Quote Originally Posted by dmw56
It's not that we are going backwards, it's we've stalled out and everybody is catching up to us real fast.
This really hits the nail on the head! We used to be the manufacturer to the world....but nothing ever stays the same. Now the third world countries are providing much of the manufacturing, and that is the way it is going to be for our lifetime. The problem is that they don't have the standard of living that we have come to expect....they don't have unions....minimum wage laws...and so on. That is why labor is so cheap there, and guess what? We have to compete with that.

If you want to make a fairly good living here, you will have to work in a field that cannot be imported. Healthcare....services....one-of-a-kind, and custom products....and so on.

Also remember that much of what we have come to expect is not really necessary. How many cars to you really need to own? (I'm not talking about hot rod "toys") How new do they need to be? How many TVs?....telephones?....vacations?....luxuries?....Do you really need a pool?.....the latest barbeque grill?

I wonder how many asians or Mexicans even have single family homes, computers, or even one car?
We have come to expect these things, but are competing with people who just want to eat regularly!

I'm afraid we are in an "adjustment period" that will last a long time.