Bush Supports Shift of Jobs Overseas - LA Times

[question everything]

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-bushecon10feb10,1,7979477.story?coll=la-headlines-politics

WASHINGTON — The movement of American factory jobs and white-collar work to other countries is part of a positive transformation that will enrich the U.S. economy over time, even if it causes short-term pain and dislocation, the Bush administration said Monday.

(snip)

"Outsourcing is just a new way of doing international trade," said N. Gregory Mankiw, chairman of Bush's Council of Economic Advisors, which prepared the report. "More things are tradable than were tradable in the past. And that's a good thing."

(snip)

Sen. John F. Kerry of Massachusetts, the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, supports a rollback of Bush's tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and backs the creation of tax incentives for companies that keep jobs in the United States. However, he supported the North American Free Trade Agreement, which many union members say is responsible for the migration of U.S. jobs, particularly in the auto industry, to Mexico.

(snip)

Edwards, who also supports repealing tax cuts for the richest Americans and offering incentives to corporations that create new jobs in the United States, said it would come as a "news bulletin" to the American people that the economy was improving and that the outsourcing of jobs was good for America.

"These people," he said of the Bush administration, "what planet do they live on? They are so out of touch."

(snip)

[srpantalonas]

1. Ok. NOW I've had it.

I can't wait for an election to get this guy OUT OF THERE!

The Commerce Department is --get this--holding seminars oon how to move your business to China.

serenity now, serenity now...

[wellst0nev0ter]

2. Lucky Duckies All

See, when you support the transfer of your jobs to Mexicans making $1.50 an hour, you will still live to see your corporate bosses making off like bandits with the increased profits.

[grannylib]

5. And the blessed shareholders...let's not forget them!

[EstimatedProphet]

3. Can't they at least MENTION

how this is supposed to be good for us, so that we can look into it? Because somehow I don't see cutting American workers out of the picture as good for American workers...

[grannylib]

4. NAFTA was one of the issues on which I disagreed with Clinton; my

job, along with those of hundreds of others, got outsourced to Canada. The company shut down an entire facility in OKC and the call center in MN, and are now phasing out the rest of the MN operation.
And of course the Chimp is out of touch; he was born with a silver spoon up his ass...he probably uses it to put food on his family.

[raifield]

6. Ok, that was really funny

And of course the Chimp is out of touch; he was born with a silver spoon up his ass...he probably uses it to put food on his family

This post isn't relavent to the topic, but that's the funniest thing I've seen posted on DU!

All this outsourcing smacks of cutting off their nose to spite their face. Who do they think are buying the products manufactured overseas, who are utilizing the call centers, etc? We are, but we can't when we have no jobs or money!

[Art_from_Ark]

7. That was priceless

I'll never be able to look at silver spoons again without thinking of that comment :D

[Terran]

8. How will outsourcing enrich the US economy

if the new jobs created by these enriched corporations are simply sent out of the country? The corporations may be getting rich, but they are failing to pass those benefits on to the domestic economy, in the traditional manner. The money is flowing elsewhere.

This man is an idiot. But that was at least a very damaging headline for Bush, on the upside.

[KansDem]

9. Correct me if I'm wrong...

Sen. John F. Kerry of Massachusetts...supported the North American Free Trade Agreement, which many union members say is responsible for the migration of U.S. jobs, particularly in the auto industry, to Mexico.

As I recall, NAFTA took place in 1993; Michael Moore addresses the problem of moving American jobs "particularly in the auto industry" to Mexico in his "Roger and Me," in 1989 (fours years prior to NAFTA).

Do I sense "Kerry-bashing" here?

on edit: And just who are these "many union members?"

[nolabels]

23. The lack of respect for ones employment , wages being paid, health care...

along with several other things goes along parallel with workers unions. All of them things are being trampled is about the same rate as union ranks and membership have disappeared

http://www.epinet.org/content.cfm/briefingpapers_bp143
How unions help all workers
by Lawrence Mishel with Matthew Walters

Unions have a substantial impact on the compensation and work lives of both unionized and non-unionized workers. This report presents current data on unions' effect on wages, fringe benefits, total compensation, pay inequality, and workplace protections.

Some of the conclusions are:


• Unions raise wages of unionized workers by roughly 20% and raise compensation, including both wages and benefits, by about 28%.

• Unions reduce wage inequality because they raise wages more for low- and middle-wage workers than for higher-wage workers, more for blue-collar than for white-collar workers, and more for workers who do not have a college degree.

• Strong unions set a pay standard that nonunion employers follow. For example, a high school graduate whose workplace is not unionized but whose industry is 25% unionized is paid 5% more than similar workers in less unionized industries.

• The impact of unions on total nonunion wages is almost as large as the impact on total union wages.

• The most sweeping advantage for unionized workers is in fringe benefits. Unionized workers are more likely than their nonunionized counterparts to receive paid leave, are approximately 18% to 28% more likely to have employer-provided health insurance, and are 23% to 54% more likely to be in employer-provided pension plans.
(snip)

[moondust]

10. The Bushmonkey is completely insane.

Get the stupid f'cker out of there already.

[fizzana]

11. What's wrong with you people

Bush is right on this one. Jobs go overseas and yes, we the little people do hurt for while but in the meantime the large corporations get very rich with all their tax breaks and lower costs. Then they start to spend all that money and some of it trickles down to us.

I understand that dishwashing jobs at expensive restuarants is going to be one of the hottest areas in job growth in the next decade. Roll up your sleeves and get to work.

[opihimoimoi]

13. Well, we got what we vote for. Enough Americans got fooled and voted for

this Pub Puppet. This is what he gives us... some silly idiotic notion that lost jobs are good for America? What has he been smoking? What has he been on? Get that man a UA and find out so we can ban the substance. Its dangerous shit.

[Skittles]

14. lol.....................fizzana

well put!

[rocktivity]

22. Here are New Jersey's fastest-growing occupations

Note the large number of sub-$30K salaries.




rocknation

[fizzana]

12. In January when 112,000 new jobs were created, manufactruring

jobs still declined by 11,000.

Since Bush was selected, the average annual salary of jobs lost in the U.S. paid $43,000. In that same time the average salary of new jobs created is $35,000.

Even if job creation picks up between now and November Bush will not benefit much from it because most of those jobs will be filled by people who were making more money before. While those people might be thankful they have a job, the fact that their lifestyles have been significantly downgraded won't exactly fill them with joy and optimism.

[Lorien]

17. i'm starting to wonder WHERE those jobs

were created; people in India on American payrolls, perhaps?

Your comment about declining payrolls is very true for me; during the Clinton years, I was making between $120,000-147,000 a year, but this year I'll only make about $55,000, and my corporate clients are still asking me to further slash my fees (I'm a freelance artist/ animator).

[delete_bush]

19. Do you have the source

for the average salary lost vs. created comparison? I've been curious about this but haven't been able to locate the data. Thanks!

[fizzana]

21. I found the article some time ago and I didn't bookmark it

unfortunately. I think it was a link from Atrios to one of the blogs that cover economic issues.

I tried Google and couldn't find it although i didn't look too hard.

One additional thing that the numbers don't reveal is that the jobs being lost had better benefits while the ones being gained had fewer benefits so the net gap is even greater.

[Arugula Latte]

15. Okay, Democratic Nominee, Use This!

This is an issue that is very simple for Joe Sixpack to understand: "The president doesn't care if my job goes to the foreigners. And his people actually HELP that happen on PURPOSE?...WTF?"

[fizzana]

16. Talk about a juicy campaign issue with no downside.

n/t

[progressivebydesign]

18. He's lost his mind completely! N/T

[saigon68]

20. THE CHIMPANZEE never had a brain--

And like unlike the wishes of Dr. Frankenstein---

Dick Cheney and the boys have no arrangement or resolve to equip him with one---Even a used and worn out one.

[damnraddem]

24. We've got to make sure this story keeps its legs.

Most American voters just won't see it the way Dubya does -- after all, it's the voters' jobs that are on the line. That alone SHOULD make sure that Dubya's job falls off the line. But the story has to keep coming back, outraging more and more voters, between now and November.