The previous US presidency started this drive to invite industry back to the country. But why was this started so late? I mean, the shit was already deep into the fan, and building a functional manufacturing industry takes a very long time. Naivism; underestimating China? Fear of confronting China?
The American tradition of the endless search for slave non-union labor, China or Korea has nothing to do with that (the decision by the American CEO).
That's true. But isn't that free market capitalism at its best: "Survival of the fittest". Or, the prize goes to those who do it cheapest, quickest and best.
Texas right now is thumping its chest because it they took 3 businesses from California. Is that so much different from Japan, South Korea, China or Mexico taking businesses from the U.S.?
The previous US presidency started this drive to invite industry back to the country. But why was this started so late? I mean, the shit was already deep into the fan, and building a functional manufacturing industry takes a very long time. Naivism; underestimating China? Fear of confronting China?
A lot of people naively thought that if we built up China’s economy and made China a rich nation, then China would naturally become a democratic country because the people would demand it. Unfortunately, as China is getting richer, the government is becoming even more authoritarian. Oops!
Except American industries didn't go to China. They went to Japan and South Korea 40-50 years ago -- THEN, in later decades, they migrated to China. But, Americans are just now catching on....
In the 80s, American car buyers were forced to buy thrift Japanese cars due to high gas prices. Detroit suffered a lot. US government coerced Japan to manufacture cars in US. The result is Japan economy stagnated since then. Their companies set up plants all over the world. Samsung also manufacturing electronics in China now. This is a global thing. China just happen to be the better place to do manufacturing. This is pure business. Unfortunately there are many people trying to use politics to influence business. And this is authoritarian.
The Japanese, Germans, and the Koreans currently make better cars in all price ranges, performance, fit and finish…My last American car was a Ford Mustang.
I would say that was true until Tesla came along. They are a serious threat to VW Group, GM, Ford and Toyota.
I would very much love to own a Tesla but I'm worried about the quality. I'm hearing that they are not very reliable. Also I'm holding out for Wireless CarPlay. So I'm thinking I will be buying one more ICE vehicle before I switch to electric. Right now I'm strongly considering the Civic Type-R.
Good plan! I was trying to keep my Honda Accord running till EVs were more common and less pricey. But, it developed some mechanical issues that my garage couldn't figure out so I was forced into buying my (hopefully) last ICE. Unfortunately, it is a Hyundai Elantra rather than a Civic Type-R (but it does have Apple CarPlay and some other cool little features like rear radar to detect cross traffic when pulling out of a parking spot.)
I do agree with most of the comments made here. But the big question is not who was to blame for the manufacturing industry moving out. Rather, I wonder why it took so long for politicians to react to reestablish it.
Because there are huge risks for any country in being so entirely dependent on a totalitarian regime; financially, medically, military etc. And this is what puts China in a whole other class than the other countries mentioned here, who are basically just business competitors.
And I don’t mean politics should necessarily interfere with business. There are other ways, such as tax advantages etc. But for the better of the country’s safety this can not just be left to the open market to solve. It requires political action, and it should have been taken a long time ago.
Now the country is losing the safety game too, on top of the business game. And the enemies of the US will definitely try to take advantage of that, because they are well aware of this trap the country is caught in. How could this have been missed for so long? And we’ve all known for ages that this is the way China goes to war. They control politics, business, market, people …all of it.
Why have we not had the political will to do what needs done to bring industry back to the U.S.?
Denial. We have never come to grips with the multiple forces that enabled countries like Japan and China to out compete us by making things better, cheaper and quicker.
And, you say: "there are huge risks for any country in being so entirely dependent on a totalitarian regime"
Actually, China has been far more reliable and dependable both in terms of its industry and its politics than the U.S. over the past 20 years. China has trod a steady, consistent, reliable path while we have been all over the map bouncing from one philosophy and direction to the next to the next. And, over the past 5 years it has only gotten worse as we have shown that our word means nothing and any agreement we make only lasts as long as our next election.
We like to fault China for being a "totalitarian state". But, it would serve us better to think of them as "Corporate China" -- because that is how they behave: like any corporation with a board of directors and CEO setting policy and direction.
And finally you say: "Now the country is losing the safety game too"
I assume you are referring to our military defeats in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. But, we can work that to our benefit: It is stupidity to pour Trillions of dollars into foreign wars that do nothing to protect this country, its people and its industries. The next thing we should question is whether we should be pouring 3/4's of Trillion dollars each year into aircraft carriers and F35s so we can intimidate others. Does that really protect us? Would it not be better spend that money rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure that our industries need to survive and prosper -- including things like improving our educational systems that feed workers to industry?
Think of it like Corporate China would: Would they squander enormous amounts of money on things that bring no benefit or safety to their country, their people or their industries -- and in fact, endanger all of it by spawning groups like ISIS?
The previous US presidency started this drive to invite industry back to the country. But why was this started so late? I mean, the shit was already deep into the fan, and building a functional manufacturing industry takes a very long time. Naivism; underestimating China? Fear of confronting China?
The American tradition of the endless search for slave non-union labor, China or Korea has nothing to do with that (the decision by the American CEO).
One could argue the "American tradition" of union labor is what drove jobs out of this country. High wages for unskilled labor making US manufacturing less competitive than Asian and even North American counterparts, leading to the likes of NAFTA and manufacturing jobs moving to Mexico and Canada.
The previous US presidency started this drive to invite industry back to the country. But why was this started so late? I mean, the shit was already deep into the fan, and building a functional manufacturing industry takes a very long time. Naivism; underestimating China? Fear of confronting China?
The American tradition of the endless search for slave non-union labor, China or Korea has nothing to do with that (the decision by the American CEO).
This is socialists politicizing economy. Truth of politics always have duality. You can use negative description. But there is also a positive description of the same thing from capitalism. The endless search to make better profits in the last several hundred years, resulted in economic growth to the present day level. Note that China suffered one hundred years since the opium war. Chinese blamed the economic looting of western nations with unequal treaties. The duality of the truth is Chinese failed to learn from the west. The western nations are economically more powerful that beat Chinese domestic industry. If China chose to learn from the west wholeheartedly since the opium war, the western nations will not stop it from doing so. Ironically what some Americans are trying to do to China seems to contradict my belief.
The previous US presidency started this drive to invite industry back to the country. But why was this started so late? I mean, the shit was already deep into the fan, and building a functional manufacturing industry takes a very long time. Naivism; underestimating China? Fear of confronting China?
The American tradition of the endless search for slave non-union labor, China or Korea has nothing to do with that (the decision by the American CEO).
One could argue the "American tradition" of union labor is what drove jobs out of this country. High wages for unskilled labor making US manufacturing less competitive than Asian and even North American counterparts, leading to the likes of NAFTA and manufacturing jobs moving to Mexico and Canada.
I think that was ONE of the reasons.
In the case of the steel industry we also had government insisting on air people could breath and water they could drink (silly government!) as well as piss poor management who poured corporate resources into side businesses like oil and drugs instead of modernizing their 100 year old mills.
One of the reasons why industry flourished here in the late 1800's & early 1900's was hardnosed, highly competitive owner operators who not only owned their businesses and fought for them (rather than for stock holders) but they owned the government too. Everything, literally everything was focused on supporting and developing those businesses -- if workers stepped out of line state & federal militias made sure they fell back into line. Even our public education system stemmed from it: immigrants would tolerate intolerable conditions because their kids were being educated so they could have a better life.
…… Now the country is losing the safety game too, on top of the business game. And the enemies of the US will definitely try to take advantage of that, because they are well aware of this trap the country is caught in. How could this have been missed for so long? And we’ve all known for ages that this is the way China goes to war. They control politics, business, market, people …all of it.
I assume you are referring to our military defeats in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan.
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Good plan!
I was trying to keep my Honda Accord running till EVs were more common and less pricey. But, it developed some mechanical issues that my garage couldn't figure out so I was forced into buying my (hopefully) last ICE. Unfortunately, it is a Hyundai Elantra rather than a Civic Type-R (but it does have Apple CarPlay and some other cool little features like rear radar to detect cross traffic when pulling out of a parking spot.)
One could argue the "American tradition" of union labor is what drove jobs out of this country. High wages for unskilled labor making US manufacturing less competitive than Asian and even North American counterparts, leading to the likes of NAFTA and manufacturing jobs moving to Mexico and Canada.
Note that China suffered one hundred years since the opium war. Chinese blamed the economic looting of western nations with unequal treaties. The duality of the truth is Chinese failed to learn from the west. The western nations are economically more powerful that beat Chinese domestic industry. If China chose to learn from the west wholeheartedly since the opium war, the western nations will not stop it from doing so. Ironically what some Americans are trying to do to China seems to contradict my belief.
https://nypost.com/2021/10/16/china-tested-nuke-capable-hypersonic-missile-in-august-report/