Kevin wrote:

I got back from a visit to China over the Christams holidays and saw a
couple things that speak to the comments below.
As to the cost of living - yep, you can live cheap in China. There were
about 15 of us at 2 tables in a VERY GOOD restaurant in Guanzhou. All
together over 20 dishes and when we were finished there was a good deal of
food left over. Cost? - less that $100.00. Also in Guanzhou saw some USB
key chain storage units. 128 MB for about $12.00.
You can retire in relative comfort for about $200/month there although you
will be giving up a few things that most probably see as essential here.

Like quality health care, democracy, freedom of speech, etc. Can't wait
to see how fast Bush starts to force retirees to move to China to make
their SOcial Security checks go further - wait until you live next to a
chicken slaughter house and come down with SARS.


At the same time while crossing a bridge to head home, saw maybe a dozen
people selling pirated software. Most was of music and groups I never heard
of.


"BillyBob" wrote in message
news:_d9ce.19056$yc.2079@trnddc07...

"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