We are hearing a lot on free trade in the election rhetoric. The more astute commentators have pointed out that free trade is essentially anti-national on several different levels. The less astute, or more likely, those being paid to push a certain narrative, have the opposite POV.
We also have another issue, mass migration from poorer countries. Mostly we think of this as Mexicans, but they come from any number of countries with a poorer standard of living. These topics are closely linked in the Republican party. The Republican Elite have a vested interest in keeping input costs down for the business interests they represent.
Both the Democrats and Republican Elite have the same perspective on these issues. More mass migration. More jobs sent overseas to countries with lower labor production costs. The free flow of labor and cheaply produced products is universally recognized good.
The Detroit Free Press ran this story, 6 Reasons Ford Picked Mexico for a New Plant, this week. Of course they covered the three most obvious reasons: Free Trade, Cheap Logistics, and Cheap Labor. They threw in 2 other "reasons" to make the list longer and then a talking point to pretend that things are still good in the USA.
I want to know: "How many American's are able to migrate to Mexico to work in the new Ford plant?". If someone currently working for Ford is willing to go to Mexico and work at the new, lower wage, can they? Will Ford transfer them in their job? Will the Mexican government let the gringos move in and live as they please? Will the Mexican government start giving tax rebates to the new comers? Will they suddenly publish their paperwork and signs in English? Exactly how far will the Mexicans go to assimilate white folks into their country?
I think we all know the answer.
I don't fault Ford for doing this. As the article points out, they are hardly the only ones, and they are pressed economically to follow suit.
ReplyDeleteWho I do fault is the UAW. Their insistence to keep pushing labor rates and benefits up is a large part of what killed Detroit; that they had to take such big concessions during the recession to keep the Big 3 alive is proof of that, and now they're trying to push them back up again. This will eventually force even more jobs out of the country. Good thinking, guys!
Then there's the state and local governments. Long before jobs in the auto industry started heading to Mexico, they were going to places like Tennessee because of the regulations and taxes in Michigan.
You're absolutely right about the hypocrisy concerning Americans competing for the jobs in Mexico. Again, though, the problem is with our own US government. You can hardly blame the Mexicans for enforcing their immigration and labor laws which favor their own citizens over foreigners...we could only hope that our government would do the same for us.
cuál es incorrecto con los mexicanos , hombre blanco
ReplyDeleteOne of the big ironies of this whole situation is that my 1998 Honda was built in America and I consider it to be more American than the Big 3 ever will be until they get their butts back home.
ReplyDeleteWhen I went looking for a car, I wanted dependable and American made. So I went with Honda. Bwahahahaha!!
I have had the car for well over a decade and this situation still cracks me up.