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It is clearly America's downfall -- and America is pulling the world with itself.

doktrin 13y ago
Oh come now. Patent trolls are a massive nuisance, but they don't represent an existential threat to this country - let alone all of human civilization.
- victorhooi 13y ago
  Lol, it's probably hyperbole. But think about it - what exactly does American produce these days? Yes, they still have a heavy manufacturing base - but that's declining and fast. If you stifle innovation, you've basically shot yourself in the foot.
  - 1stop 13y ago
    Hollywood, Wall St, Apple, Boeing... Yeah the US doesn't produce anything... they just make up that 15 trillion dollars of GDP (double what the next biggest economy makes - China).
    - dTal 13y ago
      Firstly GDP is not a measure of what an economy "makes", it is a measure of its throughput. Remember that every dollar the US government "borrows" out of thin air and spends on military hardware adds to that total, so I wouldn't regard a high GDP as necessarily a sign of economic health. Secondly, of your haphazard list, only Boeing does any manufacturing. Maybe instead of knee-jerking with "America is great" you should read a bit more carefully?
      - 1stop 13y ago
        I was responding to "America doesn't produce anything"... All of those industries produce, and all of them make significant money, and the GDP backs that up. Producing stuff while going into debt, is still producing stuff, so your reasoning about debt has no relevance. So maybe you should take your own advice? Just for the record: I think America is a shit hole, and I'm generally anti-capitalist. But it's nonsense to pretend they don't produce anything.
  - deleted 13y ago
    [deleted]
  - adventured 13y ago
    This isn't accurate at all. America is still the world's largest manufacturer, even larger than China (but not the largest exporter). The manufacturing base is not declining fast, manufacturing jobs are, due to dramatic and continuing productivity gains (America has the most productive manufacturing base on earth). http://business.time.com/2011/03/10/can-china-compete-with-american-manufacturing/ http://business.time.com/2011/03/10/can-china-compete-with-a... (it's understood this doesn't cover '10-'13, but it still makes the point it was intended to: 1) manufacturing is not declining; 2) America still has a truly massive manufacturing base) "According to United Nations data, the U.S. is still the largest manufacturing country in the world. In 2009, American manufacturing output (in real terms) was nearly $2.2 trillion. That’s about 45% larger than China’s, at just under $1.5 trillion. (For statistical reasons, I chose to use figures that include mining and utilities as part of manufacturing.) Though China, of course, is growing very quickly, the U.S. has also maintained its global share of manufacturing, at 20% in 2009 compared to just over 22% in 1980. What’s more, American manufacturing is becoming more productive. In 2009, productivity in U.S. manufacturing increased by 7.7%, more than any other country followed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics."
- PythonicAlpha 13y ago
  The problem are not the patent trolls. If you think, the patent trolls are the patent system biggest trouble, than you are victim of the brain washing, the big corporations give to us all. Please read my other post in the same forum about "intellectual property" to understand. All the patent system by itself also does not end human civilization (I did not want to imply that), but the patent system is another symptom of the current state of human civilization and the state of human greed that drives western civilizations down.

Oh come now. Patent trolls are a massive nuisance, but they don't represent an existential threat to this country - let alone all of human civilization.

victorhooi 13y ago
Lol, it's probably hyperbole. But think about it - what exactly does American produce these days? Yes, they still have a heavy manufacturing base - but that's declining and fast. If you stifle innovation, you've basically shot yourself in the foot.
- 1stop 13y ago
  Hollywood, Wall St, Apple, Boeing... Yeah the US doesn't produce anything... they just make up that 15 trillion dollars of GDP (double what the next biggest economy makes - China).
  - dTal 13y ago
    Firstly GDP is not a measure of what an economy "makes", it is a measure of its throughput. Remember that every dollar the US government "borrows" out of thin air and spends on military hardware adds to that total, so I wouldn't regard a high GDP as necessarily a sign of economic health. Secondly, of your haphazard list, only Boeing does any manufacturing. Maybe instead of knee-jerking with "America is great" you should read a bit more carefully?
    - 1stop 13y ago
      I was responding to "America doesn't produce anything"... All of those industries produce, and all of them make significant money, and the GDP backs that up. Producing stuff while going into debt, is still producing stuff, so your reasoning about debt has no relevance. So maybe you should take your own advice? Just for the record: I think America is a shit hole, and I'm generally anti-capitalist. But it's nonsense to pretend they don't produce anything.
- deleted 13y ago
  [deleted]
- adventured 13y ago
  This isn't accurate at all. America is still the world's largest manufacturer, even larger than China (but not the largest exporter). The manufacturing base is not declining fast, manufacturing jobs are, due to dramatic and continuing productivity gains (America has the most productive manufacturing base on earth). http://business.time.com/2011/03/10/can-china-compete-with-american-manufacturing/ http://business.time.com/2011/03/10/can-china-compete-with-a... (it's understood this doesn't cover '10-'13, but it still makes the point it was intended to: 1) manufacturing is not declining; 2) America still has a truly massive manufacturing base) "According to United Nations data, the U.S. is still the largest manufacturing country in the world. In 2009, American manufacturing output (in real terms) was nearly $2.2 trillion. That’s about 45% larger than China’s, at just under $1.5 trillion. (For statistical reasons, I chose to use figures that include mining and utilities as part of manufacturing.) Though China, of course, is growing very quickly, the U.S. has also maintained its global share of manufacturing, at 20% in 2009 compared to just over 22% in 1980. What’s more, American manufacturing is becoming more productive. In 2009, productivity in U.S. manufacturing increased by 7.7%, more than any other country followed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics."
PythonicAlpha 13y ago
The problem are not the patent trolls. If you think, the patent trolls are the patent system biggest trouble, than you are victim of the brain washing, the big corporations give to us all. Please read my other post in the same forum about "intellectual property" to understand. All the patent system by itself also does not end human civilization (I did not want to imply that), but the patent system is another symptom of the current state of human civilization and the state of human greed that drives western civilizations down.