"Duane Bozarth" wrote in message
...
Leon wrote:
...
...earn more than the people doing the same job in another
country for 90% less. ...

While there's a kernel of truth in the argument that some union labor
may be overpriced, there's the problem that in the other country 10% of
the wage here is sufficient to live quite well, whereas here it wouldn't
be sufficient even if the individual economized to the extreme...

So, as in any real issue, the problems are much more complex than such
simplistic descriptions or solutions...

One area that has not been discussed is the wholesale piracy of intellectual
property by the Chinese - this ranges from hi-tech to low tech. When you do
not have to do R&D to develop an item your production cost is lower. . .

Also there was an article in Business Week a couple of months ago about
counterfeit products - it was scary as counterfeits may not be made to the
same spec and could cause injury or loss of life.

Products made in China can be high quality but my experience is that is
generally not the rule - I do have a Canon copier made in China that is of
the same quality of one made in Japan.

I was surprised recent on a visit to Lowes to see an Ingersol-Rand ratchet
(made in China) sitting next to a Campbell Hausfield (made in Taiwan). The
IR was about 2.5X the price of the CH and appeared to be of equal quality -
what seems to be happening is that many companies are going to China and the
execs apologize for losing local jobs as they line their own pockets. . .

BillyB