Oops! That was really stupid. I somehow confused oustsourcing with privatization. I'll blame it on my sinus headache medicine and edit my original post so that it actually applies to outsourcing. I agree with everything you said and what I said doesn't even belong in this topic so I am going to change it completely...sorry for the weirdness.

Outsourcing, in manufacturing, is also unsustainable because it doesn't account for externalities (read environmental costs) in the energy used for transporting goods, or the environmental degradation of the originating region.

Outsourcing is responsible for the biggest economic booms in history in the 3rd world and raised the standard of living for hundreds of millions of people. If you care about poverty you should not be against outsourcing.

On the other hand it's probably not economically sustainable with the rising costs of transportation, ie oil. Regardless there is little government needs to do about this issue.

"Outsourcing is responsible for the biggest economic booms in history in the 3rd world and raised the standard of living for hundreds of millions of people. If you care about poverty you should not be against outsourcing."

morn says:

"Outsourcing is responsible for the biggest economic booms in history in the 3rd world and raised the standard of living for hundreds of millions of people. If you care about poverty you should not be against outsourcing."

this is very true, and especially for women who have so few choices in more traditional societies. their choices are often limited to outsourced jobs or prostitution. Development economist Jeffrey Sachs discusses this topic in his book The End to Poverty.

i firmly believe the companies should not keep low-skilled jobs in the US since there are so many more educational and vocational opportunities.

"Outsourcing is undermining America at every turn."

"Fewer can afford higher education, nor desire it when your entire proffesion seems to be shipped offshore. Manufacturing products and doing real work, has real inherent value that builds an economy, not inflated profits and stock values that are pocketed by the few, that does nothing for the American people."

"Offshore Outsourcing is basically selling America out. These corperations will rake in the profits of their cheap outsourced labor, to rake in more profits on their, now cheaper (and probably lower quality) products from the American consumer which is just scraping by wondering if their job will be there tomorrow. The consumer is not really saving that much, considering their job may be next to go."

chash360 says:

"Outsourcing is undermining America at every turn."

I have to disagree. The reason Walmart is the most popular retailer in the country is because everything is so damn cheap. Without outsourced labor, we would be paying American Apparel prices for goods and services. That mean $25 for a tshirt instead of >$5. Consumers benefit with the extra savings and the economy is strengthened by profitable American corporations.

chash360 says:

"Fewer can afford higher education, nor desire it when your entire proffesion seems to be shipped offshore. Manufacturing products and doing real work, has real inherent value that builds an economy, not inflated profits and stock values that are pocketed by the few, that does nothing for the American people."

Where are you getting your statistics? Aren't more Americans in college than ever before? I quickly ran a google search and came up with this story. It's from 2002, but I doubt much has changed. I could probably find something more recent if I spent a couple more minutes on google.

You're wrong in your assertion that manufacturing is the only sector that produces value. Everything from services to telecommunications to manufactured goods has value-added potential. In fact, manufacturing is declining in terms of its share of total value-added in the internaitonal economy while value-added in the service sectors is increasing. The US has a predominately service-oriented economy.

chash360 says:

"Offshore Outsourcing is basically selling America out. These corperations will rake in the profits of their cheap outsourced labor, to rake in more profits on their, now cheaper (and probably lower quality) products from the American consumer which is just scraping by wondering if their job will be there tomorrow. The consumer is not really saving that much, considering their job may be next to go."

Actually, outsourcing hasn't really affected the labor market in the US all that much. Additionally, it's not just those big evil corporations that profit from outsourcing; American consumers (we love Walmart!) and the laborers in countries that are receiving the extra jobs are also benefiting. One problem with keeping these low-skilled/low-wage jobs in the US is that we have access to opportunity and education to get higher-skilled and higher-paying jobs. If we were all in factory lines instead of in college, then we wouldn't be producing new innovation and technology that our economy needs to grow and the rest of the world uses. The education and opportunity people have in developed countries usually doesn't exist in poor countries. That is part of the reason labor is so cheap in those places! I have to reiterate, please read world renowned Colombia University economist Jeffrey Sachs' book The End of Poverty, or at least read this short excerpt. He says manufacturing jobs are often the first step for people in poor countries to rise out of poverty, particularly women who have even fewer options than their male counterparts.

Besides, the manufacturing jobs that we send overseas would probably be done by machines if those products were to be produced in the US. The costs are simply too high and the technology exists to automate most manufacturing processes.

"I firmly agree given that our unemployment rate is currently about 7%. Hello!!!! Could we stop sending jobs overseas and give people jobs here in our own country. This issue drives me crazy. I have spent one too many long hours on the phone with someone in another country where I cannot understand them, nor can I hear them due to the long distance......and they get mad at ME!"

kaciaener says:

"I firmly agree given that our unemployment rate is currently about 7%. Hello!!!! Could we stop sending jobs overseas and give people jobs here in our own country. This issue drives me crazy. I have spent one too many long hours on the phone with someone in another country where I cannot understand them, nor can I hear them due to the long distance......and they get mad at ME!"

This is a really terrible reason to limit the ability of business to outsource by using legislation. If you don't like the customer support you're receiving from a particular company, then don't buy their products or send in a complaint. Legislation will only kill off companies that find it too costly to employ domestic labor and/or too much hassle to deal with excessive market regulation. Then where would the unemployment figures be? I suggest taking a basic microeconomics course.

Furthermore, a better way to ensure lower unemployment is through public education and career training. This way, Americans can get jobs that don't exist elsewhere in the world and with higher wages. The world has a surplus of low-skilled, uneducated labor. The US should not be competing with a low-skilled, uneducated labor force when we have access to education.

When we keep low-skill jobs in the US instead of encouraging our population to work jobs that require more skills and training, Americans run the risk of losing out to foreign competition. I'll use an example to illustrate my point. Dell's tech support is located in India because they can employ college graduates with masters and PhDs at low wages. It would cost the company significantly more to keep their tech support in the US and employ Americans with the same skills. So, the price of Dell's products would be much higher than they currently are and perhaps the tech support would be worse. But let's say an Indian producer was selling similar products at much lower prices than Dell because the cost of labor for production, development, and support was much lower in India than in the US. Americans would buy the Indian products, Dell's profits would decline, and it would start laying off employees. Dell would also be unable to compete in foreign markets. Japanese, Europeans, and Indians alike would all opt for the cheaper products.

And by the way, unemployment is only at 5% right now. That is on the higher-side of average for the US, but we are on the brink of a recession. In case you're unaware, outsourcing isn't the cause of the recession.

Outsouring of manufacturing jobs in critical industries is wrong because the unseen conquences of layoffs at the local level lost tax base on wages, and outsourcing affects other industries that support the industry outsoucred. The transporation costs of imported goods are gonna matter more and more with energy costs. Compartive advatnage is created thru innovation, and not classical economic theories. Outsouring heavy industry is wrong, and bad omen to be dependant on certain imports at times. One thing to export low skilled work where not engouh workers are willing to perform the job at markets. Another thing its to outsourced skilled labor like computer programmers, engineering work to Asia when the taxpayer had to pay for the education indirectly for the Enigeer. Still, we dont have the safety net adquete engough to train workers that are oursouced, and some low skilled workers are always needed in the economy because not every worker wants to go to school sixteen to twenty years.

dell outsources most of their jobs to india, so if you are going to be racist do it right.

dell outsources most of their jobs to india, so if you are going to be racist do it right.

All this moaning about jobs going somewhere else. I totally agree that we need to PRODUCE products in order to grow the economy. But the truth is all too many Americans like their service industry jobs. Out of all the moaners so far on this page, how many of you or your friends would do the work going elsewhere? These are not $15.00 or $20.00 an hour jobs. Not even $10.00 and hour. As embarrasing as it is to say, the truth is that the average American thinks their crap doesn't stink. We're American, we don't do manufacturing. No duh - let's go get a job at the music store at the mall. Welcome to McDonald, you want fries with that? Stinky, Stinky and Fart will you hold please. Here's a good one - He's not a stock boy, He's an assocciate. Let's be for real. I dought that very few if any on here would take the kind of jobs which are going else where or that are needed to rebuild our economy.

IF you claim otherwise, all I say is PROVE IT. Tell the world of Political Base what you do for a living and let's see how many of your jobs are in danger.

I'll start it. I cut wood for fences and winter heat. Work with livestock, cut hay, build on my house. Take on odd jobs in construction, help clean my house, cook half the time, run an internet store site, and still make time to read an hour and a half a day, spend time with the grandkids which live with me and get on this site. Oh yeah, I forgot one, I also have time each week to get out and campaign for office.

You're still one of the odd balls I was talking about. The vast majority does not fit. At least you took the challenge.

The problem with the Walmart example is that prices AND wages are both dropping.

Walmart is one of those businesses which needs the royal pinch put on their ass. Have worked for them before, and in all their hype you don't know show crappy they are til on the inside. Then it's bend over shut up and enjoy. Let's not forget the policy of smile at the customer and feed them a line of crap.