quote:
Originally posted by Silver Cheetah:
Sometimes I despair. And no-one seems very interested anyway. I've posted several posts on that very subject in this thread, and all I get (sorry Ron!) is people whinging about me attacking America. I was hoping that someone would be interested in what I was actually saying.... perhaps want to know more..... But seems like I'm wasting my breath.
So yes, I don't feel too good. My apologies if I have upset anyone by coming on a little strong. It was not my intent to hurt anyone's feelings!
Don't despair!
(Though I despaired a little when you didn't comment on my zucchini lasagna 
)
You won't find people where I live supporting shipping jobs overseas for cheap labor. I live in a rural southern town whose primary industry is textiles. Virtually every mill has closed or downsized due to the cheap overseas labor in the last 20 years. Our local economy has been in recession for years.
My mother is a personnel director and, after working nearly 30 years with the same company, was laid off repeated because of cheap labor. In the last 10 years, she's had the same type office job at 4 different mills and each was closed. She has had the unenviable job of laying off a couple of thousand people in the past 10 years. The sad thing is people get mad at her, but once she finishes the process, her job is gone too. Her last day at her latest job was about two weeks ago. So you see, I am very personally affected by this process, and not at all ignorant of it.
I will say that while conditions maybe deplorable in these places, they were deplorable before the industries moved in. And while they pay little, it is quite alot to those who have nothing to start with. Children being force to work in sweat shops is aweful, but isn't that more about their culture than our business? The pay is certainly not up to our standards, but if it were, they'd be getting nothing wouldn't they? If it could be done as cheaply in the US, or if they charged as much as our workers do here, then the jobs would still be here.
The Chinese and Japanese have used these cheap labor markets much longer than the US, so I really don't think we led the way. It's terrible, but it's not completely, or even mostly the US's fault.
I'm not upset with you Cheeta. I still think you're a cute furry thing [img]smile.gif[/img]