Zenith's demise.

[Einar72]

Originally Posted by bgadow

There has to be a middle ground somewhere. They will continue to work like slaves no matter what we do & at this point there is no turning back. The only way to keep the cheap imports out would be some amazingly high tariffs, and since trade is a 2-way street other US industries would suffer. (agriculture in particular) There just has to be some common sense. We might all want $24/hour and full benefits but the competition gets 24 cents and hour and a bowl of rice. What is better, $12/hour and working or $0/hour and living on the street?

It's hard to have a middle ground under a chasm. We are a nation hopelessly divided. Take your pick - by politics, religion, economic (or even employment) status. Let me use this example: We are so admiring (as we should be) of those who serve in the Armed Forces, especially in times of war, but when they return and go back to work at GM or Ford, we slam them as lazy, overpaid Union goons, just like they were our enemies or some such rot.

Just read the book Megatrends or any book on offshoring and you can see how bad it really is. Most new manufactured goods are never even considered producable in the U.S. As I said earlier in this thread, sheer greed drives the wheels of our economy today, but without the once-necessary requirement of domestic production, it seems ever so much more bald-faced.

I'm lucky to have found work in electronic manufacturing, because the rules now are so different. A company today is often just ideas, management, distribution and a pretty face at the front desk. The rest is handled by outsourcing firms, sometimes locally or nationally, but more often than not, offshore. What's really ironic is how I am working doing PCBA production for companies that I either used to work for or were located nearby.