Michigan Democrats' factory of ideas to revitalize Michigan must be bankrupt.
That's the only thing I can conclude after seeing that the Dems are leveling the same tired charge against Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Snyder that they used to hammer former Amway chief Dick DeVos in the governor's race four years ago: that he outsourced jobs to China.
Snyder, who's running for guv as "one tough nerd," was in a variety of top jobs at Gateway computer, including president, board member and interim CEO, before returning to his native Michigan a few years ago.
The claim that he outsourced jobs to China while running Gateway heated up this week during Snyder's appearance on Michigan Public Television's "Off the Record" show.
Michigan Democratic Party Chairman Mark Brewer has called Snyder "Dick DeVos Jr." because of his alleged outsourcing, which Snyder denies.
So how far do the Dems want to take this? Would they like to call for a boycott of General Motors Co. because GM does engineering work in China for some vehicles sold here and would like its American suppliers to be competitive on price with Chinese suppliers?
I get it. The Dems engage in this sort of nonsense because it works. They've bamboozled voters into believing that outsourcing jobs to China is a major economic problem for the state--and anyone who's responsible for it is evil.
Economists say ever-increasing productivity is a much bigger reason for the loss of high-paying manufacturing jobs than outsourcing to China. Would the Dems therefore favor a halt to productivity?
Michigan's automakers have shed hundreds of thousands of jobs, in part, because of tough competition from foreign automakers. But those competitors aren't Chinese. They're mostly Japanese automakers building cars and trucks on U.S. soil while keeping their market largely closed to American automakers.
Where is the Democrats' outrage about that?
Michigan's economic problems are much deeper than the issue of outsourcing jobs to China. I'd like to see the Democratic Party and its candidates offer some smart ideas for revitalizing the state instead of replaying the largely irrelevant China card.
Here's one: Why don't the Dems design a strategy to help Michigan benefit from China's economic rise, rather than get steamrolled by it? Former state schools' Superintendent Tom Watkins, now a business and educational consultant who travels extensively in China, offers this blueprint in a recent Dome magazine piece.
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5 comments:
old tricks always work.. unfortunately it does not help our economy..... Gradholm ..approved it in a hard way ... an hard way ..to our Michiganders...
Too simplistic. Wealthy U.S. capitalists, under the banner of "conservatism" -- have steadily chipped away at the economic, social, education and jobs infrastructure -- supported by corporate profit-sharing (taxes) -- that created the Middle Class which dominated global markets. Outsourcing of industries is a very real symptom of a sea change in political leadership in the U.S. over the past 40 years: From social Democracy supported by capitalist -- to Capitalism supported by ???
The Dems can't design anything. The Dems are not in power. Until the U.S. electorate throws out supporters of "supercapitalism" (i.e., conservatism) -- and elects politicians willing to protect American markets in the same way that the Japanese and Chinese have (protectionism) which, in textbook fashion, led them to take the #1 and #2 spot in most successful economies in the world -- there can be no U.S. recovery of any kind. Just more spoils to the riches. Textbook stuff, studied over centuries, for those who actually study human systems and human history.
"I'd like to see the Democratic Party and its candidates offer some smart ideas" is an oxymoron. If they, the unions, MEA and state government "workers" had any concern other then their own entitlements of feeding at the public trough and sustaining the status quo for themselves, it would be a first. Why is it that every other "business" has to get lean, reduce cost and waste by continuous improvement? Their idea of increased productivity is a swelling state payroll! We need to change the header on the line too many of us stand in to, Sign Up To Stand Up, rather then scrapping for unfunded appropriations. Did I forget to include/credit the lawyers, who as a group can lay claim for the lost American spirt. No one is accountable any more, every thing that happens is somebody elses fault. There are no accidents and the perpetrators should pay! Wake up, the free lunch and a whole lot more is just about over. The trough is empty and the rest of the world does not really care about excuses of why you have poor quality, and high prices, as so exemplarily modeled within our government.
Demonize the successful... that's the watchword of the victim. Let's take charge instead of our economic destiny in Michigan and play offense rather than shift our defense. We will turn things around when we engage our biggest rivals-- whether it's Japan, Germany, China or Brazil-- and understand how they are successful, and improve upon that model-- whatever it is.
We did this before. Let's summon the political will to do it again!
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