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Culture Clash at a Chinese-Owned Plant in Ohio

nytimes.com

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Re: Culture Clash at a Chinese-Owned Plant in Ohio

#81

Post by woodruffw »

mywittyname wrote: post #80
woodruffw wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it's worth noting that there's a big gap in the perception of NAFTA (and its ilk) and their actual consequences. In terms of actual consequences NAFTA has had almost no effect on the US economy, either positive or negative: a 2003 CBO report found that it had increased the US's GDP by only a few billion dollars[1]. Different sides have presented job loss and gain in different industries over the last 20 years…

> Mexico is asymmetrically dependent upon us for trade Bingo. All other Latin American countries grew at a decent clip in the past 20 years (5-15% per annum) versus Mexico's 1-3% over the same period of time. Mexican wheat and corn industries have been decimated by American products so they've turned to high-price exports instead. At least we get cheap Mexican avocados for our toast.

Yes. Maybe I should say that these are positive statements about trade agreements, not claims that trade agreements produce good outcomes for all parties. The War on Drugs is a perfect example of how we've used our trade dominance to shape Mexico's domestic policy to the detriment of tens of thousands of their citizens (not to mention our own).

Re: Culture Clash at a Chinese-Owned Plant in Ohio

#82

Post by woodruffw »

mistermann wrote: post #76
woodruffw wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Compared to speculation as to what the economy would have been without NAFTA. Sure, but it's just that: speculation. The reality is that the economy and jobs market have both grown, with no aid or detriment from NAFTA. > Which the US didn't have before? If anything, the US is far less dominant now. In terms of our relationships with Mexico and Canada? We're 50% of Mexico's imports [1], and 54% of Canada's [2]. I ca…

> Sure, but it's just that: speculation. The reality is that the economy and jobs market have both grown, with no aid or detriment from NAFTA . No effect whatsoever, the outcome with or without NAFTA would have been identical, to the penny? How might you know this? > If this is true, then trade agreements are especially vital. Before China entered the WTO it was a 3rd world country, now it is challenging for #1 posit…

> No effect whatsoever, the outcome with or without NAFTA would have been identical, to the penny? How might you know this?

I'm saying that there's consensus that NAFTA's economic impact on the US has been minor. It might be the case that the US's GDP would have risen by 0.1% per year without NAFTA. However, at that scale, it's just a spending game. From a purely political perspective, what's more valuable: a 0.1% annual increase in GDP, or economic control over the only two countries that share your border?

Re: Culture Clash at a Chinese-Owned Plant in Ohio

#83

Post by dang »

Sunset wrote: post #63
nickpsecurity wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"and if they can why couldn't the same plant be owned and operated by Americans?" You already know the answer to that. It's why they shipped the jobs overseas in the first place. In many cases, the workers even keep voting for the kinds of people that do it. I especially found it amusing that Trump was appealing as a capitalist to workers whose jobs were lost due to capitalism like this. Many of these areas are self-…

Ah yes, all of those protectionist politicians who want to levy import taxes. Do you even listen to yourself?

We've banned this account for repeatedly violating the HN guidelines. Would you please not create accounts to do that with?

Re: Culture Clash at a Chinese-Owned Plant in Ohio

#84

Post by gozur88 »

chii wrote: post #60
mistermann wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> China sends the US an iPhone, and the US sends dollars (paper / numbers on a screen) in return. China put a lot of work into the iPhones... what did they get? They got the opportunity to buy stuff in America with dollars! This makes it sound like every dollar from the US finds it's way "back home". China has been doing a lot of investing in other places like Africa, and China. Where does that money come from? Not A…

ultimately, only place you can ultimately spend american dollars is in america. Some spent indirectly do find its way back to america, some stay out and circulate for a very long time, but imagine a scenario where america collapses (suddenly for an unknown reason). Will countries that used to take american dollars as a form of payment continue to accept it? I'd say no. Therefore, money spent by china in africa in the…

Not necessarily. There are a lot of countries in which merchants are perfectly happy to take dollars over the local currency. Over the years there are countries that completely abandoned their local currency in favor of the US dollar (e.g. Ecuador) until they could get their own currency sorted.

Re: Culture Clash at a Chinese-Owned Plant in Ohio

#85

Post by kjs3 »

duncan_bayne wrote: post #43
cbhl wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My Taiwanese parents were the sort to enter a large queue without knowing what it was for, because whatever was at the end of it was bound to be good.

Are you sure they weren't English? :)

I've always heard the queue joke about the Germans.

Re: Culture Clash at a Chinese-Owned Plant in Ohio

#86

Post by legacynl »

someguydave wrote: post #69
rhcom2 wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why are those the only two options? Why can't we continue make manufacturing safer like we have been since the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire?

Because at a certain point increasing safety regulation causes production under a regime to be less profitable than moving to another country with fewer safety rules. Regulators are usually not punished for destroying profit and are usually incentivized to choose safety over private profit.

What's the point in making profit if it gets people killed?

What do you think the ultimate goal is? More money? Better lives?

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