American jobs being lost to Chinese!

[TomT]

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/us-bridges-roads-built-chinese-firms-14594513?tab=9482930?ion=1206853&playlist=14594944

[x]

What's new?  Either US is going to accept higher costs of living to pay for American workers or this is going to continue.
 
PS:  Those that complain about taxes:  Would you pay 10 percent more in road tax to ensure that your bridges and roads were built by American companies?

[Jack]

SE, the problem is it would still go to the lowest bidder or would be considered discriminatory.  We are headed toward a global economy whether we like it or not.  I kinda like a level playing field as long as it is truly level and not supported by a govt program, us or theirs.

[x]

SE, the problem is it would still go to the lowest bidder or would be considered discriminatory.  We are headed toward a global economy whether we like it or not.  I kinda like a level playing field as long as it is truly level and not supported by a govt program, us or theirs.

I agree... but the Chinese do not play fair... and have not for decades.  US, EU, and UK firms consistently shut out of Chinese business, wanton disregard for intellectual property, corruption at every level of Chinese government and business... chemicals in your infant formula, anyone?
 
If the US would sincerely enforce labor laws as a condition of contract, two things would happen... the average Chinese putz would have a better life... and Chinese products would cost more, making the USA all the more competitive.  But our corporation owed Congress only pays lip service to this... instead we get watered down ineffectual guarantees while China continues to screw its workers and pollute the environment.
 
Sure... global trade is good... and if the corporate pet Congressman had more in it for the common man, global trade would be more balanced.

[Jack]

SE, the problem is it would still go to the lowest bidder or would be considered discriminatory.  We are headed toward a global economy whether we like it or not.  I kinda like a level playing field as long as it is truly level and not supported by a govt program, us or theirs.

I agree... but the Chinese do not play fair... and have not for decades.  US, EU, and UK firms consistently shut out of Chinese business, wanton disregard for intellectual property, corruption at every level of Chinese government and business... chemicals in your infant formula, anyone?
 
If the US would sincerely enforce labor laws as a condition of contract, two things would happen... the average Chinese putz would have a better life... and Chinese products would cost more, making the USA all the more competitive.  But our corporation owed Congress only pays lip service to this... instead we get watered down ineffectual guarantees while China continues to screw its workers and pollute the environment.
 
Sure... global trade is good... and if the corporate pet Congressman had more in it for the common man, global trade would be more balanced.

[solo1]

I have been on the Board of Works in our small city for 20 years. We accept bids from all companies for our infrastructure work.  Only local contractors bid and the work goes to the lowest bidder,

The work performed is excellent, the the prices are kept as low as possible, and we get the best bang for the buck for our tax dollars. American workers and companies at their best!

However, the costs keep going higher due to state and Federal unfunded mandates.  Many of the Fed generated regulations for unfunded mandates are inexcusably ignorant of the real world.

[DIGGER]

What's new?  Either US is going to accept higher costs of living to pay for American workers or this is going to continue.
 
PS:  Those that complain about taxes:  Would you pay 10 percent more in road tax to ensure that your bridges and roads were built by American companies?

You will never get below the Chinese and other countries pay scales.    If we lower ours, they will lower theirs.   No matter how many pay cuts you take here, they will reciprocate there with pay cuts.

Works the same here in the Union vs non Union comparisons.    I am a Union Electrical Construction Worker.   I have a good friend that owns a non union electrical company.  He just laughs when I mention that our union is talking about taking a pay cut to be more competitive.   He said the same thing, that the unions will never get below his scale, we take a cut, his workers take a cut.  He says his non union workers get excited when the union workers get a raise because they get a raise, and they panic when the union starts talking about taking a pay cut to get more work because they know they will be taking a pay cut.    Same in the cheap labor foreign countries, we will never get on the same playing field with them.

[ptgb]

You will never get below the Chinese and other countries pay scales.    If we lower ours, they will lower theirs.   No matter how many pay cuts you take here, they will reciprocate there with pay cuts.

Or... they will move on to the next "cheap labor" country. Remember when Mexico was taking all our jobs? They work for $2 an hour. Once their standard of living started to rise, out they go and on to China' they'll work for .50 an hour.

I am surmising the next stop for cheap labor will be Africa (I'm serious)... hell, they'll work for .10 an hour.

And the destruction of the middle-class marches on...