John Ratzenberger's, "Made in America" is a sweet program that propogates American products. I enjoy watching the intricacies that are involved in making the tiniest of product, the specifics of people who came up with the ideas, the art of hand making products with personal touch and of course the great American spirit that professes anything is possible in America. But towards the end so I have noticed John always stresses on the point,"Made in America" and that makes me wonder does he know what he is talking about or does he means to say buy American products that are the finest and the best. Because as a consumer when I walk into a store I always want the best product at the most competitive rate. My hard earned money is not there to show loyalty where it is not required. A while ago I was shopping for cool drink when I was advised by a complete stranger to not buy anything that's not American. Well I did not because with soft drink products I did not have much of a choice. Most of the products were American. I ignored the guy and moved on with the purchase.
For a long time I have heard people talk about sending jobs to India and China and to this date I do not get what the big debate is all about. To begin with companies run for profit. If companies do not get the tax break to run successfully then they have two choices to make; one is to stop operating for good, and second is to send some operations to a place where it is much more affordable there by creating a win win situation. That is to retain some jobs in the US and ship the rest to cheaper economies. So come to think of it which one of the options is better? It is simple economics which of course lot of people fail to consider. For instance the taxation policy.
Every one wants to tax the corporate and the rich. But then the downside of doing so is sending jobs to a cheaper country and the rich who probably build an economy around themselves by earning what they earn will stop doing so. So what is the solution. Simple try to give corporate a reasonable tax break so that they can afford their operations right here in the US and create a decent taxation policy for the rich which will encourage them to come forward and not hide. If neither of this is done then there is nothing much left to whine about. I am myself not a fan of taxation policies but desperate times call for desperate measures. The previous government ran a ponzi scheme of dumping all the money in war zones which was indeed a tragedy that will have severe repurcussions in the years to come but for now the best bet is to hike taxes since not doing so will not lead to expansion of economy but only increase budget deficits that will create crowding out problem. Little governement spending creates inflation and that is not good for any economy.
Especially for a developed economy like the US labor or capital intensive investments are not permanent solutions to the problem. This country needs innovation to move on. Universities have always been innovation powerhouses of this county and cutting back on their R&D is not a good sign. US needs to improvize its students from grass root levels and invest more in activities that are way above menial developments. Years ago when Toyota came to the US Ford and other car makers did not consider them as a threat because fuel was cheap but today things have changed drastically in the favor of the underdogs. China and India opened their doors and upturned the entire manufacturing business in the US. Cheaper rates, better labor, longer working hours, minimum union interference,... the list of benefits is endless for firms operating in these countries. Of course there is downside to everything but comapred to the US the downside can be easily managed. Atleast until now. Plus these countries are huge markets for products that are in saturation stage in the US. If a company does not have its operations in BRIC then they are seriously missing on the high tide.
So whose fault is that people in America where sold better and cheaper products by other countries? Whose fault is it that the gas prices rised and American car manufacturers did nothing to improvize their car technology? Whose fault is it that the other countries offered new markets to tempt the corporate? So whose fault is it that people in BRIC are getting higher quality education which is neck to neck with that of the US? So whose fault is it that employees chose to live on minimum wages in the US? Whose fault is it that education is super expensive in this country?
Is it fair to say buy "Made in America" products when the US products are more expensive than comparable products from other countries? Is it fair to say buy "Made in America" products when American products are shelved in other countries markets? Do you think a person working on minimum wages at this time and wage could afford a decent living if it were not for cheap "Made in China, Bangladesh, or Indonesia" products? Is it wrong to survive when death is the only choice. Is it not high time American products revolutionize and improvize themselves?
This country was built on hard work and impossible. "Once upon a time in west," gives a perfect account of how hard Americans fought to make America what it is today. Everytime I look at the big structures and people here I wonder if there is any other country that could match the determination of people who crossed icy mountains, fought Indians, travelled on raft for days without proper food, clothing or shelter? What makes America great is that this is a land of opportunities. There is no first, second or third this country offers its people countless chances then what happened? When did the blame game start. To say "Made in America" is to consider not sought after by its own people.
Globalization has become like water, indespensable! All countries need a share of the pie that is mighty tasty. There is no fighting it only competing it. It has its upsides and downsides but it is worth what it is. Imagine a world without globalization. Monopoly would be a huge problem and not to forget inflation that comes with high prices of goods, expensive labor, union trouble that destabilize the economy.
Globalization started for a reason. Some countries do try to rig market to keep most manufacturing jobs but then how long would that last. Everything that begins has to end and justice has to be withheld. Asian crisis is an excellent example.
At the end of the day a person who walks into a store needs to know that no matter how hard the other product tempts the best one wins and hopefully that one day for all products in all dimensions would be "Made in America."
For a long time I have heard people talk about sending jobs to India and China and to this date I do not get what the big debate is all about. To begin with companies run for profit. If companies do not get the tax break to run successfully then they have two choices to make; one is to stop operating for good, and second is to send some operations to a place where it is much more affordable there by creating a win win situation. That is to retain some jobs in the US and ship the rest to cheaper economies. So come to think of it which one of the options is better? It is simple economics which of course lot of people fail to consider. For instance the taxation policy.
Every one wants to tax the corporate and the rich. But then the downside of doing so is sending jobs to a cheaper country and the rich who probably build an economy around themselves by earning what they earn will stop doing so. So what is the solution. Simple try to give corporate a reasonable tax break so that they can afford their operations right here in the US and create a decent taxation policy for the rich which will encourage them to come forward and not hide. If neither of this is done then there is nothing much left to whine about. I am myself not a fan of taxation policies but desperate times call for desperate measures. The previous government ran a ponzi scheme of dumping all the money in war zones which was indeed a tragedy that will have severe repurcussions in the years to come but for now the best bet is to hike taxes since not doing so will not lead to expansion of economy but only increase budget deficits that will create crowding out problem. Little governement spending creates inflation and that is not good for any economy.
Especially for a developed economy like the US labor or capital intensive investments are not permanent solutions to the problem. This country needs innovation to move on. Universities have always been innovation powerhouses of this county and cutting back on their R&D is not a good sign. US needs to improvize its students from grass root levels and invest more in activities that are way above menial developments. Years ago when Toyota came to the US Ford and other car makers did not consider them as a threat because fuel was cheap but today things have changed drastically in the favor of the underdogs. China and India opened their doors and upturned the entire manufacturing business in the US. Cheaper rates, better labor, longer working hours, minimum union interference,... the list of benefits is endless for firms operating in these countries. Of course there is downside to everything but comapred to the US the downside can be easily managed. Atleast until now. Plus these countries are huge markets for products that are in saturation stage in the US. If a company does not have its operations in BRIC then they are seriously missing on the high tide.
So whose fault is that people in America where sold better and cheaper products by other countries? Whose fault is it that the gas prices rised and American car manufacturers did nothing to improvize their car technology? Whose fault is it that the other countries offered new markets to tempt the corporate? So whose fault is it that people in BRIC are getting higher quality education which is neck to neck with that of the US? So whose fault is it that employees chose to live on minimum wages in the US? Whose fault is it that education is super expensive in this country?
Is it fair to say buy "Made in America" products when the US products are more expensive than comparable products from other countries? Is it fair to say buy "Made in America" products when American products are shelved in other countries markets? Do you think a person working on minimum wages at this time and wage could afford a decent living if it were not for cheap "Made in China, Bangladesh, or Indonesia" products? Is it wrong to survive when death is the only choice. Is it not high time American products revolutionize and improvize themselves?
This country was built on hard work and impossible. "Once upon a time in west," gives a perfect account of how hard Americans fought to make America what it is today. Everytime I look at the big structures and people here I wonder if there is any other country that could match the determination of people who crossed icy mountains, fought Indians, travelled on raft for days without proper food, clothing or shelter? What makes America great is that this is a land of opportunities. There is no first, second or third this country offers its people countless chances then what happened? When did the blame game start. To say "Made in America" is to consider not sought after by its own people.
Globalization has become like water, indespensable! All countries need a share of the pie that is mighty tasty. There is no fighting it only competing it. It has its upsides and downsides but it is worth what it is. Imagine a world without globalization. Monopoly would be a huge problem and not to forget inflation that comes with high prices of goods, expensive labor, union trouble that destabilize the economy.
Globalization started for a reason. Some countries do try to rig market to keep most manufacturing jobs but then how long would that last. Everything that begins has to end and justice has to be withheld. Asian crisis is an excellent example.
At the end of the day a person who walks into a store needs to know that no matter how hard the other product tempts the best one wins and hopefully that one day for all products in all dimensions would be "Made in America."
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