Are Outsourcings benefits worth the damage to the US economy?

Question

We've lost our manufacturing base. We're losing middle America's jobs. The quality of what we get is questionable. Some of the products we get are downright inferior if not outright dangerous and the cost savings are not being passed on to the consumer. All the benefits of outsourcing seem to go to Executive Bonuses. I'm not against making money but has this gamble been worth the benefits in how its affected to this country?

Answer 1

No--the few benefits are not worth the cost. Unfortunately, not enough Americans recognize the inherent problems posed in your question. If the true cost of outsourcing, globalization, "free trade", NAFTA, GATT and other American give a ways were to be known, I think we could have another American Revolution. Another rebellion is already overdue. Our political leaders are so much in the pockets of their business masters that they feel comfortable bowing to the outrageous demands of a relatively few corporate elite. I hope Americans will soon wake up to the raping of our country. If not, I fear we will be left with the few crumbs that fall from the banquet table of the elite.

By the way, there is no gamble in this scenario. The game is rigged and we are the absolute losers if we don't stand up!

Answer 2

It's nothing new, this has been going on for decades. Only the tiniest fraction of the products we import are dangerous and cost savings are being passed down to the consumer. Just take a look at Walmart.

Outsourcing in fact creates jobs, as smaller companies can save money by outsourcing certain jobs, and then grow and hire more workers. As for middle America, jobs are lost but jobs are also created. Our unemployment rate right now is still very low compared to a lot of other countries.

Answer 3

Stop reading the popular press; the journalists write what they think the public wants to hear, whether or not it is true. Anyone who professionally studied the manufacturing job loss has come to two conclusions, (1) manufacturing job loss is occurring globally (about 22 million manufacturing jobs were lost globally between 1995 and 2002, with the highest losses observed in... [drum roll]... China), and (2) manufacturing job loss is squarely due to increasing mechanization and automation (between 1995 and 2002, despite the job loss, the world's manufacturing output increased 30 percent).

This process is very similar to the agricultural job loss that the U.S. has experienced over the years. In 1870, half of the U.S. workforce was employed in agriculture, by 1920, the percentage declined to 25%, currently, it's less than 1%...

Answer 4

absolutely not... I'm a single mother and lost a job due to outsourcing, thank God for my mother or i would have ended up homeless with my 10yr old...