Quote:
Originally Posted by Vjo
Yep. Their killing us. They are the new Superpower for this century.
Notice noone in the US disagrees with one word I said. This is what guys are talking about. We all know there is no real money to be made for the avg guy.
Sure the military industrial complex is making money and certain industries are making money but the masses cant earn a good living and raise a family on most jobs.
You say it has always been tough and only the best survive or rise above? True but when your foundation continues to crumble and the common man is hurting, crime gets worse, upkeep on homes gets worse.. a million things get worse.
So it is getting to the point when it will affect us all. And I am already ready. If I told you what my monthly nut was you would shit.  Super low.
Thing is, it is getting progressivly worse as time goes on. |
China has a ways to go before they become a superpower. They have plenty of problems and obstacles to overcome.
It's true they have just edged us out of the top position as manufacturer, but you need to look at what they manufacture and why it is that they do and we don't.
(Note: The United States was the world's largest manufacturer, with a 2007 industrial output of US$2.69 trillion. In 2008, its manufacturing output was greater than that of the manufacturing output of China, India, and Brazil combined, despite manufacturing being a very small portion of the entire US economy as compared to most other countries. source)
They are good for manufacturing t-shirts, tennis shoes, widgets and certain components and we are happy to export Dollars in return for importing those manufactured goods. OTOH, they don't excel at manufacturing aerospace, agricultural and construction machinery, communications, chemicals, etc.
It really comes down to per capita GDP. When their per capita GDP rises to 1st world standards, they will be looking to outsource "lower" manufacturing as well. In fact, it is already happening to a slight extent as they are beginning to tap other Asian countries for this.
So where does this leave the dislocated US workers and what should they look to?
Well, evolving technologies and comparative advantage will always cause abrupt changes in economies. If you are low skilled worker, you need to acquire higher skills. If you are in a job that performs purely repetitive tasks (autoworkers on factory lines) which are subject to being replaced by robotics, you need a new skill.
If you are a white-collar worker and perform "middle-man" functions, you are also in deep trouble in the new economy. Taking inventory and bean counting by humans will be a thing of the past. If you are a stock broker, but really just an order taker, you have already been kicked to the curb by online platforms. White-collar workers that fall into these type of categories will either need to find some "value-add" to incorporate or find themselves unemployable.
A lot of this is going to be made or broken based on education, and the US is not doing a great job there. But I think that is what will be required for blue-collar and white-collar workers to succeed in the new economy.
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