[gooseCile]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisf...lobalrecession


One aspect of "American exceptionalism" was always economic. US workers, so the story went, enjoyed a rising level of real wages that afforded their families a rising standard of living.

Then everything changed. Real wages stopped rising, as US capitalists redirected their investments to produce and employ abroad, while replacing millions of workers in the US with computers. The US women's liberation moved millions of US adult women to seek paid employment. US capitalism no longer faced a shortage of labour.

US employers took advantage of the changed situation: they stopped raising wages. When basic labour scarcity became labour excess, not only real wages, but eventually benefits, too, would stop rising. Over the last 30 years, the vast majority of US workers have, in fact, gotten poorer, when you sum up flat real wages, reduced benefits (pensions, medical insurance, etc), reduced public services and raised tax burdens. In economic terms, American "exceptionalism" began to die in the 1970s.

__________________________________________________ ___________________________

Unions, taxes, regulations and the nature of globalism itself is destined to leave us with seas of the unemployed or under employed.

The cumulative effect of this is beyond simple economics... Where unemployment, inflation and the like are merely "political problems"

Well, those "political" problems are going to BECOME the problem. We can't have a fifth of the nation unemployed in perpetuity.

They either need jobs or I truly believe we're going to begin slouching towards a European style socialist model.

Hungry people and 20 something kids with 250K in debt and no prospects won't just die on principle... They're going to start making demands. They are going to expect opportunity.

If they don't get it, look for major changes.... Globalist rhetoric won't satisfy them.

[carfAball]

WE NEED TO MAKE THINGS IN THIS COUNTRY.

LOW SKILLS HAVE ALWAYS COMMANDED LOW WAGES, AND THAT WILL NEVER CHANGE.

LOW WAGES.... WITH OPPORTUNITY TO ACQUIRE MORE SKILLS AND HIGHER PAY.... BEATS UNEMPLOYMENT ANYTIME.


A GOOD MAN WON'T BE PUSHING A BROOM FOR LONG IN A HEALTHY, DIVERSE ECONOMY.

A SLACKER WILL SPEND HIS LIFE PUSHING A BROOM AND BITCHING ABOUT HOW UNFAIR LIFE IS.

[GentlieGant]

LOW WAGES.... WITH OPPORTUNITY TO ACQUIRE MORE SKILLS AND HIGHER PAY.... BEATS UNEMPLOYMENT ANYTIME.

That's exactly how I feel about it.. and I look at Europe and see something that's now so irreversible, I never want it to take root here.

I don't like this at all. I think we're making a huge mistake.

I'd much rather have some guy working and paying his own way than depending on the state.

I am really, really worried about the political and social ramifications of all these people with nothing to do.

[Colorostikse]

Another frightening trend.. Elites (Thomas Friedman is one of the most vocal supporters) are beginning to look at China's growth and see MERIT in the centrally planned model.

Which makes a certain kind of sense. Perfect central planning would be.. Perfect.

But we can't have that kind of "capitalism" here without sacrificing our democratic status.

Guys like Tom are, therefore, beginning to harp about how freedom isn't that important.. because, ZOMG! LOOK AT THE GROWTH!

And they tell themselves that, given complete control, they could probably do even better.. Because they're such geniuses, don't you know!

It's scary.. I don't like any of this.

[Evoncalabbalo]

CHINA IS SUCCESSFUL TO THE CONSIDERABLE EXTENT THAT CENTRAL PLANNING HAS BEEN RELAXED.

[Kingerix]

AMERICA IS FAILING TO THE CONSIDERABLE EXTENT THAT CENTRAL PLANNING HAS BEEN, AND IS BEING, EXTENDED.

[kKFB1BxX]

EUROPE IS A ROTTING PILE OF SHIT.... RIPE FOR TAKE-OVER.

[Sheelldaw]

If I accept the premise that globalism is a bad thing, then the only recourse is to either have massive wealth redistribution or to have massive tariffs and penalties.

I find both of those "solutions" unpalatable.

[Thomaswhitee]

Tariffs funded this nation since the founding... There's nothing fundamentally wrong with a tariff.

What we're doing is handing immense prowess and a ton of cash to a third world country, and undercutting our own.

They steal technology, manipulate their currency, proliferate weapons, bully our allies, bully us, manipulate their markets and compete with us for resources.... While we will get to deal with the political fallout from 20% unemployment and a collapsing middle class.


We can't have this many people idle for long. We are going to start slouching towards a European style socialist model if something doesn't change.

Economists have made many good arguments here, but all ignore the political reality of disenfranchising so many Americans. People who used to be able to go out and work and pay their own way. Save for retirement and generally stay off the government tit.

This is a terrible mistake and it will take decades for the damage we've done to be fully realized.

Worse still, many American "thinkers" (Like Tom Friedman) are beginning to see merit in the centrally planned model... They want to emulate it here, even at the cost of what little (in practical terms) "democracy" we still enjoy.

This will not end well.