Outsourcing has screwed us. By 'us' I mean western industrialised nations with high standards of living.
I'm not too sure on exactly what happened when, its been an insidious process we've barely noticed happen.
What has happened?
Work and jobs have been allowed to drain away to low cost centres where people are poorer, ethical standards are lower and workplace rules non-existent by comparison with the unionised west.
Corporations have been able to move production abroad without hindrance or having to face the total cost of doing so. With free trade there are no barriers. Their only duties are to their shareholders, not the country at large (and why should they be?)
We are in a period when the labour has already gone and we are competing to teach the Chinese to take our engineering jobs from us - which is insane. So many engineering companies are sending their designs to China to be picked over and copied soon we will have no intellectual property left.
One company I worked for used to sell parts to a Chinese company, we sold 10,000, then 1,000, then 100. We called up to ask when they would next order - 'Its OK, we worked out how to make them - thankyou'.
A company who was trying to sell parts into Chinese power stations was told they would need to supply all design details, manufacturing drawings, material specifications etc and explain the function to a committee at a university. They didn't go through with that.
The company I am in now runs a program to send engineers from here for two year stints to train the Chinese engineers to do our jobs. Are we dumb or what? The standard of their work is not that high, but its getting rapidly better.
What are the effects?
Western 'industrialised' nations don't make anything any more, many highly trained and skilled people are now on the dole.
Other countries have invested incredible amounts in plant and equipment, giving their businesses interest free 'loans'.
I've seen the pictures of plant tours in China, we can never hope to compete again.
Students don't bother to study engineering or science (not as many at least).
Whats the point? There is no industry to work in, what ithere is is rapidly spiralling out of existence, competing with China etc the wages just aren't there.
Its far easier to be an estate agent, or graphic artist than something which requires a close technical understanding of what you're doing.
As we don't make anything we don't need to understand it. Goods are so cheap they are disposable so we don't even need to know how to fix them.
My iPod works fine, why should I pay attention in Physics? I'll listen to the iPod instead thanks. If it breaks I'll buy another.
Soon we will have a generation who can barely change the batteries in their remote.
Without science training people don't learn basic critical thought and the necessity of getting things right.
Philosophy and essays are at the end of the day a load of yak and opinion. If you get it wrong so what?
They just don't stretch the brain in the same way or instil the same discipline as say calculus or relativity, there literally is no 'acid test' for 'gender studies' or other such crap. Any answer is the right answer.
Outsourcing is almost solely responsible for the expansion of the asian economies, increases in living standards and increased levels of consumption.
Huge amounts of money have flowed out of the West and into asia. They can now afford cars, refrigerators, leisure flights etc, and to buy up large parts of the west. Tata Motors now own Jaguar and Land Rover - the mind boggles.
As the West goes into recession, driven by our desire for goods but aversion to paying for them, the East will continue to expand. Its reached its critical mass and no longer needs us. Internal consumption and economic expansion will keep them going.
Now they are competing with us for natural resources, which we have already half depleted like oil, and we truly are in deep trouble.
How did we miss this exactly?
I'm not too sure on exactly what happened when, its been an insidious process we've barely noticed happen.
What has happened?
Work and jobs have been allowed to drain away to low cost centres where people are poorer, ethical standards are lower and workplace rules non-existent by comparison with the unionised west.
Corporations have been able to move production abroad without hindrance or having to face the total cost of doing so. With free trade there are no barriers. Their only duties are to their shareholders, not the country at large (and why should they be?)
We are in a period when the labour has already gone and we are competing to teach the Chinese to take our engineering jobs from us - which is insane. So many engineering companies are sending their designs to China to be picked over and copied soon we will have no intellectual property left.
One company I worked for used to sell parts to a Chinese company, we sold 10,000, then 1,000, then 100. We called up to ask when they would next order - 'Its OK, we worked out how to make them - thankyou'.
A company who was trying to sell parts into Chinese power stations was told they would need to supply all design details, manufacturing drawings, material specifications etc and explain the function to a committee at a university. They didn't go through with that.
The company I am in now runs a program to send engineers from here for two year stints to train the Chinese engineers to do our jobs. Are we dumb or what? The standard of their work is not that high, but its getting rapidly better.
What are the effects?
Western 'industrialised' nations don't make anything any more, many highly trained and skilled people are now on the dole.
Other countries have invested incredible amounts in plant and equipment, giving their businesses interest free 'loans'.
I've seen the pictures of plant tours in China, we can never hope to compete again.
Students don't bother to study engineering or science (not as many at least).
Whats the point? There is no industry to work in, what ithere is is rapidly spiralling out of existence, competing with China etc the wages just aren't there.
Its far easier to be an estate agent, or graphic artist than something which requires a close technical understanding of what you're doing.
As we don't make anything we don't need to understand it. Goods are so cheap they are disposable so we don't even need to know how to fix them.
My iPod works fine, why should I pay attention in Physics? I'll listen to the iPod instead thanks. If it breaks I'll buy another.
Soon we will have a generation who can barely change the batteries in their remote.
Without science training people don't learn basic critical thought and the necessity of getting things right.
Philosophy and essays are at the end of the day a load of yak and opinion. If you get it wrong so what?
They just don't stretch the brain in the same way or instil the same discipline as say calculus or relativity, there literally is no 'acid test' for 'gender studies' or other such crap. Any answer is the right answer.
Outsourcing is almost solely responsible for the expansion of the asian economies, increases in living standards and increased levels of consumption.
Huge amounts of money have flowed out of the West and into asia. They can now afford cars, refrigerators, leisure flights etc, and to buy up large parts of the west. Tata Motors now own Jaguar and Land Rover - the mind boggles.
As the West goes into recession, driven by our desire for goods but aversion to paying for them, the East will continue to expand. Its reached its critical mass and no longer needs us. Internal consumption and economic expansion will keep them going.
Now they are competing with us for natural resources, which we have already half depleted like oil, and we truly are in deep trouble.
How did we miss this exactly?
Fuck Israel
