Government Health Insurance Attracts Jobs

[iamjoy]

in this interesting article by Paul Krugman of the NY Times, he points out how a Conservative taxation policy may be penny wise and pound foolish (analogy mine).

It has to do with a decision by Toyota to locate a plant in Ontario, Canada rather than the U.S. South.

He points out the irony of the people from Alabama voting down a tax increase a few years ago that would have presumably helped fund education, and now some Japanese companies trying to open plants in the Southern states are unhappy with the poor level of education/training in the available workers.

SNIP:
But education is only one reason Toyota chose Ontario. Canada's other big selling point is its national health-insurance system, which saves auto manufacturers large sums in benefit payments compared with their costs in the United States.

SNIP
Funny, isn't it? Pundits tell us that the welfare state is doomed by globalization, that programs like national health insurance have become unsustainable. But Canada's universal-health-insurance system is handling international competition just fine. It's our own system, which penalizes companies that treat their workers well, that's in trouble.

LINK TO ARTICLE (appeared in Orlando Sentinel)
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/orl-edpkrugman26072605jul26,0,7222918.story?coll=orl-opinion-headlines

Great article, loved the bit about the workers being illiterate, and having to train with pictures. May be hyperbole or out right apocryphal, but makes a point nonetheless.