Item of Concern
Sep. 15th, 2004 01:17 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
Prepare your tinfoil hats for this one! I'd like to propose a concept here that hit me just now as I was reading the latest Slashdot article commentary. As most of you know, the US is going through a crisis of domestic unemployment. Despite government figures, unemployment has not been getting better and more and more jobs are being sent overseas. High-tech/IT jobs are down 18 percent (this is where I got hit.) At the same time more and more people are finding their unemployment benefits running out.
This is the tinfoil hat part. Both Democrats and Republicans are saying that they want to address this problem; the Republicans are saying that it's actually already addressed, that our economy is stronger than ever and unemployment is dropping. However, popular theory holds that both parties are 'in the pockets' of big businesses and corporations. If this is true, then isn't it possible that it is in the best interests of the reigning administration -- of whichever party it is -- that they NOT do anything about outsourcing=offshoring jobs? Cheap labor == higher profits. And US labor, especially tech labor, has been amongst the most expensive in the world.
Keep in mind I'm making no distinction between either party; I am going with the assumption that either party could and would be more mindful of corporate interests than that of the populace.
I don't know. I think it's too far-fetched to think that there's an actual active conspiracy to destroy the US workforce in favor of the Bottom Line. Would either party even let SOME offshoring go on at the request of big businesses? That's harder to say.
Anyway, Things To Keep You Up At Night. Pax!
This is the tinfoil hat part. Both Democrats and Republicans are saying that they want to address this problem; the Republicans are saying that it's actually already addressed, that our economy is stronger than ever and unemployment is dropping. However, popular theory holds that both parties are 'in the pockets' of big businesses and corporations. If this is true, then isn't it possible that it is in the best interests of the reigning administration -- of whichever party it is -- that they NOT do anything about outsourcing=offshoring jobs? Cheap labor == higher profits. And US labor, especially tech labor, has been amongst the most expensive in the world.
Keep in mind I'm making no distinction between either party; I am going with the assumption that either party could and would be more mindful of corporate interests than that of the populace.
I don't know. I think it's too far-fetched to think that there's an actual active conspiracy to destroy the US workforce in favor of the Bottom Line. Would either party even let SOME offshoring go on at the request of big businesses? That's harder to say.
Anyway, Things To Keep You Up At Night. Pax!
Conspiracy or Apathy
Date: 2004-09-15 01:43 am (UTC)Even the corporations aren't on any anti-US kick, they are just paying money to give them the most room to move they can get, and then doing whatever makes the most economic sense right then, it's how corporations have to operate.
I suppose you could call it a conspiracy of apathy and short-term thinking if you wanted.
Brett
no subject
Date: 2004-09-15 09:45 am (UTC)Then there is the effect of illegal immigration, supressing the low end wages, and hospital. See the Time Magazine this week. This theory about Immigration, for me was chilling, but shows why neither party was eager to step up border security. On the subject of the below Washington Post Editorial http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A64622-2004Sep5, Mark Kirkorian opined the following:
And because of contributions by the food processing industry that actually sends busses to the border, the Right will do nothing either.
Scott