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Trump will kill CHIPS Act by gutting NIST employees

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Re: Trump will kill CHIPS Act by gutting NIST employees

#31
post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

i often wonder about this. because if you look at Big Law, investment banking, or private equity, there are a lot of highly-educated Americans who are willing to work as hard as anyone on earth. so it's got to be something about TSMC's recruiting pipeline, or perhaps what motivations the Americans who get educated for the skills they need have, rather than specifically American laziness.

It's very simple: the pay at TSMC is shit by American tech standards and Americans capable of doing the job generally have much better-paying options. Paying US-competitive salaries would basically double TSMC's labor cost.

Yeah, this is just simple principles: Garbage in, garbage out. If you're only offering little more pay than an entry level fast food worker, your quality and productivity will match that.

The real theme of the post-08 crash is "no one wants to pay americans anymore". And it's only been spreading from industry to industry as the billionaires figure out how to cut american labor but benefit from american consumerism.

Re: Trump will kill CHIPS Act by gutting NIST employees

#33

I don’t get the doom and gloom, isn’t this just taking us back to before the CHIPS act, 2022? Weren’t we fine then?

In the sense that Ukraine was fine in 2021, sure. Ignoring years of threats from Russia.

Taiwan is the Ukraine of Asia right now. And even without that we are worse off because Trump increased tariffs to Taiwan this month. expect any electronics you buy this year to surge in pricing.

Re: Trump will kill CHIPS Act by gutting NIST employees

#34

I don’t get the doom and gloom, isn’t this just taking us back to before the CHIPS act, 2022? Weren’t we fine then?

We’re fine until China invades Taiwan and the tech companies that prop up our economy can’t buy high-end chips anymore.

Agreed. This is nothing to worry about unless you have the ability to predict probable future events.

Re: Trump will kill CHIPS Act by gutting NIST employees

#35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That has not ever been true in the history of governments. Even when John Smith's version of laissez-faire was at its most influential

Many governments do things that are economically inefficient, for example imposing tariffs to protect industries.

And they also

- subsidize farmers so consumers have cheaper groceriess

- help fund public schools so education is less limited by socioeconomic status

- fund science to advance the future

- offer tax credits to encourage adopting environentally-friendly technology

- apply taxes to disincenivize bad habits (e.g. tobacco)

So I'm not sure where you're coming at with this angle. That's government's greatest effect on society.

> imposing tariffs to protect industries.

Trump is doing it wrong and recklessly, so no disagreement in reality

But there are smart tactics for this short term inefficiency that can cause long term competitiveness. You can apply a high tarriff if you trust that domestic competition can catch up in a few years so you don't lose your own market to overseas competition. Long term, encouraging domestic stimulation is much better and more reliable than relying on foreign products for consumption. Especially essentials.

Re: Trump will kill CHIPS Act by gutting NIST employees

#36
post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We’re fine until China invades Taiwan and the tech companies that prop up our economy can’t buy high-end chips anymore.

Agreed. This is nothing to worry about unless you have the ability to predict probable future events.

[flagged]

Re: Trump will kill CHIPS Act by gutting NIST employees

#37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Taiwan is not China. It has been colonized by many Asian cultures over the century.

the administration we address is an exiled government, and population, of China and its still in the name. nice try.

That’s my exact point. The population isn’t all Chinese or considers themselves China. Taipei itself is divided into Japanese, Korean, and Chinese areas all with a distinct culture. There is also an evolving Taiwanese culture. The government is the Republic of China and is a completely different government. It broke away because it does not consider itself China or invest in those values. The island and nation are Taiwan. It is a complex situation for sure, but Taiwan is not China. Once you leave Customs/Immigration at a port you will not see China mentioned anywhere.

Bad try.

Re: Trump will kill CHIPS Act by gutting NIST employees

#38
post #12

Fully expected, surprised it took this long. IIRC, the funds went to mostly red states. So MAGA people, happy your guy came through for you again ?

he did say this day one. And despite feelinig like eternity, we're only entering week 5. This would be considered "fast" by any other administraion. But yes. I remember when Americans used to care about politicians creating American jobs as a populist stance. Those days feel like decades ago now with people celebrating the literal slashing of government jobs (who surprise, is the biggest US employer).

Most Americans care about creating American jobs in the private sector not about growing the government by creating more government jobs. More Americans are employed by industry and small businesses (as it should be) than by government.

Why would you think there needs to be one giant employer instead of a healthy market of many?

Stats:

The Bureau of Labor and Statistics puts the total number of Americans employed by government (at any level, federal, state, local, or military) at roughly 23 million, as of Feb 2025. At the same time, private businesses employ roughly 132 million Americans, vastly outstripping the employment of the government.

This is what you want. More teachers than administrators. More private employment than tax-supported services. We need government. We need good and effective bureaucrats, even. But we should always be cautious about the economic friction that increases in the government sector usually cause.

Re: Trump will kill CHIPS Act by gutting NIST employees

#40

I don’t get the doom and gloom, isn’t this just taking us back to before the CHIPS act, 2022? Weren’t we fine then?

We’re fine until China invades Taiwan and the tech companies that prop up our economy can’t buy high-end chips anymore.

What if we simply do not let China invade Taiwan?
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