Well that is an interesting, if not completely, loony way to look at it... you aren't using the same logical system the Europeans used to build Beagle are you?:)
Well, the 4th amendment isn't really being eroded here. The fact is that Congress can pass any damn law it wants, but a law can be declared unconstitutional if it's challenged in court. So if the FBI were to use this act to search through your records and find something incriminating, you could always challenge it in court as being unconstitutional (which I think this is).
Actually it *shouldn't* be that bad... when you offshore a product a company should be able to pass the savings on to consumers. As a matter of fact, they will have to as lowering salaries will result in people being able to afford less things.
There will be a revolution in the US and the West if our salaries are lowered to third world standards. Expect to see massive protectionism.
You don't *get it* do you? The US doesn't succeed because we're "better". What a laughable concept. We succeed because we try over and over and over again, we don't get overcome by negatism and give up and get all distraught after one incident like the beagle thing. Keep trying and you'll make it. Say what you will about the US but I truly believe that on of our better strengths is our positive attitude.
As Yoda would say "and that is why you fail, young jedi".:)
Well according to the NCES, the US spends $745 billion on education. That is federal and state level expeditures, so I was wrong that it was just federal level expenditures in my estimate. The military budget for 2003 was 310 billion.
Heh, well deflation is a whole other story. To be honest I'm not sure that economists really understand deflation and what to do about it. But if it occurs we'll simply have to deal with it at that time.
The higher productivity per hour measure is in countries with double-digit (or at least higher than the US) unemployment. If Bill Gates was the only employed person in the US, our productivity would be through the roof, you know what I mean?
The United States spends the most on it's students, second only to Canada. We spend almost 3 times as much on education as we do on the military, and that's just federal expenditures (not counting state and local level spending). The truth is that the US overspends on education, with very poor results I might add.
Man, Slashdot *really* does not understand economics. When a product is outsourced, that product gets cheaper. Us Americans can now use those cheaper products to make our own products even cheaper, but with the profit staying here in the US. That is why the steel tariffs actually cost us manufacturing jobs in the long run, we had to use more expensive domestic steel, which made all of our steel more expensive in the long run.
This a much repeated misconception of how unemployment is counted in the US and it's just simply untrue. The way unemployment is calculated by the BLS is the government takes a random telephone household survey where they ask two questions: 1) Are you currently employed? 2) Have you looked for work in the past 4 weeks?. If your answer to those questions are no and yes, respectively, you are considered unemployed.
There is also a weekly unemployment benefits survey, which counts the number of people applying to receive unemployment benefits.
That's nonsense... costs *have* come down, in general. Look at Walmart and the other Big Box retailers... that's a big reason why they can afford to do what they do. Since the offshoring trend began in manufacturing prices have come down dramatically... most notably in electronics.
And what happens when a cheaper place than India is found to outsouce to (like, say, Africa)?
Mexico is now hurting badly as even those maquiladoras which were set up in the 60's are being moved to China. NAFTA has hurt Mexico and Canada more than helped it... the only winner is the US and that's debatable.
if enough companies send enough jobs to India and China, can they cause significant decreases in demand for goods and services in the US?
You're forgetting why they outsourced in the first place. When products are made abroad they can be made for cheaper, thus lowering their prices here. How do you think Walmart is able to sell a 30 dollar DVD player? They make it in China. So as goods are made cheaper and cheaper abroad (and yes, eventually another country will come along that's cheaper than India) they will get cheaper and cheaper here to buy. Thus demand will never really decrease (although profit margins may).
Slashdot Mirror
*sigh* Absolutely untrue... the US actually spends almost 3 times as much on educating each student as we do on the military.
Why is Slashdot *constantly* trying to divide it's readership up into nations and pit us against one another? Constantly they do this.
BTW, I am American and usually I object to the anti-US articles.
Do you still have death squads in Brazil?
I'll take the US anyday...
Yeah Americans are the only ones who have schadenfreude on Slashdot. Riiiiiiiiiiiight.
Well that is an interesting, if not completely, loony way to look at it... you aren't using the same logical system the Europeans used to build Beagle are you? :)
And the EU's was a complete waste of money, obviously. *grin*
I don't know why.
Maybe some banks do, but mine has no minimum balance, gets free checking, and doesn't charge for wire transfers AFAIK.
Well, the 4th amendment isn't really being eroded here. The fact is that Congress can pass any damn law it wants, but a law can be declared unconstitutional if it's challenged in court. So if the FBI were to use this act to search through your records and find something incriminating, you could always challenge it in court as being unconstitutional (which I think this is).
Offshoring will inevitably pass the savings onto software consumers. Hell the PC market has been in deflation for several years now.
Same thing for manufacturing. Wonder why you can get a 30 dollar DVD player at Walmart? Made in China.
Actually it *shouldn't* be that bad... when you offshore a product a company should be able to pass the savings on to consumers. As a matter of fact, they will have to as lowering salaries will result in people being able to afford less things.
There will be a revolution in the US and the West if our salaries are lowered to third world standards. Expect to see massive protectionism.
Why is throwing money at something considered good policy?
You don't *get it* do you? The US doesn't succeed because we're "better". What a laughable concept. We succeed because we try over and over and over again, we don't get overcome by negatism and give up and get all distraught after one incident like the beagle thing. Keep trying and you'll make it. Say what you will about the US but I truly believe that on of our better strengths is our positive attitude.
:)
As Yoda would say "and that is why you fail, young jedi".
Canada has... bombers... and... colonels? Wow.
Yep... they're called contingency plans for a reason.
That wasn't the only time.
Well according to the NCES, the US spends $745 billion on education. That is federal and state level expeditures, so I was wrong that it was just federal level expenditures in my estimate. The military budget for 2003 was 310 billion.
Heh, well deflation is a whole other story. To be honest I'm not sure that economists really understand deflation and what to do about it. But if it occurs we'll simply have to deal with it at that time.
The higher productivity per hour measure is in countries with double-digit (or at least higher than the US) unemployment. If Bill Gates was the only employed person in the US, our productivity would be through the roof, you know what I mean?
The United States spends the most on it's students, second only to Canada. We spend almost 3 times as much on education as we do on the military, and that's just federal expenditures (not counting state and local level spending). The truth is that the US overspends on education, with very poor results I might add.
Man, Slashdot *really* does not understand economics. When a product is outsourced, that product gets cheaper. Us Americans can now use those cheaper products to make our own products even cheaper, but with the profit staying here in the US. That is why the steel tariffs actually cost us manufacturing jobs in the long run, we had to use more expensive domestic steel, which made all of our steel more expensive in the long run.
This a much repeated misconception of how unemployment is counted in the US and it's just simply untrue. The way unemployment is calculated by the BLS is the government takes a random telephone household survey where they ask two questions: 1) Are you currently employed? 2) Have you looked for work in the past 4 weeks?. If your answer to those questions are no and yes, respectively, you are considered unemployed.
There is also a weekly unemployment benefits survey, which counts the number of people applying to receive unemployment benefits.
That's nonsense... costs *have* come down, in general. Look at Walmart and the other Big Box retailers... that's a big reason why they can afford to do what they do. Since the offshoring trend began in manufacturing prices have come down dramatically... most notably in electronics.
And what happens when a cheaper place than India is found to outsouce to (like, say, Africa)?
Mexico is now hurting badly as even those maquiladoras which were set up in the 60's are being moved to China. NAFTA has hurt Mexico and Canada more than helped it... the only winner is the US and that's debatable.
You're forgetting why they outsourced in the first place. When products are made abroad they can be made for cheaper, thus lowering their prices here. How do you think Walmart is able to sell a 30 dollar DVD player? They make it in China. So as goods are made cheaper and cheaper abroad (and yes, eventually another country will come along that's cheaper than India) they will get cheaper and cheaper here to buy. Thus demand will never really decrease (although profit margins may).