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Aneirin -> RE: The little Man, the middle Man and the middle class (9/16/2008 7:10:02 PM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Termyn8or
I just happened to fall into a niche jobwise. I am talking about other people. I mean I can smoke at work, I can do almost anything I want at work. But that is me. Sometimes one has to think about others, and the big picture.
I don't consider myself skilled, just very well semi-skilled. I see there are three segments of society when it comes to employability. Of course there are the dregs, those who would have to be taught how to mow grass etc., then there are the semi skilled. My Father is one I consider as such. Those who can work in a factory, can read rulers, mechanical diagrams and micrometers as well as other measuring instruments.
What I consider skilled is engineers, doctors and the like. Dad was semi-skilled. He did well at it and sometimes worked closely with the engineers, actually told them certain things were a pipedream because there was no way on Earth to manufacture the project. He affected the design of some products. Working hand in hand with the engineers his company manufactured the very first machine that produced floppy disks. I still consider him semi-skilled. He made a good living, because that was possible back then. Grampa had taught him the basics, and was impressed by Dad's abilities, and praised him for it.
Dad never had a degree, and like me, not even a highschool diploma. He did have a skill though. Call it a semi-skill all you want, but that was what made this country work. The engineer says do this, and he says you can't do this. Together they solved problems and innovated, something the US used to be known for. Reknowned for even.
Semi-skilled workers made up most of the middle class. Of course there were burger flippers etc., but the base of the good economy these people built was on innovation. They were willing to learn and work, and of course went on to buy houses and support their families. They did well and the companies they worked for did well, proving the worth of the workers. Of course it takes good leadership, someone to make the right decisions, but without the little Man nothing works.
That is what we have lost due to free trade. It took a while for me to realize this, because of my position in my field. I see people working for ten bucks an hour, doing almost what I do. I am somewhat insulated from the effects of free trade. I know those days are coming to an end.
Understand what I am saying here. In this society not everyone has the ability to become a doctor or an engineer. Somewhere in between that and the lowest of jobs, there used to be a niche for people who will learn, and are willing to work. They have every right to be here as anyone else. I think anyone willing to work should have the opportunity to do so.
I think they made a mistake when they exported all the semi-skilled jobs overseas. That is shortsighted, as we are the major market. Now the borrowing has gotten to the point that if you think Bear-Stearns is in for a rough ride down, what happens next will dwarf that.
The fact is that we produce almost nothing. The fact is that when we import all these goods, if anyone cares to add up the costs of sending the raw materials to a foreign country and them sending back the finished product is ridiculous. Free trade was nothing but a plan to exploit poor people in other countries. This all to the benefit of the rich, those skilled in screwing people. What they don't realize is that they are screwing themselves in the long run. That's the American way now I guess.
The middle class in necessary for our economy to work properly. (cjan ignore the next sentence if you don't have me ignored). How many can walk into the bosses office and tell them that you missed work because you did coke the other day and need an advance for weed ? How many of you can get a blowjob in the office (Clinton). How many can really say "fuck you" and get away with it ? Not many.
That is because jobs are scarce unless you have a bunch of credentials. They should not be. We enjoy the benefit of cheap Chinese products. They work so cheap the importing the raw materials and shipping the finished product adds up to less than what it would cost to pay a realistic wage in the US to manufacture the same product. For some of the Chinese, until they got that wonderful job making TV sets their house was a blanket, and they were lucky to get that !
It was unrealistic for people to think free trade was a good thing under these conditions. In the end, the products do cost about the same as they would if made here, it is just that different people are getting rich, and the people who actually build the product get a much smaller share of the take.
That is capitalism in action folks, get used to it. It's not really going to change until they can't afford ink with which to print more money. Everything is now based on debt. For things to get better, someone has to come along and do what Hitler did. If that happens, hopefully he won't shake the world up. Hitler rebuilt the German economy, using semi-socialist tactics. If not for the war, he would have gone down in history as a great leader. But then, nobody is perfect.
There were times when factories were built, and literally could not buy the steel required to build their products, and this was a long time ago. Think Tucker and Cord. These greedy people have not only destroyed us, but have made recovery almost impossible.
However it is not impossible. A few rich Men, with foresight and the cooperation of the government could rebuild this country. I know Bill Gates is but a flea speck on the glass seperating us from the really rich, but with his money, I would endeavor to change things for the better.
We need factories, we need to produce something. We are in a recession now, and though the pundits will not admit it, most of the GDP is coming from investments. That is not producing anything and if you understand anything at all, you know that this situation is not sustainable.
We are in the end times of this. I don't mean anything Bibilical, I mean economy wise. We have two possible paths, one is to restore the manufacturing base which will have benefits untold once people have money again, or we can be reduced to third world status.
I prefer the former, how about you ?
T
The same thing has happened here, once a great manufacturing nation, now, what do we make ? Sure there are some specialist industries and weapons manufacture of course, oh and I believe we are pretty good at manufacturing and exporting prison paraphenalia. But the old industries are largely gone, I believe anything worth selling was sold and with that, the skilled, semi skilled and even unskilled was sold out.
All through my youth we were being pushed to train in the future, electronics and what they led to, computers, even now, there are organisations trying to convince people computing is the way to go. Er, I think not, there are too many in computers already, the wonderful job prospects are largely gone and some are moving away from IT. I always held onto mechanical trades, things that could be made or fixed by hand, as I knew, that one day there will be a massive need for skills such as this, as things still break down and not everyone can just chuck things away and buy another one, the throw away nation we have become.
Now, trades that have died out, the specialist country trades which at one time paid peanuts are much in demand. You want the thatch on your little twee thatched cottage replacing, or your last forever dry stone wall rebuilding or even repairing, you are in for a search, and when you do find someone, you need to dig deep, as these trades command high prices now.
This nation was founded on the skills of the population, now what skills are there, the strength the working class once had via the unions has long gone, the worker now has no say, and has been disempowered. Employers call the shots and impose what they like.
I just wonders if say one day the importation of goods from abroad tailed off or was stopped, this country would be screwed, as we it seems can't do anything any more, our mines are closed, our steel works are gone, our natural resources are no more. Maybe it is we import so much, because we have to, we have no choice.
A side note, American goods, I like American goods, I have some and have opted for your country's products because I see something in them, that was once a British design and manufacturing trait, that of superb construction and attention to detail, a built to last and air of dependability, the sort of stuff that inspires confidence. Only small items, by such world reknowned brands such as MSR, Leatherman, MAG instruments etc. The MSR products include devices I would trust with my life, that good they are.
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