We must not rest until our wages and our standard of living are competitive with China!

We must not rest until our wages and our standard of living are competitive with China!

 

Now if people would back up their spending with the logic of saving American jobs, it wouldn't matter. It is much easier to slink off and buy a new Sony stereo from Wal-Mart.

I don't shop at Walmart and buy American-made and locally grown whenever possible.

Walmart's Chinese made goods are only able to remain cheap because of public policy decisions. Lack of regulation on imported goods, clearly failing to deal with the Chinese currency manipulation, assist from the lack of U.S. worker rights.

I don't shop at Walmart and buy American-made and locally grown whenever possible.

 

Heh, so you don't buy much anymore eh?

Walmart's Chinese made goods are only able to remain cheap because of public policy decisions. Lack of regulation on imported goods, clearly failing to deal with the Chinese currency manipulation, assist from the lack of U.S. worker rights.

 

No it is because the public wants cheap Chinese goods.

No it is because the public wants cheap Chinese goods.

No, it's because the public wants cheap goods relative to their income level. They wouldn't care where they came from, and if their income level was higher (i.e. because of a stronger export market) then a greater variety of goods would qualify as cheap.

 

There's also the added bonus of having the taxpayer pick up the health care costs of most of walmart's employees in keeping those goods "Cheap".

They want cheap goods and then bemoan the disappearance of US manufacturing.

Heh, so you don't buy much anymore eh?

 

Quality over quantity, though sometimes its unavoidable.

They want cheap goods and then bemoan the disappearance of US manufacturing.

 

Exactly. And then pretend it is someone else's fault, such as the "government".

Exactly. And then pretend it is someone else's fault, such as the "government".

 

Trade policy plays a big role in the availability of cheap foreign goods.

Trade policy plays a big role in the availability of cheap foreign goods.

 

The public is getting the trade policy that it wants, including it not being their own damned faults.

The public is getting the trade policy that it wants, including it not being their own damned faults.

No, the public is getting the trade policy that people have convinced it to want. Very few people in the public think that shipping manufacturing jobs overseas is a good thing, but that is what our trade policy's explicit goal has been.

Quality over quantity, though sometimes its unavoidable.

 

I generally follow the same practice, but as you say, it's damn near unavoidable these days.

No, the public is getting the trade policy that people have convinced it to want. Very few people in the public think that shipping manufacturing jobs overseas is a good thing, but that is what our trade policy's explicit goal has been.

 

No, it is exactly what they want. They dollar vote for it every single day. They have had the chance to buy American for generations, and haven't done it. If you want higher wages, you have to pay for it. People aren't willing to do it. They would rather buy cheap and cost jobs.

No, it is exactly what they want. They dollar vote for it every single day. They have had the chance to buy American for generations, and haven't done it. If you want higher wages, you have to pay for it. People aren't willing to do it. They would rather buy cheap and cost jobs.

Again, why are you concluding that cheap = made overseas? This is only true if government policy makes it true.

Again, why are you concluding that cheap = made overseas? This is only true if government policy makes it true.

 

Because it is cheaper to make things overseas than in the US?

Cost of doing business overseas is laughable compared to here, regardless of the "cheap" quality.

Because it is cheaper to make things overseas than in the US?

Because of government policy choices.

Because of government policy choices.

 

Which are also exactly what the public wants. They want high wages and cheap goods.

Which are also exactly what the public wants. They want high wages and cheap goods.

But they also want jobs.

 

The policy reaction to that has been to make sure that there are fewer jobs, but a very well paid financial system.

I don't find anything disagreeable about ss2k5's "public votes against their own best interests" argument. Replace "high wages and cheap goods" with "lots and lots of spending and no taxes" and you've got California.

But they also want jobs.

 

The policy reaction to that has been to make sure that there are fewer jobs, but a very well paid financial system.

 

The public reaction has supported exactly that.

The public reaction has supported exactly that.

The public reaction also wanted the employees of AIG burned at the stake.

The public reaction has supported exactly that.

 

How much does campaign financing and media coverage influence or even overwhelm what "the public" wants, though? The debt ceiling deal certainly doesn't match what polling indicated, and I'm pretty sure there was overwhelming support for substantial financial regulation reform, investigation and prosecution.