"Calif Bill" wrote in message
ink.net...

"Mark Browne" wrote in message
. net...

"Calif Bill" wrote in message
ink.net...
snip

Your reply shows how much out of touch with reality you are. Explain
how
we
are to compete in the world market, given our labor costs.

Tell me again how much we are supposed to make to be competitive with
$2.00/hour labor?

We simply are not going to be able to reduce wages enough to be
competitive
with the third world. Now that the Pandora's box of free-trade is open,
our
standard of living will be under fire until the standard of living in
the
USA is equal to the standards of living in the poorest country in the
world.

End of story.

Mark Browne



Free trade has been around for a long time. Isolationism did not work in
the 30's, won't work now. The last 25 years of excess government spending
has screwed us. 1980 $23K was a good white collar salary. Now this is at
least $2k into the poverty level. People were doing well in this country
on
$14k / year. the rest of the industrialized world was not that far from
us
in wages. Now we can not compete in the labor intensive jobs.

When the USA achieves parity with the rest of the world, we will be ale to
compete again. Unfortunately, there will be a great deal of pain involved.
The possibility a stagnant economy until the rest of the world catches up,
or rampant deflation until we achieve parity. Neither way is very good. A
third, but almost unthinkable way, is to speed up the growth of partner
economies to achieve parity. Sadly, greed and shortsightedness will never
allow this as a viable option.

Maybe if
China floats their currency, things would be better, but they are not
about
to float it. We had the same problem with Japan. For years, the Yen, was
artificially held low. Japan would not allow the yen to be used for
international debt currency clearing. Only accepted $$$$ or related
European money.

The world conversion to Euros is likely. The dollar would take a terrible
beating because of the current USA structural weakness, as you have
outlined. We are in for several years of very hard sledding.

Made Japan an economic powerhouse. Now Japan is in a funk
economically as their labor costs are higher then mainland Asia. Maybe
the
only cure is Deflation.

We agree on this. See above.

This administration is adding to the debt, but no
more than the last bunch of administrations in relation to GDP. Deficit
spending has been about 3% / year for years. Unfortunately 3% compounded
doubles cost in about 24 years.

I agree, the national debt is one of the greatest problems this country
faces. Both parties are to blame. Both parties should be given their walking
papers. Sadly, at this point in time, what is the alternative?

The current parties have built themselves into the election process. I would
like to see an end to the party process and related structures.

Mark Browne