tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658575.post2672054875540508571..comments2023-10-09T01:56:27.139-07:00Comments on Robbie's Ruminations: Is too much of a good thing, too much? -- Nope!Robbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05146718095261185040noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658575.post-78003761923217806192004-07-27T07:57:00.000-07:002004-07-27T07:57:00.000-07:00Wtg, Patrick, Robbie!Thanks for the info, robbie!V...Wtg, Patrick, Robbie!<br>Thanks for the info, robbie!<br>VAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658575.post-75092781067724437472004-07-27T08:47:00.000-07:002004-07-27T08:47:00.000-07:00Wow! Long entry, and I have a lot to say about it...Wow! Long entry, and I have a lot to say about it...<br><br>I have mixed feelings about outsourcing, and wish I understood it better, and had a better grasp of our options. My husband works in an industry that has been devastated by "globalization." He works for a decorative pillow manufacturer. Five years ago, most of their purchasing was done from textile mills in the southeast, and the products were manufactured here in Portland. Now, at least 70% of their business is running imports from China and India. That is what the marketplace is demanding, and that is what they have had to do. They've basically gone from being a manufacturing plant to being an import company. Do barely enough "manufacturing" anymore to keep a crew employed. I can't imagine that any of the production people are making a decent living wage anymore, with all they layoffs that go on when production is down. AND a huge number of the textile mills in the southeast have closed down and put MANY people out of work there.<br><br>Also, the pressure of the "Walmart" school of retail buying has made it so that my husband's company is practically giving product away. Their profit margin has all but evaporated. They were shoved headlong into an industry they didn't understand---importing---and have no expertise at. Sort of making it up as they go along. And they're sucking at it, because the sales people and the buyers can't seem to understand the time frame for acquiring the product they ordered is lengthened by at least the nine weeks that the product is gonna spend on a boat getting here. It's a mess, and my husband is getting an ulcer over it. But if he loses his job, and I believe there IS a more than passing chance of this happening---we are REALLY in a mess! <br><br>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658575.post-75608834372596415282004-07-27T08:48:00.000-07:002004-07-27T08:48:00.000-07:00Hey! I'm not done yet! I don't think Pat...Hey! I'm not done yet! <br><br>I don't think Patrick's comments about not being able to understand Indian-accented English are very valid. I could listen to that cadence all day...I think they speak beautifully! And English is NOT their second language. Most English speaking Indians are at least bi-lingual. A concept not well understood here in America.... Lisa :-]Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658575.post-91842478679897814082004-07-27T11:08:00.000-07:002004-07-27T11:08:00.000-07:00Well, robbie, too bad your not being paid by aol e...Well, robbie, too bad your not being paid by aol everytime your featured somewhere. :p<br>It's nice of you to share the spot light with someone. your sweet!<br>Take care busy lady. :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658575.post-5933511063706835122004-07-27T13:00:00.000-07:002004-07-27T13:00:00.000-07:00I have been to his journal. I'm sure he appreciate...I have been to his journal. I'm sure he appreciates the reco. : )Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658575.post-47612857144677880662004-07-27T14:26:00.000-07:002004-07-27T14:26:00.000-07:00Ah ... outsourcing! Another major issue I'm still ...Ah ... outsourcing! Another major issue I'm still wrestling with these days. You have a natural talent for finding them my friend :-). <br><br>In the field of medicine, this hasn't hit full force yet, but that's only a matter of time. All the documents that must be transcribed can be sent over to India and done much cheaper for the hospitals and doctor's offices involved. Other changes are occurring too. For instance, in a select few places, they've begun sending their digital images MRIs and CAT scans overseas to be interpreted. True, these were sent to doctors overseas who were licensed to practice in the US, but it still sets the pattern for things to come. The same approach can be applied to other areas of medicine as well. I can easily see the day when you can go online and get medical advice and prescriptions from overseas. Outsourced medicine! It's partially there now in fact, but not yet cohesively organized to displace the doctors here. That may change. It will be cheaper too, but is it wise? <br><br>I worry about what will happen when we have lost most of our industrial base, and a good chunk of the service sector besides. While it's true that some of this loss is inevitable, or can be made up by other means, a wise country will set up their laws to make it economically more attractive for businesses and capital to stay within its borders, and we aren't doing that. I've heard the arguments on both sides. I just need more information to go on before I can draw better conclusions.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658575.post-76136601796263852752004-07-27T17:12:00.000-07:002004-07-27T17:12:00.000-07:00Very excellent entry. Your right about jobs going...Very excellent entry. Your right about jobs going overseas. I have a hard time seeing a change though. I do hope for it...johnAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658575.post-86182044228794657212004-07-28T05:44:00.000-07:002004-07-28T05:44:00.000-07:00Excellent entry, you say it so well! Congrats on b...Excellent entry, you say it so well! <br>Congrats on being featured again :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658575.post-70137852354502928042004-07-28T06:42:00.000-07:002004-07-28T06:42:00.000-07:00In a real sense, the filmmaking industry is dealin...In a real sense, the filmmaking industry is dealing with outsourcing too. Productions have moved to Canada and around the world due to cheaper labor costs. Toronto or Vancouver stand in for SF, so way fewer films are shot here. You always hear of celebs shooting in Eastern Europe, etc. Producers and directors have to fight to have their films shot in the US. (last year's "Mystic River" was an example where the Clint Eastwood absolutely required that the film be shot in Boston, and you can tell).<br><br>I believe that all of us on this planet are connected, I don't have a problem with some aspects of outsourcing, but others bother me. I've spoken to some Indian Tech people who are downright rude. Their English is ok, but some have had zero patience for questions. I read an article about how surreal life is for them at their jobs-- they often use fake Americanized names, they work in the middle of the night, etc...<br><br>just some random reactions... AlbertAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658575.post-30246793878942812302004-07-28T14:02:00.000-07:002004-07-28T14:02:00.000-07:00Is too much of a good thing too much? Are you seri...Is too much of a good thing too much? Are you serious? You never have too much of a good thing. Think about it, in life you hardly ever get a good thing to begin with, so if you finally get a good thing, use that sucker till it drys up. hahaha I know the mind can take that in many different directions but keep it clean here hahaha Just go with the flow. Hugs LannyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658575.post-56438359976643252502004-08-01T06:17:00.000-07:002004-08-01T06:17:00.000-07:00I think it's reprehensible that outsourcing is...I think it's reprehensible that outsourcing is so common now. But it seems we're going to get screwed no matter what. As you said, if these companies are subjected to penalizing taxes, they'll simply pass that on to the consumer. Personally I don't accept it as the 'cost of doing business' and think that all that cash is going into the pockets of a very few corporate masterminds. ¤HollyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658575.post-2142963998178050402004-08-04T15:53:00.000-07:002004-08-04T15:53:00.000-07:00This was a excellent article, Robbie! (Gee..I've r...This was a excellent article, Robbie! <br><br>(Gee..I've really missed out on a lot since my last visit!) still reading.... I can't come to your journal and just read one entry. I have to read every, single one till I find myself where I left off last time! :PAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658575.post-28598466295152767052004-08-09T22:18:00.000-07:002004-08-09T22:18:00.000-07:00Interesting that you wrote about this since I am p...Interesting that you wrote about this since I am planning to write about it in depth in a future entry. <br><br>As you know, you and I have a background in economics, so I understand the economies of scale you were referring to. There is also the important issue of international trade. As more people overseas receive better wages, the more demand there is for our goods, which in turn reduces our trade deficit.<br><br>Economics today is no longer just national, it's global. There is no stopping this. We have to consign ourselves to the fact that the marketplace has expanded to include the whole world.<br><br>However, there is no denying that abuses abound in outsourcing, especially in the area of fair wages. There should be fair trade regulations, and I tend to agree with Patrick, there should be checks and balances to make sure that our workers don't suffer in big businesses' quest for bigger profit margins. If that should be in the form of taxes and penalties so be it. Think of it as a reverse tariff. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com