealing with a hive-mind.
new. You would think that US-grown rice would have a market in Japan and China - nope, it doesn't meet their standards.
U.S grown rice doesn't even meet my fucking standards.
Rice doesn't need to be grown in the US. The majority of what's produced here is grown in arid California fer chrissakes (you know, that state that's been fighting water wars for decades). And the rice that is grown invariably consists of the low-grade, generic varieties that appeal to folks accustomed to the Wonder-bread American-style cusine that grew out the 1950s, or people who otherwise don't know any better and don't care.
You can, of course, make the argument that a water-intensive crop like rice, if purchased exclusively from countries where it's traditionally grown and traditionally considered a staple, might raise the price for the locals. But that's a weak argument. Most of such countries have every incentive to restrict exports (populations are known to react badly when they can't eat), and the rest of the world should have no problem adapting to a higher-priced imported food and eating something else.
Indian tech support sucks, but Indian rice certainly doesn't. Same goes for Italian, Thai, Japanese, etc. rice. So if I can say that as an ordinary "white guy", do you really think someone who's Japanese, to use your example, wouldn't balk or laugh out loud at the idea of buying American rice?