How to keep jobs in the US from moving out....

[Chadder007]

Please list here what you would think could be done to help stop the shipping of jobs offshore and down South to Mexico.

I would like to see.....
Taxation of workers salaries of American companies of the offshored workers.
A special Tariff that applies to the products that are created outside of the US by the companies to help even out the playing field of their goods vs American made goods.
A new campaign to help energize the pride in American made goods.

 

[Chadder007]

Oh yeah....and get rid of freaking NAFTA

 

[MystikMango]

Tax breaks for companies that keep manufacturing in the USA, and tax penalties for companies that don't.

 

[dmcowen674]

All very good suggestions folks. I said a long while back that these Companies should lose their "Status" as an American Company and it should mean something to lose that status by hurting right where they are gaining the most, in the almighty bottom line. Yes, that means we will have to pay higher prices but that is a small price to pay for being self sufficient as this Country always was or should I say used to be.

 

[Strk]

Originally posted by: MystikMango
Tax breaks for companies that keep manufacturing in the USA, and tax penalties for companies that don't.

This is the only idea I can really think of that would truly be effective.(lets face it, people don't care if it's made in America, just as long as it is cheap)

 

[rahvin]

Originally posted by: Strk

Originally posted by: MystikMango
Tax breaks for companies that keep manufacturing in the USA, and tax penalties for companies that don't.

This is the only idea I can really think of that would truly be effective.(lets face it, people don't care if it's made in America, just as long as it is cheap)

Something that's already been implimented on a limited scale and It's also the basis for a WTO ruling against the US that is going to result in 4 billion in sanctions by the EU, 2 Billion by Japan and more by others if congress doesn't reverse it by the summer.

 

[mfs378]

Reduce the minimum wage to $0.17 an hour.

 

[Fencer128]

Can someone show me an example where protectionism in some form is deemed to have "worked"?

That's what all these free-trade/what shall we do arguements come down to IMHO.

Does protectionism work?

Cheers,

Andy

 

[HeroOfPellinor]

Fix the broken health insurance industry by attacking both healthcare and the insurance industry in general. Watch Worker Comp and health insurance rates plummet. This has to be a MAJOR factor since low-medium wage jobs are often in high risk positions in manufacturing.

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: mfs378
Reduce the minimum wage to $0.17 an hour.

Why does it have to be 8 cents lower than China?

 

[maluckey]

No non-taxable offshore accounts, off-shore holdings, and/or off-shore businesses would be a great start.

Refuse entry to any alien that has ever received public funds until they have proof of repayment (bankrupts local community coffers).

Caps and/or penalties to those that pursue frivolous lawsuits agains corporations.

Incentives to companies for modernization, and/or employee retraining.

Incentives to companies with education benefits that have a certain percentage of employees that have participated.

Reduction of Union wage bargaining power.

Incentives for company health care coverage.

Some of these might work, some might not, but the current system needs help, and it is best to fix it sooner than later.

 

[dirtboy]

Originally posted by: Fencer128

Does protectionism work?

Nope, but don't tell that to the "experts" here.

 

[MystikMango]

Stop having companies being run by board of directors, since they only care about the bottom line. Let Mom and Pop continue to run thier own businesses, sine they are the ones that truely care for the employees.

I work in a manufacturing environment, been here since '96. In '99 the company was changed from a sole proprietor to being run by a board of directors. In '00 the board decided to hire an outsider for the President of the company. Since that happened, the work force here went from 1200 employees in 7 different countries to 300 people in one building... big building (280,000sf) but still only one.

 

[LunarRay]

Originally posted by: dirtboy

Originally posted by: Fencer128

Does protectionism work?

Nope, but don't tell that to the "experts" here.

I think as we face the reality of emerging nation economies and the competitive advantages they hold in labor intesive production and services we will see this as a reason to erect some protectionism in the US for the consumption of our production. It seems to make sense that if we can't compete in the world market in some products or services we've either got to move on to what we hold an advantage in and let the losers die a natural death or protect those industries or a bit of both. I don't see a move to what we have advantage in easily made since there is so many emerged and emerging economies. We can't develop advantages with all the folks seeking the same result. Not likely, anyhow.
I guess 'At the end of the day' it is not good but, when an economy is in trouble there are a few ways to cure it and the one to choose is the one that does not discount the reality around us.

 

[LunarRay]

Originally posted by: dmcowen674

Originally posted by: mfs378
Reduce the minimum wage to $0.17 an hour.

Why does it have to be 8 cents lower than China?

Well.. they don't have to pay for car insurance, cars, oh... all sorts of things.. in China.. we need that extra $ or our economy will go to pot if no one can afford to buy stuff..

 

[rahvin]

Originally posted by: LunarRay

Originally posted by: dirtboy

Originally posted by: Fencer128

Does protectionism work?

Nope, but don't tell that to the "experts" here.

I think as we face the reality of emerging nation economies and the competitive advantages they hold in labor intesive production and services we will see this as a reason to erect some protectionism in the US for the consumption of our production. It seems to make sense that if we can't compete in the world market in some products or services we've either got to move on to what we hold an advantage in and let the losers die a natural death or protect those industries or a bit of both. I don't see a move to what we have advantage in easily made since there is so many emerged and emerging economies. We can't develop advantages with all the folks seeking the same result. Not likely, anyhow.
I guess 'At the end of the day' it is not good but, when an economy is in trouble there are a few ways to cure it and the one to choose is the one that does not discount the reality around us.

Smoot and Holley thought along the same lines. Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it.

 

[MystikMango]

This type of stuff isn't helping matters.

 

[athithi]

OK, so penalizing American companies by hurting their bottomline is going to make them create more jobs in the U.S - how?

There are two issues here - offshoring and outsourcing. I guess offshoring would be an American company expanding in a foreign market and moving American jobs to their branches abroad. Outsourcing is when an American company "sub-lets" work to a foreign company. I don't see how offshoring can be stopped or mitigated. Maybe make Dave President and have him throw out all Global companies from the US But, outsourcing can probably be used to America's advantage by requiring any foreign company which receives work from the US at the cost of any job lost here to invest in the US in return. That is, you cannot get outsourced projects unless you have invested in some form in the US. This would either create new jobs in the US or bring back jobs since the foreign companies will have to raise rates due to their overheads or possibly both. Why penalize American companies? Penalize the foreign companies instead

In the 70s India's Socialist Government threw out companies like IBM, Pepsi and Coca-Cola. That allowed domestic companies to come up. But with no competition, these companies remained sub-standard for a very long time. Atleast IBM and Coca-Cola were foreign companies in India. If America is going to throw out American companies that are trying to stay competitive and productive, you will be left with a bunch of no-name, fly-by-night companies. The American consumer will be held to ransom - much like Indian consumers were for much of the 70s and 80s. You think Indian Customer Support is horrible? Wait until you get American Customer Support for cents on the hour

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: athithi
OK, so penalizing American companies by hurting their bottomline is going to make them create more jobs in the U.S - how?

There are two issues here - offshoring and outsourcing. I guess offshoring would be an American company expanding in a foreign market and moving American jobs to their branches abroad. Outsourcing is when an American company "sub-lets" work to a foreign company. I don't see how offshoring can be stopped or mitigated. Maybe make Dave President and have him throw out all Global companies from the US But, outsourcing can probably be used to America's advantage by requiring any foreign company which receives work from the US at the cost of any job lost here to invest in the US in return. That is, you cannot get outsourced projects unless you have invested in some form in the US. This would either create new jobs in the US or bring back jobs since the foreign companies will have to raise rates due to their overheads or possibly both. Why penalize American companies? Penalize the foreign companies instead

In the 70s India's Socialist Government threw out companies like IBM, Pepsi and Coca-Cola. That allowed domestic companies to come up. But with no competition, these companies remained sub-standard for a very long time. Atleast IBM and Coca-Cola were foreign companies in India. If America is going to throw out American companies that are trying to stay competitive and productive, you will be left with a bunch of no-name, fly-by-night companies. The American consumer will be held to ransom - much like Indian consumers were for much of the 70s and 80s. You think Indian Customer Support is horrible? Wait until you get American Customer Support for cents on the hour

OK, who exactly would be held ransom here? Coca-Cola, Pepsi and IBM all started out as small businesses and any one of them could've been a "Fly-by-Night". If they want to be a Foreign Company now, then let em leave and good ridence, you don't think anyone in the U.S. is capable of mixing some sugar water and programming a Computer?

 

[LunarRay]

A bit OT but, I'd like to advocate boycotting brands that are foreign made and companies that out source. In an attempt toward this end I've been looking for alternative Beefy-T shirts.. I've seen that mine are made in Honduras for Hanes and wonder if anyone knows of Beefy-T type weight T shirts that are US made.. ?

Edit: I did find a unionmade site but, they only sell via stores I understand.
as well as this..
"Watch out for:
BVD, Jockey, Hanes and Fruit of the Loom tee-shirts assembled in other countries and tee shirts made or assembled in another country and t shirts assembled in the USA with imported fabric, materials and fiber."

 

[athithi]

Originally posted by: dmcowen674

Originally posted by: athithi
OK, so penalizing American companies by hurting their bottomline is going to make them create more jobs in the U.S - how?

There are two issues here - offshoring and outsourcing. I guess offshoring would be an American company expanding in a foreign market and moving American jobs to their branches abroad. Outsourcing is when an American company "sub-lets" work to a foreign company. I don't see how offshoring can be stopped or mitigated. Maybe make Dave President and have him throw out all Global companies from the US But, outsourcing can probably be used to America's advantage by requiring any foreign company which receives work from the US at the cost of any job lost here to invest in the US in return. That is, you cannot get outsourced projects unless you have invested in some form in the US. This would either create new jobs in the US or bring back jobs since the foreign companies will have to raise rates due to their overheads or possibly both. Why penalize American companies? Penalize the foreign companies instead

In the 70s India's Socialist Government threw out companies like IBM, Pepsi and Coca-Cola. That allowed domestic companies to come up. But with no competition, these companies remained sub-standard for a very long time. Atleast IBM and Coca-Cola were foreign companies in India. If America is going to throw out American companies that are trying to stay competitive and productive, you will be left with a bunch of no-name, fly-by-night companies. The American consumer will be held to ransom - much like Indian consumers were for much of the 70s and 80s. You think Indian Customer Support is horrible? Wait until you get American Customer Support for cents on the hour

OK, who exactly would be held ransom here? Coca-Cola, Pepsi and IBM all started out as small businesses and any one of them could've been a "Fly-by-Night". If they want to be a Foreign Company now, then let em leave and good ridence, you don't think anyone in the U.S. is capable of mixing some sugar water and programming a Computer?

Kick out one of the largest employers in the US to create more jobs in the US? The logic is mind-boggling. You want to replace outsourcing and offshoring with "out-corporating"? You really believe everyone in the US is capable of becoming a Bill Gates or Thomas Watson? You think if you kick out your top corporate talents to foreign countries that would make the economy better in the US? While 'The Grapes of Wrath' is my favourite book, people like you really need to read 'Atlas Shrugged'.