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> Technology and capitalism are the only one's we can blame in this situation. You can also blame the Government. The reason manufacturing wages are so low is

by lj3 10y ago

> Technology and capitalism are the only one's we can blame in this situation. You can also blame the Government. The reason manufacturing wages are so low is because the few manufacturing companies left in the US can't compete with foreign manufacturing. It's hard to compete against companies that do manufacturing in countries with few to no labor laws. Tariffs on raw materials coming into the country are surprisingly high while tariffs on completed goods are low. That situation needs to be reversed if we ever want to increase the wages of factory workers.

djschnei 10y ago
If you mean making it more attractive for companies to produce here, sure, 100% agree. If you mean penalizing companies for leaving or pass a penalty on to consumers, 100% disagree. Let's make it easier to produce in this country, not harder to produce outside.
HillaryBriss 10y ago
US governments have failed to foster and create a globally competitive ecosystem in which US manufacturing can fluorish. Do we have new and more efficient ways to handle industrial waste? Have we improved our transportation infrastructure so that raw materials can move more cheaply than in past decades? Has government found less expensive and more fair ways to manage worker injuries and grievances (aside from lawsuits)? Has government reformed health care so that workers can take these manufacturing jobs without fear of being financially overwhelmed by medical bills should they be injured? Are there tax or other incentives to create clusters of related manufacturing businesses in close proximity to one another? Are their cleverly designed policies/regulations that US governments can use to legally (as far as the WTO is concerned) favor local industry? I don't see this sort of reform happening in any significant way (except maybe Obamacare, which requires a lot of government subsidies in the form tax credits). Where is the actual industrial policy innovation and reform in this country?

by lj3 10y ago

djschnei 10y ago

If you mean making it more attractive for companies to produce here, sure, 100% agree. If you mean penalizing companies for leaving or pass a penalty on to consumers, 100% disagree. Let's make it easier to produce in this country, not harder to produce outside.

HillaryBriss 10y ago

US governments have failed to foster and create a globally competitive ecosystem in which US manufacturing can fluorish. Do we have new and more efficient ways to handle industrial waste? Have we improved our transportation infrastructure so that raw materials can move more cheaply than in past decades? Has government found less expensive and more fair ways to manage worker injuries and grievances (aside from lawsuits)? Has government reformed health care so that workers can take these manufacturing jobs without fear of being financially overwhelmed by medical bills should they be injured? Are there tax or other incentives to create clusters of related manufacturing businesses in close proximity to one another? Are their cleverly designed policies/regulations that US governments can use to legally (as far as the WTO is concerned) favor local industry? I don't see this sort of reform happening in any significant way (except maybe Obamacare, which requires a lot of government subsidies in the form tax credits). Where is the actual industrial policy innovation and reform in this country?