Outsourcing is good for the economy
A18:
Same principles of competition apply here as anywhere else. Cheaper prices, better values, etc.
We should abolish minimum wage and corporate taxes if we want to help U.S. businesses compete.
MODU:
I will agree that the concept of outsourcing is good, even if it means outsourcing to other countries. However, some industries, such as communications and defense should be kept in-house, merely for strategic advantage.
I do I feel sorry for people who lose their domestic jobs due to international outsourcing? Of course. But, would I rather pay $30 for a domestically made shirt or $7 for an equally good shirt made overseas? I'd take the deal anyday.
As far as the economy goes, if a US company can produce a product cheaper overseas, and sell it for a greater profit domestically, then that is very good for our economy. That means more money is being put into our system which companies can then use to expand their businesses and increase their employee population. Some of these will be new domestic jobs while others will be new international jobs. Eventually there will be enough jobs for everyone who wants one as the economy continues to recover and grow. It will just take a little more growing pains before we reach that point.
As far as Kerry's idea of punishing companies that outsource jobs to foreign locations, all it will result in is less revenues for the companies, which means less growth. Trying to control the global economy (as I've discussed before) hampers the true progress and benefits which it rewards.
Wakie:
Outsourcing can be good but it can also be taken to an extreme. I think it is exceedingly careless of companies who are outsourcing the majority of their operations and IT infrastructure to single locations which have a history of instability is foolhardy and potentially damaging to our economy.
The big danger right now with all of the IT outsourcing isn't in the coding (which, btw, is frequently poorly commented and nearly impossible to work with) but rather in the data warehouses. Realistically, a team of terrorists could steal literally millions of credit card #'s, address info, etc and then launch a massive identity theft ring that would seriously mess up commerce and cost America major cash.
Nym90:
Here's a good commentary on it, by someone who is more eloquent than I. But I'll take my own stab at it.
http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/08/27/home.advantage/
We can't consume our way to prosperity. The loss of good jobs in the US due to outsourcing more than makes up for the reduction in prices. The price increases would be nowhere near 4 times as high as you said.
Someone needs to call corporations out on this; it's unpatriotic to send jobs overseas in order to make higher corporate profits. Most of the benefits of outsourcing go straight into the corporate coffers, they aren't given back to the consumer in the form of lower prices.
Corporations that outsource are driving smaller local companies out of business and hurting the US economy by taking dollars that we spend and sending them out of the country. That reduces choice, and while it may lead to slightly lower prices in the near term, will result in higher prices in the longer term as there is less competition. I want more choices, not fewer, and I want good jobs in this country, even if it means that I have to pay higher prices.
From a personal perspective, I'm willing to pay higher prices in order to keep jobs in this country, because in the long run that makes for a stronger and more prosperous nation, which benefits us all. Also, it's the morally right thing to do; as a consumer, I feel a duty to my country to support those companies that don't outsource and to not buy from those that do, even if it isn't in my own economic best interest.
The problem is, corporations are mostly multi-national now so they don't have any loyalty to the USA anymore. They care about corporate profits first, what's good for America second (if at all). So the argument that the corporations want what's best for America and thus we should leave it to the free market to decide doesn't work like it used to.
A18:
We can't consume our way into prosperity, but can't regulate our way into it either.
Aren't we America? And if so, it would appear that America does think outsourcing is good for America. Why else are we buying these products at cheaper prices?
Fact is, free trade creates more new jobs here than it loses.
If American corporations want to advertise as the American brand and make everything in America, they can, and a lot of people would probably buy from them just to be patriotic. But they don't have the right to force all of us to pay the higher price every time we go to the store.
I have the right, within reason, to trade freely with other human beings across the sea.
Corporate profits are used for paying employees and making more products, so that's also good.
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