As I listen to all the news regarding North Korea, South Korea and the USA, I sit here and wonder if any of Americans that got us into that War so many years ago had any idea how long we would be engaged there. (~60 yrs and counting...) Then I wonder which country is costing us more?
I mean we keep ~29,000 USA military personnel in South Korea. While South Korean companies continue to develop and build products that are imported into the USA. (fewer American jobs?) Some include these common names: Samsung, Hyundai, Kia, LG, Hankook, Daewoo, etc. So though I am against trade barriers, I find this use of soldiers and dollars puzzling at best and disturbing at worst. (ie pay to protect our competitors?)
Then we have North Korea... We continue to provide them with food so that their disturbed leadership can afford to continue developing weapons and paying an army. Wouldn't there be a greater chance of the citizens throwing out their leaders if they were hungry and angry?
In summary, it looks like USA tax dollars are being spent to keep a country secure, so that it's businesses can continue to compete against American businesses and take American jobs. I realize it is not that simple, yet it may be worth some discussion. Especially after LG and Samsung started going after the American home appliance market. (say good bye to Whirlpool, Maytag, etc?) Thoughts?
USA Assistance to North Korea
USA Forces in South Korea
North Korea meets with USA (food shortages)
Multinational Korean Corporations
Here are some writings regarding manufacturing and trade barriers. Remember that America's wealth only grows when something is created here that someone else in the world values and is willing to pay for. Most of the transactions in the USA do not increase the wealth of our country. Inventions, Unique Knowledge, Production and Agriculture are the key wealth builders. Unfortunately the first 3 seem to be rapidly declining as the world catches up. This can not bode well for our standard of living in the long term.
Now if you work in a service industry and think this does not apply to you. Who do you think will be able to pay for your service as the wealth shrinks? It is like being in a balloon that is losing helium very slowly, everyone starts to drop... So remember to buy American when they offer a comparable product. Even if it costs a bit more. (your income and your children's future may depend on it)
Star Tribune Protectionist Instincts on Rise
Frederick M Zimmerman Writings
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2 comments:
There are at least two things wrong with your formulation.
1. South Koreans aren't "taking our jobs"; we're giving them away like great fools.
2. The effects of starvation are to make a population docile and subservient, not revolutionary. Not that I agree with yielding to "Make Me Il" and his continual blackmail, but deliberate starvation of the population isn't going to help, either.
3. Just yesterday, small-town Alabama was rejoicing that Kia was siting a huge new auto plant there. Other than that Korea owns it and takes the profit, this is good, yes? Free trade helps everybody.
4. Yes, our advantage in the world marketplace is ideas, innovation, invention. And our education system is sucking that down the great porcelain appliance.
J. Ewing
I agree, we are freely giving away these critical jobs to save a few dollars or to be trendy...
I disagree, I think soldiers that are watching their families starve are more likely to stage a coup than those whose families are well taken care of. The problem is, How do we focus their anger on their leadership? Is there enough SK / NK chatter so that the NK citizens know the problem is internal? Or does the NK propaganda machine have the NK citizens totally snowed?
I'll discuss the misleading "Assembled in America" sales pitch later this week. (ie very little wealth generated)
Though I agree that the education system bears some of the responsibility, I think our citizen's are becoming complacent, greedy and relatively lazy... Many seem to want big rewards for little effort. Be it grades, promotions, income, etc. (ie USA work ethic is declining) Fewer grad students in the sciences are USA citizens, mostly non-USA? The USA students are mostly in Law school or pursuing MBA's? (ie low wealth creation, high cost...)
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