More bad news for the American worker...

[ken_behrendt]

I saw an interesting segment on a cable news show earlier today. Apparently, 60% of America's "Fortune 500" companies are now setting up facilities in Bangalore, India because they plan on "out sourcing" ever increasingly more American jobs to that country in the coming years. The reason? It can cut their costs by up to 50% due to the much lower labor costs in India. So, now it appears that the ongoing collapse of the US's industrial base that has ravaged blue collar workers will soon be impacting the upper middle class white collar workers as more and more jobs involving computers, medicine, engineering, etc. take flight from our country. I am wondering just long the American people will put up with this before they rise up and say "NO MORE!"?


ken

[winkle]

this America will rise up when it's time to go get in line at the soup kitchen

[albente]

Not the lines at the soup kitchens but the lines at the gas stations will do it . Americans in particular are sensitive to anything car related as the personal vehicle also strongly symbolizes personal freedom. Imagine how the individual reacts if some reality comes along telling that he or she cannot drive anywhere at any time upon free will!

[John Collins]

Companies in the UK have been outsourcing call centres for some time, but I was amazed the other day, having just moved my ISP to another company to save money, to discover that my call to the support desk of my ISP was answerd in broken English by a guy in the Philippines! He guided me to solving my problem from half way across the world. The service was OK I suppose, but I found it difficult to understand him and I wonder how many jobs here were lost here in the UK, due to the outsourcing.

John Collins

[AgingYoung]

Rita was a good example of needing gas and not having it or wanting to hit the road and not being able to because of the incredible traffic jam. When Americans are lined up at soup kitchens (as in the great depression) it's going to be a little too late.

America will never go thru a great depression again. In those days people would wander and work for food. These days people will kill you for your food. If the economic structure of America collapses I think the rest of the world will follow suit. I can't imagine the American economy collapsing and it not effecting the rest of the world.

The US has the largest and most technologically powerful economy in the world, with a per capita GDP of $41,800.

...with 40 percent of industrialized-world GDP, 50 percent of total world defense spending, 60 percent of the total world growth rate, 70 percent of tradable world financial wealth, and 80 percent of world military R&D, etc...

The International Economy, Spring, 2003 by Criton Zoakos. I was looking for more current stats.

Gene

[albente]

deleted by albente

[AgingYoung]

albente,
You actually missed the point. During the Great Depression it was an orderly affair. As another example there was a blackout in New York city some time ago and people mostly went about their business. During the last black out there were riots in the streets.

I am curious how an economic power like America could go thru a depression and not effect the rest of the world. How do you suppose that might be?

Gene

[albente]

Sorry that I might come over a bit crude, but after two years one PeakOil.com I look for a forum that is less agressive than the on I just mentioned.
See me as someone who just came from the war zone looking for a sofa.

[AgingYoung]

That's quite alright, albente. If you want to make a point yet feel a need to be crude about it I'll over look the crudeness and see the point. You may have been groping for sphincter in your earlier post.

I still have the question and I'll throw it out there for anyone: How is it possible for America to crash and the rest of the world not be affected?

This probably should be posted at ossama's msg to America but I'll post it here. There are two Egyptian authors that cited a passage in Revelation supporting their 'proof' that their Messiah will come. They cited the passage of the rider on the white horse. There are two different riders on white horses in Revelation. They cited Rev 6:2 And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer. That's the first horseman of the apocalypse. I had to laugh at that.

Gene

[winkle]

[quote="AgingYoung"]When Americans are lined up at soup kitchens (as in the great depression) it's going to be a little too late.[quote]


when i clicked the submit button to send that soup kitchen statement i expected the whole board to jump down my throat with both feet

what happened

can it be passible i am not alone in thinking this

[ken_behrendt]

Gene wrote:

I still have the question and I'll throw it out there for anyone: How is it possible for America to crash and the rest of the world not be affected?

Actually, I'm a bit surprised that the American economy has not already collapsed!

We are already the largest debtor nation on Earth and every dime currently being spent on the "war" against terrorism is borrowed money. Heaven help us if the Chinese suddenly stop buying all of those Treasury Bonds our government is currently mass producing.

With the industrial power of this world slowly, but inevitably, shifting over to China and India, I see the real potential for the USA to experience a slow slide into Third World economic status in the next decade or so. While this is happening, the rest of the world will be slowly adjusting to the new reality. How will the citizens of the USA react? As in most such situations there will be shock followed by anger and blame fixing. By then it will, of course, be too late to avoid total collapse. The time to work on the problem was about twenty years ago! But, since backwards time travel seems to be prohibited by the laws of physics, then maybe we should start working on it now. To do this, however, will not be too popular with the populace. It will call for an extended period of austerity that will test the stamina of us all.

I think it would be a mistake to assume that such a collapse of a global super power can not happen. A day even came at the end of the 5th century when the western half of the then thousand year old Roman Empire finally "fell". A thousand years later, the remaining eastern half joined the collapse!


ken

[pstroud]

Guys,

I think we/America are on freight train to Great Depression #2. All of our jobs are leaving the country, both blue and white collar jobs. The lower paying service / building jobs are all taken by cheap foreigners invading our country illegally. Our kids will have no where to work. Our trade deficit is the greatest in history and if it were not for foreigners buying government bonds at a rate of 50+ billion/month, we would already be broke.

However, our past saviors / foreigners are waking up and shifting their trade earnings (from our deficit) into gold and the euro. The dollar is slowly falling, commodity prices are rising fast. We continue to borrow money from our kids futures to implement democracy in our enemies countries so they can voluntarily vote in more enemies for us to face.

GOLD, the index of all time is slowly revealing our future to come with its steady increase. Yes, America will see another Great Depression and yes, many other countries will fall and suffer with it. Yes, our American family and work values have fallen and people will kill for food instead of working to feed their children.

Our American governments, both Republican and Democratic are just as corrupt as all others and politicians are only looking our for their best interest.

Our last hope for saving America was Ross Perrot and his time has come and gone. I think of him daily because his predictions have come true, just as he said they would occur. I continue to see this daily and unfortunately assist with that vacuum sound of jobs being sucked away into other countries. With each monthly bill I pay, I can only wonder where my kids will find jobs in America to pay their bills.

(I deleted my paragraph on politicians to prevent offending my audience)

Good luck to all Americans and your kids!
Preston.

[AgingYoung]

Gene wrote:

I still have the question and I'll throw it out there for anyone: How is it possible for America to crash and the rest of the world not be affected?

Actually, I'm a bit surprised that the American economy has not already collapsed!Didn't you read the stats I quoted earlier ...one that sticks in my mind is that America is 40% of the world's economy.

We are already the largest debtor nation on Earth and every dime currently being spent on the "war" against terrorism is borrowed money. Heaven help us if the Chinese suddenly stop buying all of those Treasury Bonds our government is currently mass producing.Heaven help the chinese (and the rest of the world that has our debt) if the American economy collapses. Where do you suppose they're going to get the return of their principal?

I think it would be a mistake to assume that such a collapse of a global super power can not happen. A day even came at the end of the 5th century when the western half of the then thousand year old Roman Empire finally "fell". A thousand years later, the remaining eastern half joined the collapse!My position isn't that America's economy can't collapse. Collapse implies sudden. My question is how can the rest of the world escape the effects of that. Rome wasn't built in a day nor did it fall in a day.


ken

Gene

[trevie]

This small funny Cartoon relates to outsourcing, It stars - Foamy the Squirrel.

http://www.illwillpress.com/tech.html

[james kelly]

There is certainly some well written thoughts here in this thread. I am afraid that very few Americans take any of these things seriously, but I am assuring you that it will be much worse than you think. jim kelly