CNN opinion piece: "We're trying to shield ourselves from foreign competition"

[Amerigo Vespucci]

No, Ruben, we're trying to keep our jobs in America rather than send them to countries where the work can be done for pennies on the dollar.

U.S. workers can't hide from competition
By Ruben Navarrette Jr., Special to CNN
November 27, 2009 8:56 a.m. EST



http://www.cnn.com/2009/OPINION/11/27/navarrette.competition.immigration/index.html

San Diego, California (CNN) -- When I speak to college students, I always push two messages: If you work hard, take risks, leave your comfort zone and never give up, you can do anything you want to in life; and part of life is competition, because no matter what you want, you can bet that someone else wants it too.

Competition. A simple concept and a beneficial one. It makes us better by forcing us to work harder. Sadly, it's also an idea that is going out of style in a society where students expect to get good grades just for showing up, where everyone gets a ribbon no matter where they finish, and where parents scheme to get their kids into college by lobbying state legislatures to create set-asides for in-state residents at public universities.

When we're not hiding from domestic competition, we're trying to shield ourselves from the foreign variety. High-skilled workers don't want to compete with those from China, India or Pakistan. Low-skilled workers are just as afraid of those from Mexico, Guatemala or El Salvador.

Politicians only make matters worse. While Republicans exploit the immigration issue, Democrats do the same thing with trade. In last year's Democratic presidential primary, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton tried to give displaced workers in Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania a convenient villain to blame -- the North American Free Trade Agreement.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

1. tu

:thumbsdown:

[DJ13]

2. What a load

There ARE ways to dealing with wage discrepancies, but in our brain washed free trade as a religious belief country those options are never considered.

[anonymous171]

3. Elitist "journalist" who probably has never had a real job before

talking down to the American worker. How refreshing :sarcasm:

[Deja Q]

4. Oh, THAT creep again. I wish somebody would spew his gibber for a penny on the dollar.

Then read his articles whining about losing interest in the field he's in and everything else.

What a wet wanker.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

7. He IS consistent, I'll give him that...

...as I was putting together the original post, I considered adding his name in the subject line, and thought "Nah...let it be an unpleasant surprise."

:rofl:

[Catshrink]

5. Send Ruben's job to China or India

and let's see how he likes it. Maybe he could get a job at Home Depot making $9 an hour if he's lucky. How will he make ends meet on that? How do you like that competiton, Ruben? It's always a thought experiment with these guys -- until it's their job that gets outsourced or their house that gets foreclosed on or their parent who gets stuck with the "donut" of medicare's drug program. Then of course they whine.

[JVS]

10. I'm pretty sure we could create an AI program capable of spewing globalist bullshit

[jtrockville]

6. Hiring US workers has a huge disadvantage.

I work for an international company. A few years ago, it was MUCH cheaper to higher IT at our India office. Now the payscale is pretty much evening out. But there's one GLARING difference: the company contribution to health insurance of US employees makes US more expensive.

[treestar]

14. That is probably the reason for it

The fetish we have with tying health insurance coverage to employment.

I was in a Christmas store today - not voluntary, but with family that wanted to stop there.

Every single thing I picked up and looked for was "Made in China." I picked up a lot of stuff for this purpose - had not intention of buying anything - I hate that kind of junk. People only need one set of Christmas decorations and can reuse them every year.

And all American themed stuff, for Christmas, which meant obviously none of the Chinese people making it would buy it. Chinese people work in Chinese factories making stuff they know is being shipped to America.

Whoever owned the store bought their entire inventory from China.

The only people I could see benefitting were the designers of the stuff - maybe they could not get their designs mass marketed otherwise.

Somehow we must have the money to buy the stuff, though. How else do they manage to stay in business? And with all the transportation cost added on. China is far away. Like really, really far away. I'd like to see China. It must be full of factories.

[HughBeaumont]

8. Looks and talks like an idiot wingnut shill who never has to worry about anything.

More "blame the worker" bullshit to absolve the greedy cost-batshit corporations of fault.

You start more pro-worker legislation and curb offshoring sharply, it will encourage more collegiate entries into the science and math fields. Common Sense 101: You can't expect kids to take up a career field when you're not giving them a single incentive (i.e. offshoring tech jobs, R&D, etc) or viable job market when they get out to do so.

About the "competition" ruse: It's not competition when foreign workers working in their countries are always going to be cheaper. It's not competition when you're giving them the R&D future that we should be getting our hands on. It's not competition because we don't MAKE anything HERE anymore. It's not competition because they're already getting the jump on sciences such as nano-, Bio- and green technology while were . . . well, what ARE we trying to accomplish for the future, exactly? To make this the first "retail-only" nation and see if we can make a viable recovery with shit jobs?

It's not competition when you enable corporations to displace thousands of American workers either by offshoring or inshoring via tax breaks and loopholes. It's not competition when you have nothing on the near or far horizon to replace the outgoing jobs.

What it IS, however, is the destruction of the American middle class, exactly as the well-monied Robber Baron Republican'ts want it. Offshoring helps NO one but the rich and drives down wages in every job they can ship over or bring here. "Everyone in their station and have the good sense to STAY there." A fearful, low paid, divided and powerless middle class is an OBEDIENT middle class.

Companies aren't even addressing the issue or treating it as serious, nor is anyone in our government or corporations providing the much-needed assistance for fired workers to re-assimilate back in the work force. It's just slash and "good luck" while the suits buy another yacht, and the number of white-collar professions immune from this practice is dwindling every year. Yap yap about "lower prices", but have the prices REALLY gone down on anything that's made with quality? I haven't noticed it. There are several things I would like to have but can't because I simply cannot afford them. The American worker keeps way less than ever because everything costs more, and the quality of our lives have plunged thanks to longer hours and fear. How good do we really have it when it's accepted practice to assume the new MINIMUM retirement age is 65?

It's COST not KNOWLEDGE. How many times does this have to be repeated?

[Mimosa]

17. ^Perfect analysis: I wish our elected 'leaders' would listen^ n/t

[Jim Sagle]

9. Whadda pieca shit.

[Raineyb]

15. Short simple and sweet.

:thumbsup:

[madrchsod]

11. what a worthless piece of dog crap.....

he needs a reality check...

[RagAss]

12. Fuck You asshole, get a real job !

[valerief]

13. He's ugly, too. nt

[Enthusiast]

16. Ruben Navarrette Jr, huh?

WHAT AN ASSHOLE!

[Mimosa]

18. He looks OINKY, iykwim!!! And CNN is supposedly 'liberal?' n/t