Trade declines across the world
It is concerning that trade is falling across the globe for all the reasons cited by the Wall Street Journal. But TPP/TPA is a disaster for freedom - including free trade - because it suborns US sovereignty.
I really wished I could have left a comment for the author at the bottom.
I really wished I could have left a comment for the author at the bottom.
I think the number they need to be screaming from the rooftops are the numbers of Americans on Food Stamps, the numbers on WIC, the numbers on SNAP, and the numbers on any combination of the above.
1) lack of social support for basic hard work vs "my magic talent" NBA/NFL/singing/acting/art. "We are all winners. Just need my big break, and I'll be rich"
2) preferred trading with partners conducting asymmetric trade warfare
3) Fools in the US buying cheap crap, rather than quality products, particularly union idiots shopping at Walmart, buying Chinese products putting themselves out of jobs.
Now we are either service providers or unemployed.
4) Progressive idiot furthering these problems by pouring money on the fire rather than working on the root causes. (typical behavior for both well-intentioned bleeding hearts and mal-intentioned drug dealers)
I still think considerable blame is from the unions vs DC, unless you assert all unions power comes from DC. Thus, my comment about the irony in "Pro Union" bumper stickers (I read as "pro union", "pro OSHA", "pro EPA", "anti-capitalist", "anti free market") shopping at free market, Walmart.
One Government and military, Two Big Really big business meaning financial controllers. Three Labor Leaders and very specifically that does not include members just http://leaders.as do the other two. The modern terms are statist, corporatist, labor. Socialist goes in front, fascist tags on the back end. The end result of that effort was National Socialism but they got their start with pure or International Socialism
Some change have become more apparent. There is always an elitest ruling class in ALL socialist organizations. Plato's escape hatch.
Even the triumverate has it's heirarchy. Think of the old penny farthing bicycle One Big Wheel, One smaller wheel and a kick stand as modern convenience. Also there is a set of handle bars for steering. Control over Government over Corporate Financial over Labor. Apply what you said to that eighty five or ninety year old framework ha ha ha form to the purists add in the three definitions of left, right, center, Click Click Click it all falls into place.
Government Over Citizens
Left but use the center of the left as the false center or as Mike said between Rinos and Reublicans. He's more optomistic and forgiving than I
Citizens Over Government Right (but to right of tthe false center) and for the most part squarely in the True Center or very close That for us is/was the Constitution.
That's horizontal vertical is the old God, King Country people changed to People over Government The right according to the left was the seat of power divine right of kings and all that. That job was taken by the left when they quit the classless society and went to a class society. leaders apparatchiks the rest...
1776 to 1788 the divine right of Kings became the right of citizens and that's where the true power should be seen.
Unless they abdicate their responsibilities.
Add in the extremists anarchist to the far right (lack of any government) and a choice of Nazis or National Socialists and Communists or International Socialists as the extremists of the left. Followe by SecProgs, Socialist, Dinos, Democrats and Rinos, Republicans in Left to right order.) All believe in or support Government Over People.
Easy to understand and explains a lot.
Their words not mine.
They just picked up the center marker one day and put it in the center of the left then refused recognize anybody else.
If you have a chance, go to "One Political Plaza" and read my thread: "Of Mice and Matriarchies, Or How and Why Female Oligarchies Stifle Creativity and Productivity." Comments appreciated.
I think the "hassles" you describe are the ones I was referring to in #4. OSHA, EPA, unions, etc. These are the agencies driving up the cost to manufacture in the US.
My point in #3 was since we have opened our market to companies without the EPA, OSHA and union drivers, which the unions find so beneficial, the market has selected the cost/quality point, and those non-compliant companies have killed ours. Shocking. The best irony ever is a pro union bumper sticker in a Walmart parking lot.
Should employees be paid what they are worth? Absolutely, and savvy business-owners know and understand this. But therein lies the rub: it is based on the value the employee brings to the company - not some arbitrary mark set by a bureaucrat.
Each employee must do something that helps perform that task and brings in enough money to pay their salary and all the taxes and government mandated expenses associated as well as actual management costs.
You cannot pay someone more than what they bring to the bottom line. If you do, the business is better off without them, so don't hire them. Note this has nothing to do with the overall profitability of the business. The business can be highly profitable but still shouldn't pay individual employees more than they contribute to the bottom line.
Setting a $15 minimum wage will just eliminate the jobs that arent worth $15 and hour to the customers. Wages are really set by what the customers will pay , not the business owners.
For example, in my small company of 8 employees, most of them get $8.25 per hour. We are able to compete in the off road lighting market at this rate. Change minimum wage to $15 per hour, and we are just out of business unless we can cut 4 people out and get the remaining 4 people to do what 8 did before. If we cant get the 4 people to be twice as productive, all 8 lose their jobs. Raising our prices is just not an option, as we would lose significant business and some of the people would lose their jobs anyway.
You can blame the government and the federal reserve for the 'costs going up'. In fact, costs are continually going down due to efficiency improvements which go on constantly. Robots do things cheaper, as does automation. Parts get made thinner with cheaper materials too. BUT, the federal reserve prints money, making what we have worth less. Therefore, the prices of things rise in terms of these less valuable dollars. Get rid of the federal reserve's money printing to support Obama's deficits and you would find prices in terms of stable dollars falling, not rising.
The best thing to befall Chinese manufacturing IMO is for their currency to appreciate and normalize so that the prices of their products don't permit customers to overlook the terrible Q/A failure rates any longer. Once enough of the Chinese manufacturing gets turned down in favor of competitors with a better offering, the Chinese will be forced to revisit their business strategies.
I find it amazing that people here think that increasing the minimum wage is not going to decrease jobs. I say all jobs not worth $15 an hour in this international arena will simply disappear when the government mandates the wage.
Manufacturing's importance will continue to decline as 3D printing shows and as the electronic/internet industry killed the manufacturing side of publishing.
If you are making the point the only increase in wealth in manufacturing is throgh manufacturing technology, I would argue the organization and process discipline in the company performing the manufacture are equally important.
We manufacture a lot of equipment. We have 10 divisions and about $1B in sales. I can tell you one big difference between a financially successful division and a weak one is operations (supply chain and manufacture). We use zero AM processes (3D printing) except for plastic models and some robotic welding. AM is not ready for prime time, being essentially a weak, brittle casting process. Welding and painting are very important. One of our Italian CEOs (we are part of a $30B company) gave a speech at a CTO (me) conference with the point that engineering development is no good unless it makes money. Innovation (cool stuff) is not enough. It needs cost-effectively solve a problem for someone who understands this and can pay for it. I am with Edison (not a role model to be) on this with the 1%/99% assertion. It is very difficult to sell an idea, but it is very easy to sell a well run business, to your point, even better with solid IP. Half the wealth of the companies in the US is laying around on the floor, in inventory, waste or with overpaid suppliers.
The thing about value in manufacturing is all about how easy it is to copy the process. Why is the recipe for Coke still a hot item? Because no one has figured out how to duplicate it yet! When someone can duplicate a manufacturing process (assuming the means are legal, of course), it means that the intellectual value of that technique can no longer demand a premium price. It is far from being worthless, however.
Some Marxist great leader sugar daddy will always be there on Candy Mountain in accordance to our needs.
Ask any skinny North Korean. Don;t think they get any of that diabetes much.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-01...
In short, there is less tonnage of dry goods being shipped, so much that the major carriers are in precarious financial shape.
Train, Truck, cargo ships including stevedores and security guards at ports, ship's crews and ship repairs and ship building spiked sharply and of course so did commercial and military air cargo as a result. Foreign aid military and otherwise the same.
The problem while somethings infrastructure wise are built we grunts mostly break things and provide appoints at each gate to paradise you are trying pass and with the gate keeper you are trying to impress. Many lines no waiting.
The peace time version is much the same it's called pork. Something really strange for a muslim to support but it's cost us nine trillion in increased debt so far.
In particular the article lies about the TPP being a "trade agreement" and how foolish everyone is to oppose it.
Attention Human Events, some of us are not that stupid. The TPP is an arrogant attempt to destroy national sovereignty to benefit corrupt corporate interests and puppet government officials.
As for trade and recession well, it really isn´t easy to put a specific reason. Usually, there are multiple ones and yes; alot are simply beyond our grasp and control. The market, or the notion of "the free market" is, as many other concepts; abstract as well.
Ever since the dawn of man markets have had certain leverage and control by more than one factor. Government too can be one of these muffers, but it certainly isn´t the only one. So, you see; the complexity is not easy to understand either (though we do have the possibility of understanding, that I´m confident of).
A strike can cause a problem in the market, so can a limit to price (to put two extremes into context). For instance, the Pear market can suffer a blow if a production line doesn´t reach a certain desired offer. If we consider the fact that this particular agricultural industry is owned by a monopoly; the fruit itself might just be left there to rot should the price not be met. This has happenned.
A strike, on the other hand; is the power conveyed to the workers who, should they be unpleased with the share they believe is fair on their part; they can cripple an enterprise when regulations are external presence have more control than the entrepeneurs themselves.
Both examples are real, modern day situations that should be dealt with somehow. There are many "hows" we well know of; yet the question is which is the least damaging one in general; or the most "constructive" for the short, medium and even long run.
BUT, the hassle of making things here in the USA with the employee regulations and taxes, not to mention the various agencies on your back for the slightest violation of their onerous labor laws- increases the costs of any alternative.
and a cartoon that fits this one nicely