'The whole landscape has changed. They kept telling us we were wasting our time, and now it has really caught fire all over the world' — George Mitchell, father of fracking
U.S. Manufacturing costs are almost as low as China’s
21–30 of 172 posts
Re: U.S. Manufacturing costs are almost as low as China’s
#22Earlier quoted context omitted.
What are you exactly suggesting everyone do? He could pay them $0/hr by not giving them the jobs. You're not offering any constructive feedback while criticizing from your pedestal of inaction. I assume you used a throwaway because you didn't want to attribute that to your personal identity. Billions of Chinese were lifted from poverty by American globalization, granted at the detriment of American jobs. However it f…
I am neither US nor chinese but I know that 3$/h is not a rate I wish anyone these days. Anywhere. Simple, eh?
China is technically communist right? Shouldn't they be being taken care of by the state anyways?
edit: This is an honest question.
Re: U.S. Manufacturing costs are almost as low as China’s
#23Earlier quoted context omitted.
What are you exactly suggesting everyone do? He could pay them $0/hr by not giving them the jobs. You're not offering any constructive feedback while criticizing from your pedestal of inaction. I assume you used a throwaway because you didn't want to attribute that to your personal identity. Billions of Chinese were lifted from poverty by American globalization, granted at the detriment of American jobs. However it f…
I am neither US nor chinese but I know that 3$/h is not a rate I wish anyone these days. Anywhere. Simple, eh?
You're not answering the question. What would you have him do?
Re: U.S. Manufacturing costs are almost as low as China’s
#24Earlier quoted context omitted.
What are you exactly suggesting everyone do? He could pay them $0/hr by not giving them the jobs. You're not offering any constructive feedback while criticizing from your pedestal of inaction. I assume you used a throwaway because you didn't want to attribute that to your personal identity. Billions of Chinese were lifted from poverty by American globalization, granted at the detriment of American jobs. However it f…
I am neither US nor chinese but I know that 3$/h is not a rate I wish anyone these days. Anywhere. Simple, eh?
No, it's not simple at all. You might not wish that anyone make $3 an hour, but neither do you have the ability to provide everyone in the world with jobs that pay more than $3 an hour. The argument from classical economics is not that low wages are good in themselves, but that the best system is where wages are set by the market, and wealth redistribution is done by the government and private charity.
Re: U.S. Manufacturing costs are almost as low as China’s
#25Earlier quoted context omitted.
What are you exactly suggesting everyone do? He could pay them $0/hr by not giving them the jobs. You're not offering any constructive feedback while criticizing from your pedestal of inaction. I assume you used a throwaway because you didn't want to attribute that to your personal identity. Billions of Chinese were lifted from poverty by American globalization, granted at the detriment of American jobs. However it f…
I am neither US nor chinese but I know that 3$/h is not a rate I wish anyone these days. Anywhere. Simple, eh?
Hey, while we're wishing, for my part I wish that everyone made $1B/hr! (After accounting for inflationary effects, of course.) Private jets for everyone!
But back in real life, while $3/hr may not be a lot compared to what some folks make, it's $3/hr more than someone making $0/hr makes, and it's triple what someone making $1/hr makes, and indeed a full 50% raise for anyone making $2/hr.
If I could wave a wand and give everyone who currently makes 0, 1 or 2/hr the skill set and the opportunity to suddenly make $3/hr, I'd be happy to do it. And the billions of people (hundreds of millions maybe?) who suddenly got (in their terms) a huge raise would be pretty happy about it too.
Re: U.S. Manufacturing costs are almost as low as China’s
#26As oil and gas prices in the US reach parity with China, China remains relevant only where labor costs are a factor. As manufacturing becomes increasingly automated, Chinese factory workers (and indeed most of the world's unskilled workers) will become unemployed. That is a double edged sword....it will be great for businesses until enough people are unemployed that only a small percentage of the population can afford to buy the goods they are producing.
Re: U.S. Manufacturing costs are almost as low as China’s
#27Sadly this doesn't address the reason I import from China and not from the USA - where the product is likely to be of better quality - the cost of shipping.
I just recently had to cancel a large order from our first USA wholesaler when we discovered that the cost to ship via DHL or FedEx would cost 500% more than the value of the items themselves.
This maybe a New Zealand problem but often shipping from China is free despite the distances being the same
Re: U.S. Manufacturing costs are almost as low as China’s
#28Earlier quoted context omitted.
And you feel pride? Seriously, 3$/h? Assumming that a large junk goes to the shop owner, that's not a lot to make each month.
What are you exactly suggesting everyone do? He could pay them $0/hr by not giving them the jobs. You're not offering any constructive feedback while criticizing from your pedestal of inaction. I assume you used a throwaway because you didn't want to attribute that to your personal identity. Billions of Chinese were lifted from poverty by American globalization, granted at the detriment of American jobs. However it f…
I agree with him. In this case, American entrepreneurs are abusing Chinese people. It's a human rights issue.
It's an issue that China has been criticized for a very long time over.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/12/world/asia/man-details-ris...
or even
http://www.wsj.com/articles/chinas-tech-factories-turn-to-st...
This isn't a "well suck it up because at least you're getting paid /something/" issue. Chinese workers can still be beneficial to their country and the world while making a decent wage and without being abused.
Re: U.S. Manufacturing costs are almost as low as China’s
#29There are always two camps of people in this debate. One camp says the medical expense and overhead dealing with regulations and union are too costly to operate manufacturing entirely in the US. There is another camp that says the cost operating oversea (training staff, relocating senior staff oversea, legal and book keeping management) is close to operating in the US. Fact is many companies are now moving away from…
Unions have been in a 40 year decline in the US. You can easily avoid union labor, if that's your preference, by selectively choosing what state you set up manufacturing in.
Re: U.S. Manufacturing costs are almost as low as China’s
#30Well maybe for energy-intensive industries like aluminium. It's never going to be cheaper for things like electronics though - all the components are manufactured in China so why ship components to America and assemble them there when you can assemble in China for less and ship finished products?