Mexican Trucks in the U.S.

[Savaric]

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/08/29/mex....ap/index.html

Looks like another bid to replace American jobs to me. Of course the Bush Administration endorses it so it must be okay, right?

Why send the work off to somewhere cheaper when we can bring the cheap labor to us.

[Aristotle]

You realize the whole concept of artificially "protecting" jobs and propping up wages is a bogus, unsustainable concept in a global economy, right?

[Darion]

And here I thought we were being rhetorical.

[Savaric]

Originally posted by Aristotle
You realize the whole concept of artificially "protecting" jobs and propping up wages is a bogus, unsustainable concept in a global economy, right?

So what is the end result of the above mentioned items?

[Aristotle]

Well, just to be more specific:

"What a slap in the face to American workers, opening the highways to dangerous trucks on Labor Day weekend, one of the busiest driving weekends of the year," said Teamsters President Jim Hoffa.

LOL. Yeah, the current crop of truckers on the highways are such bastions of safety. The trucks we have on our roads NOW are a menace. The Teamsters repeatedly block efforts to shift more of our intranational shipping to trains and other, safer modes of transport because it cuts into their union dues. So don't pretend you care about safety, Jimmy Hoffa.

You know what their real objection is, right? These Mexican drivers don't have to pay dues to the Teamsters.

Labor and driver-owner groups have been fighting the measure -- part of the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement -- since it was first proposed, saying the program will erode highway safety and eliminate U.S. jobs.

Any attempts to artificially "preserve" jobs don't work. They just temporarily shift burdens and eventually result in worse results. When the economy falters, the loss of jobs is far more extreme.

This is like people crying about all the jobs that US corporations have shipped out of the country. Each year they pile on new mandatory benefits they have to pay (health care, child care, American Families with Disabilities Act, retirement benefits, etc.) and then stand and stare in shock when the company says "Enough is enough!" and takes their jobs and factories elsewhere.

How good are the benefits when your job gets shipped overseas?

Supporters of the plan say letting more Mexican trucks on U.S. highways will save American consumers hundreds of millions of dollars.

And I would bet that savings translates into a much better gain, nationwide, than some handful of jobs lost in the trucking industry.

[Graeblyn]

The future of American employment does not lie with the sorts of jobs the big American Unions are interested in protecting. It would be far better to concentrate on better education/vocational training for American students, and union building efforts in the developing world, so that the affects of cheap foreign low-skilled and unskilled labor wouldn't be an issue at all.

[Savaric]

Originally posted by Aristotle
This is like people crying about all the jobs that US corporations have shipped out of the country. Each year they pile on new mandatory benefits they have to pay (health care, child care, American Families with Disabilities Act, retirement benefits, etc.) and then stand and stare in shock when the company says "Enough is enough!" and takes their jobs and factories elsewhere.

How good are the benefits when your job gets shipped overseas?

I dunno if it's that complicated. I see the business looking at it like this: we can make 1 widgit for 10 dollars here in the U.S., or we can make 1 widgit for 2 dollars in Mexico or China. Okay shut down let's move the operation. Of course I know it gets more complicated than that. If your factory is in the U.S. and your competitor is in a foreign country with cheap labor, then you are at a major disadvantage. You get eaten by your competitor. I think it's the problem with capitalism and big business and people at the bottom get the shitty end of the stick. Sorry dear your dad lost his job at the plant. But hey look on the bright side we are getting laundry soap 12% cheaper. And then it reveals something much more problematic- that most of the world lives in wretched poverty.

I think all Americans (or all peoples) should be entitled to things like health care and retirement. Who bears that responsibility is another matter. I don't think giving up your health care or retirement plan is fair compensation for cheaper goods at your local whichever store. Reminds me of a South Park episode where Howard Stern offers 50,000$ for a blowjob, one guy says he'll do it for 40,000 and then another says he'll do it for 20,000, then Kenny says he'll do it for 10 bucks. lol

[Darion]

The agreement originally mentioned in the link has nothing to do with means of production, but rather Mexican trucks being able to ship into the United States instead of transferring their loads to Union trucks at the border. Personally, I believe that trade unions have generally served their purpose in the American economy and are really no longer necessary, but that's me.