The middle class is being 'hollowed out'

The middle class is being 'hollowed out'

www.cnn.com

Technology and globalization are putting the jobs of millions in America's middle class at risk, says analyst Fareed Zakaria.

(visit the link for the full news article)

 
He goes on to talk about education and how tedious factory jobs are never coming back... Get ready to be an intellectual or be poor...

What kind of work do you do, and is it able to be outsourced or automated?

What are your thoughts on this situation? Have geeks really taken over completely?





www.cnn.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

reply to post by HunkaHunka


Well, we can reverse the trend simply by imposing FAIR TRADE Tariffs.

So, why have workers rights and environmental laws here in the US if multi-national corporations are allowed to simply off-shore to another country with no rights, little or no environmental regulations and STILL sell it here?

Can you say stupid? Import FAIR TRADE Tariffs are and always have been the answer.

reply to post by infolurker


blacklistednews.com... rade-Policies-Can-Answer-/11118/0/13/13/Y/M.html

I challenge you to answer the following 10 questions about our globalized economy. Please answer these questions and tell me why I am wrong….

#1 How can trade be considered “fair” when other major exporting nations openly manipulate their currencies, provide massive subsidies for their national industries and erect massive tariffs against many U.S. goods while we allow them to wipe out many of our domestic industries by flooding our shores with endless amounts of cheap products?

#2 How is it possible that it is good for American workers to be merged into a global labor pool where they must compete for jobs with workers on the other side of the globe that make less than ten percent of what an average American worker makes?

#3 As millions of manufacturing jobs continue to flow to where “labor is cheaper”, can you please explain how in the world we are going to provide nearly enough jobs for blue collar American workers?

#4 If there are not nearly enough jobs for everyone, then millions upon millions of Americans will not be able to take care of themselves. We simply are not going to let them starve to death in the streets. Already, over 41 million Americans are on food stamps. One way or another we are going to pay to take care of American workers. Either we are going to give them jobs or we are going to give them welfare. Are you willing to have your taxes raised substantially to pay for all of the welfare cases that “free trade” is creating?

#5 As U.S. workers are merged into the new global labor pool, can you please explain how wages will not be forced down and the standard of living for average, hard-working Americans will not diminish substantially?

#6 How can any conservative ever justify trading with a nation (China) that has a “one-child policy” and that has mobile abortion vans driving around the country to enforce this mandate?

#7 How can any liberal ever justify trading with a nation (China) that is rapidly becoming an environmental wasteland and where millions of people work in horrific conditions for what is essentially slave labor pay?

#8 The House National Security Oversight Subcommittee recently heard stunning testimony from a number of experts that told them that the rapid decline of manufacturing in the United States has resulted in America losing its edge in numerous industries that are absolutely vital to national security. How is it possible that putting our national security in such peril is a “good thing”?

#9 The United States spends 40 to 50 billion more on goods and services from the rest of the world each month than they spend on goods and services from us. That means that the United States is becoming 40 to 50 billion dollars poorer each and every month. How is that good for the U.S. economy?

#10 Over the past few decades, the communist Chinese have been able to accumulate approximately $2.5 trillion in foreign currency reserves, and the U.S. government now owes them close to 900 million dollars. We constantly have to send top government officials over there to beg them to continue to lend us money. This would have never happened without the insane trade policies of the last several decades. So how in the world can advocates of current U.S. trade policies ever justify this?

This is happening in most Western countries.
It's totally insane.

reply to post by HunkaHunka


Self reliance is our future in this technologically accelerated world

reply to post by fonenyc


I totally agree... This is the real issue

In the Uk we are losing nearly half a million possibly more public sector jobs, we are being told the private sector will come in and provide jobs for these people out of work. The problem as I see it, is unless you are willing to work in same conditions as those in china, then no manufacturing will be done in the UK if it can be done for cheaper in other countries. This is a direct result of globalisation and the growing influence and power of the corporation.

This why we see the protests in France. A country that values its standard of living and will go to the streets if it sees any threat to that lifestyle.

I dont know what the solution is, the horse has bolted so to speak, we in the west are going to have to make sure we stand up for workers rights and unions if we want to see pay and conditions protected in our own countries unless we will see a race to the bottom to see how much we all put up with.

reply to post by woodwardjnr


The thing is, that no one can rely on anyone but themselves when it comes to success...

There are no social constructs outside of a decent justice system which can afford individual success to the masses... Success is something we must take for ourselves.

reply to post by infolurker


The biggest issue is that the middle class thought they could follow the same superstitions of the poor and somehow not become poor again...

What a LOL that was!

Be Your Own God!

soundcloud.com...

Originally posted by HunkaHunka
reply to post by woodwardjnr

 

There are no social constructs outside of a decent justice system which can afford individual success to the masses... Success is something we must take for ourselves.

But then, even "Justice" is relative in "Globalized" world.


In a world where Corporations have the same rights as "people", it can reasonably be argued that forcing a corporation in one country to treat its employees (regarded, legally, now, as "assets") in that country any differently than it does in another country is unfair.

Hence, if Nike pays a (child) laborer $5.00 USD a day in Malaysia, it shouldd be allowed to pay a laborer in Michigan just $5.00U SD a day. If a factory worker in Beijing is denied paid sick leave, than a worker in Bangor, Maine, shouldn't get paid sick leave either. If a clerk in Bangalore is not allowed to join a labor union to protect his rights, then a clerk in Burbank, California should also forfeit such protection.

It's all in the name of "Fairness".

It's all so that we can "remain competetive in a Global Market".

We all should just be happy that we still Have jobs !



We should be wary and constantly vigillent. Because as we bend our economies to fit around the "global" marketplace, note how easy it will become to also bend our rights and protections under the law to "more equitably mesh" with the laws, culture, and customs of our "Fellow Assets".


Not even "Justice" is immune to amelioration.