Study exaggerates jobs lost to China

Interesting that the editorial sites the Economic Policy Institute for this editorial. Here's a blurb from EPI's home page that says the opposite:

"U.S.-China trade gap: Massive job losses for U.S. workers
Unbalanced U.S. trade with China since 2001 has had a devastating effect on U.S. workers. This week's Economic Snapshot reveals that between 2001 and 2007, the trade deficit lost or displaced 2.3 million jobs in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, including 366,000 last year. As the nation's economic woes mount, a new EPI briefing paper, The China Trade Toll, details the devastating impact that the growing U.S. trade deficit with China is having on American jobs, wages, and key industries."

The biggest problem with China is that while only certain commodities are being produced there, an assurance that they meet certain standards is not one of them. Dangerous safety concerns with toxic toys, weak steel, counterfeit pharmaceuticals are just some examples of non-existent quality/safety control and the fast-buck marketing to Americans by Americans. Undeniably we have lost some jobs to increased manufacturing in China and the companies there have replaced formerly reliable goods with unacceptable, shoddy replacements that would land a U.S. company in court and there executives in prison. When informed of these incidents, the Chinese Communist government only provides lip service, denies such corruption and it's only a matter of time before another American consumer is injured or dies. Our import standards need to be revamped, substandard goods need to be shipped back to China and the manufacturers, importers and “American shell� companies need to be held accountable.

One of the most biased and contrived editorials that have ever been published here. I just wished I could have more choices when it comes to buying products. So much of the junk that comes from China is just that "Junk". I do my best to try and avoid items made there for that very reason. Of course not supporting a repressive government that censors anything remotely anti-government is just a bonus.

Once again the Star Bulletin is siding with the communists.

If the SB and its liberal bretheren have their way, we don't have to worry about unemployment. We'll all be working for the government for 25 cents a day and be fabulously slim from our new starvation diet.

CHINA isn't the issue. We have obviously lost many jobs to China. But we've lost far more jobs to countries in Latin America, Asia and India. Everything you buy now says, "MADE IN CHINA" or "COSTA RICA" -- just look at Hawaii's farming and pineapple industry. Many jobs have been lost.
Whomever wrote this article must be a rich Republican who owns stock in Wallmart! That must be nice.
--Next time, have the courage to disclose your name on your propaganda and say you support John McCain.

It is interesting that the Marianas are mentioned. That is one of the places where Nike and other companies had slave labor to produce their products. People were literally held captive. Remember Abrahams, Tom DeLay, etc. making the trips to Saipan? I boycott Nike, Wal-Mart, and any company that doesn't produce "Made In America" products. CEO's with their hugh profits,evidently forget the other side which is when a company takes a job from an American they lose that Americans buying power.

It’s the typical media sensationalism in the US to drum up the fear about business and trade with China, not to mention that all those so called “economic” reports or analysis often sneakily mix in some geo-politics, nationalism, even racial prejudice against China. So how much trust can you really put into those organization’s publications such as the Economic Policy Institute as pure research and economic analysis? Just look at those “news reports” from the so-called “free” and “objective” media outlet such as NY Time, Washington Post, Fox News, CNN,… etc. They have been doing the total disservice of brain-washing the American people with disinformation and propaganda. Just look those idiotic comments such as “I’d never buy anything made in China (or another country)…” Do you even have any idea how business decisions are made? Every business makes the decision of where to produce, where to procure, where to get support and does sales, etc., all based on the simple supply and demand economics. Try to buckle the trend and change public opinions based on some stupid ideology, is simply foolish. In an ever flatten world of global trade, if my competitor is doing better business than me by selling cheap and leveraging the low cost of labor in China and the local talents there for future product development, you bet I will follow their path, or else just lose my business to them. Plain and simple. When will stupid mass media in this country will stop brainwashing the stupid ideology conflict thing to the mass?

Yellow Dog wrote:

Interesting that the editorial sites the Economic Policy Institute for this editorial. Here's a blurb from EPI's home page that says the opposite:
"U.S.-China trade gap: Massive job losses for U.S. workers
Unbalanced U.S. trade with China since 2001 has had a devastating effect on U.S. workers. This week's Economic Snapshot reveals that between 2001 and 2007, the trade deficit lost or displaced 2.3 million jobs in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, including 366,000 last year. As the nation's economic woes mount, a new EPI briefing paper, The China Trade Toll, details the devastating impact that the growing U.S. trade deficit with China is having on American jobs, wages, and key industries."

Dog....... yep..... and I'm still hearing that big sucking sound that Ross Perot said we would be hearing because of American jobs/industries moving to foreign countries.....

I agree with the opinion that China is not the issue. Labor cost in China is getting higher and soon Americans will not be able to buy cheap products from China any more but from somewhere else in the world. And who are you going to blame at that time? Sitting at home crying and blaming others for your own problem will not help you out of trouble. Will you blame China when American cars can't compete with the Japanese cars because of quality? What US should do is to find its own expertise and improve the trade imbalance and create jobs. Accusing China is the strategy of some politicians but it won't help Americans people.

People need to stop blaming problems on others and take responsibility for their own actions. I respect a few of the comments made here. Pat for instance. He's doing something about the problem and isn't just complaining about it. If AMERICANS want only want cheaply made products, that is to say cheaper goods then it's their own fault if they buy anything not made in the US. They make the CHOICE to spend less on items that can or are made in the US. In doing so they SUPPORT the companies that make cheaper goods. Many of which are US companies. Is it China's or any other countries fault for producing a product that you want? Or is it your fault for wanting to spend less and not supporting local business?

If we didn't have the Walmart and Costco outlets we wouldn't be able to afford the cheap made-in-China household products and the grown-in-Mexico fruits and vegetables.

Hey, People, face it. The world is becoming smaller and smaller and economics is tied into every country in the world. Of course, we like to bash people who are doing well. Remember the eighties, when the Japanese were doing well economically, the Americans based them daily; even to beating to death a Vincient Chin with baseball bats because a couple of unemployed Detroit workers was racially motivated to beat the guy because they thought he was "Japanese". Is it now open season with American of chinese decent because they look different from the status quo of white or black americans? If you americans out there who happen to look asian, watch out for the baseball bats. Or better yet, start applying and getting your conceal permit to carry to defend yourself against these racist who like to blame asian because they are getting ahead. This is really becoming racial in nature. Unfortunate, because of all the gains made in past decades in race relations here in the good old USA. Unfortunate. Hope we won't go back to the lynching days. As for me and my house, we will be carrying conceal.

In the nineteen-eighties, during Reagan's Presidency, the United State's corporate management sought an endplay around the power of American trade unions. They managed to get Reagan and other politicians elected who allowed them to easily ship goods manufactured elsewhere into the United States. They called it "Free Trade" because tariffs and domestic industry protections were virtually eliminated. These trade policies, coupled with OPEC oil pricing policies, industrial speculation and monetary devaluation, have allowed now dominant foreign trade and multinational cartels to overwhelm most American based manufacturing industries. It has also virtually eliminated any labor union strength that once existed in the United States.
It was labor unions that curtailed slave labor conditions, 14 hour days, child labor, extremely dangerous working conditions, etc., etc. They made the United States the wealthiest nation in the world and built a strong middle class. Now look at the huge homeless population, the extensive lack of medical care, the degenerating infrastructure, the increase in property crimes and the degeneration of the American educational system. Look at what is paid for "free trade" imported oil and what is happening to jobs in the U.S.
The United States needs to overcome a political system that is bought and paid for by multinational corporate interests and establish reciprocal trade agreements with its' major trading partners. Until that happens the country will continue to slide into a quagmire of third world decline.

What a lot of Americans don't understand is this. As they see US manufacturing jobs go away and products come in from China they think China's manufacturing jobs total must be growing like mad. Its not true. In fact, since the Chinese factories continue to become more efficient the total number of manufacturing jobs in China is going down! If China did not exist manufacturing jobs here in the US would still be going down and exactly for that same reason.