There is one huge problem with an American approach to life, energy limits. America is all about growth but with limited energy that is not possible.

Originally Posted by Flop The Nuts

How is America getting screwed by globalization? I assume you're talking about a long-term screwing, right? Because there are always short-term blips and anomalies.

Loss of jobs for one. 9-11 for two. A growth in the number of people across the world who don't like America because of their hegemony, and corresponding loss of good will (accountants think of this as an asset and so do I). To the extent unauthorized immigration bothers you, that is largely a result of globalisation.

Originally Posted by matclone

Loss of jobs for one. 9-11 for two. A growth in the number of people across the world who don't like America because of their hegemony, and corresponding loss of good will (accountants think of this as an asset and so do I). To the extent unauthorized immigration bothers you, that is largely a result of globalisation.

Loss of Jobs - From a macro level, that's not a bad thing. Obviously it's a bad thing for the person who lost the job, but from an overall perspective it's better for businesses to lower their labor costs. If some other country can produce a widget for X, and we produce it for X + 20%, then we shouldn't be making that widget. Our unemployment rate is still less than 5%, so loss of jobs hasn't been an issue.

9-11 - I think blaming 9-11 on globalization is simplifying things too much. Unless we completely retreated from global politics, I think we'd still have major problems with radical Muslims. I believe our foreign policy (more than the catch-all "globalization" generates the Muslim hatred towards America. Plus, we're regarded as infidels regardless.

Unauthorized immigration - It doesn't bother me very much, but I wish that we could gradually deal with the problem, and make it easier for illegals to become legal. In general, I think it's great that people want to (and are able to) come to America to work. I'd consider that a benefit of globalization.

Flop,

You have to understand that often people that lose jobs lose well-paying jobs that are replaced by the service sector jobs that pay much less. That is one of the reasons the housing sector came down. People are not making enough money with new jobs to be able to afford a home.

According to your logic Flop, there is no difference between Harvard University and lets say Rider University. They both offer college degrees.

Loss of jobs--obviously you side with business. I side with labor. Someone who has worked for years at a job, only to see it disappear, means more to me than a corporation's bottom line.

9/11--I agree my tie b/t this and globalisation was a bit simplified. However, it is a factor. And our foreign policy is driven in part (how much is debatable) by globalisation.

Immigration--it bothers a lot of people a great deal. Immigration, in general, has always benefited this country. We are a nation of immigrants. However, the fact the present law doesn't correspond with the demand for labor is a big problem in a variety of different ways.

Claim made in Susan Jacoby's The Age of American Unreason: despite losing 600,000 men in the Civil War, our country's population tripled (from about 30 to 90 million) b/t the time of the war and 1910, largely due to immigration from Europe (p. 63).

I was also going to make the point Big did about the nature of the jobs, but he beat me to it.

As for people wanting to come to work in America, as a mass occurrence it’s a disaster. I know you Flop have no interest in understanding how talent can be ruined and other countries can be robbed of investment in their citizens when a doctor has to work as a nurse or when an engineer has to work as a technician because he is an immigrant.

I think its fair to say America is getting screwed. I personally believe America has started its descent from a super power, to a some what powerful but restrained world power. Much like Britain.

I think it is funny to laugh at America as when i was child i remember American capitalists very happy with their massive profits as poor people in south east Asia worked for pennies.

I know you Flop have no interest in understanding how talent can be ruined and other countries can be robbed of investment in their citizens when a doctor has to work as a nurse or when an engineer has to work as a technician because he is an immigrant.

What evidence do you have that I'm not interested in understanding something? Just because I disagree with you doesn't mean I don't understand the argument.