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[overlandsailor]

This topic was inspired by a new member: zhengy125
Welcome Aboard zhengy125

Is globalization a bad thing? Depends on how you look at it I guess. When we focus on the jobs lost and the people effected by those losses it is hard to see it as anything but a horrible thing.

However, how do we fight it?

Tariffs?

In Recent History President Bush put Tariffs on foreign steel to protect the American Steel industry. During that time the price of steel jumped dramatically. This resulted in a decrease in construction across the country. That decrease is construction cost alot of construction workers (including me).

Tax Incentives?

It's an interesting Idea. However, is this not just another way to give tax breaks to corporations? More importantly, in the global market, that we are undeniably in, companies need the ability to increase and reduce production and operations costs rapidly so that they can stay profitable with ever decreasing profit margins.

Tax Penalties?

This could as easily cause a company to move it's entire operation overseas rather then just a portion of it.

Buy American Campaigns?

Well, we have had this off and on since the 1970s and it just doesn't seem to catch on. People ever increasingly seek to get the most out of every dollar. Quite frequently that means they have to select the goods from China over those from America.

The problem with fighting globalization is that you usually end up taking jobs from other groups of workers when you try to protect jobs in one sector. You also artificially keep costs up, which translates into all of us spending more to live. So effectively / practically you give alot of Americans a pay cut, by reducing how much their money can buy.

What I think we need to do is address the issue not by trying to fight globalization but by trying to make it work for American workers.

We need to rethink of workers are treated. Separating benefits from employers so when workers end up having to change jobs the effect on their lives is minimal is a good start. We also need to come up with ways to help workers pay for training that will get them into other higher paying jobs/careers when their's is lost.

IMHO fighting globalization is simply fighting progress and delaying the inevitable growing pains of our ever changing economy and industries.

A great book on this subject is called: The Radical Center


So for debate / discussion:

What is the solution to the problems Globalization causes American workers and how do we implement them?