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[quote=”DavidCMurray”]Yes, I readily agree that the middle class has taken enormous hits in the past forty years or so. I also acknowledge that the very existence of the middle class was made possible in significant measure, although not entirely, by a manufacturing economy.

None of that, however, supports your assertion:

[quote=”sprite”]The US stopped making things decades ago when the globalists in the government shipped our manufacturing jobs overseas. [/quote]

The manufacturing sector in the U.S., while perhaps not what it once was, has hardly gone dormant. Reports of its final demise (by you, sprite) are greatly and inaccurately exaggerated.[/quote]

David,
Statistics say I am correct as to diminished US manufacturing capacities relative to other countries.

Table 2. – Manufacturing Trade Deficit Growth,
By Industry, 1989-2007

Change
Item (US$ bil.)
Total -699.1
Oil & Gas -237.3
Computer & Electronic Products -109.1
Apparel -52.6
Electrical Equipment -27.4
Chemicals -18.9
Source: US International Trade Administration

The above graph shows that we buy more than we make for the industries listed. Much of it comes from China. If you think it is an exaggeration for me to say the U.S. is in deep doo doo for loss of manufacturing capacity, then tell me what you think would (will) happen when the the Chinese decide to dump the 1.2 trillion dollars they now own because of this trade deficit on to the world market?

I am not sure you are able to think that far ahead. But don’t feel badly. It appears that nobody in our government can either.

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The middle class is the creation of a manufacturing economy. As goes that economic sector, so goes the middle class. Are you unaware that the middle class has been decimated over the last 40 years?

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When I use the term “U.S. manufacture”, I refer to goods made in the U.S. by U.S. residents. The goods will be labeled ‘MADE IN THE USA”. A U.S. watch maker incorporated in the state of North Carolina is a US manufacturer in name only if it imports its wrist watches from Hong Kong.

The US used to export far more than it imported. Today, the opposite is true. Most of the household goods are labeled ‘MADE IN CHINA”.

The salient point of this is that American workers have lost what used to be well paying manufacturing jobs partly due to technological advancements and partly due to having jobs shipped overseas. It is a dangerous situation in normal times. In depressions, it is fatal.

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David,

The stats are easily found which show just how decimated our manufacturing sector is after 30 years of government activity aimed at doing just that. Showing me a parking lot full of new American cars doesn’t diminish the truth that the U.S. has lost too much of its manufacture base. Few would argue otherwise.

Besides the abundant statistical evidence to support my point, I have my own anecdotal evidence. I had a career as a federally licensed Customs broker. I saw on a daily basis over the last 30 years how the U.S. increased its imports and decreased its exports. The trade imbalance has only grown over the years and that alone should be proof enough for a rational person to conclude that a fundamental economic change took place, the results of which we are now experiencing.

We are in the final years and perhaps final months of this once powerful empire. The last days are going to be horrific.

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[quote=”DavidCMurray”][quote=”sprite”]The US stopped making things decades ago when the globalists in the government shipped our manufacturing jobs overseas. [/quote]

Ah, but for a look at actual facts, see the following article from Industry Week, a source that actually knows what it’s talking about . . .

http://www.industryweek.com/resources/us500/2012
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What do those facts mean, David? Those corporations on the list have their goods made overseas and then imported. Revenue is NOT a measure of manufacture in the U.S. It is a measure of return on investment for these multinational corporations…more banking and corporate media hocus pocus….
The conclusion you draw from the facts you present is an example of just how diminished your critical thinking has become from exposure to corporate brainwashing over the decades. I am sorry to point this out but you can’t begin to correct this problem until you are aware of it.

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The US stopped making things decades ago when the globalists in the government shipped our manufacturing jobs overseas. Citizens had to scramble for jobs in the service sector, too many of which have to do with financials….shuffling paper and wealth around. A country has to make things to thrive otherwise it becomes dependent upon other countries for survival…unless it has a huge military and a global currency. Then it can just take what it wants and print all the money it needs. But this can only go on for so long.

So we baby boomers retire to Costa Rica with SS pensions which are two and three times the average Tico salary. I am so curious to see what is going to happen when those pay outs stop coming. WE LIVE IN INTERESTING TIMES.

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[quote=”maravilla”]i have two very good gringo friends who have had the epiphany that less is more and that simple is better and they can’t wait to jettison all the trappings of that consumer-oriented life that the States forces on you in favor of the simple life in Costa Rica. Every time you turn on the TV you are being manipulated to want this or that, need this or that, eat this or that, take this or that pill, buy more crap than you will ever need or use, and adhere to a false value system that does nothing but make the bankers and the retailers rich while you struggle to pay for all the crap you were told you should have. eventually, smart people wake up to this delusion and the mouse-wheel they are on and either give it up, pare down, or die.[/quote]

I have yet to jettison the useless accumulated crap I will need to be rid of. I can’t speak to this matter until I confront it and find out what my actions will be. Intention is not the same as action. In the meantime, I can only wonder if I have the logic to overcome a lifetime of brainwashing.

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[quote=”VictoriaLST”]Motive? An inability to understand the complexity of the world leading to a sense of loss of control, of personal power? Luddites, conspiracy theorists, fear mongers don’t need much more motive than that.[/quote]

All of the above are possible motives, merely guesses (not scientific analysis) on your part. I asked you to list them so that I could point out that your guesses as to motives are NOT equal the KNOWN corporate motives of of greed and hunger for power.

If anyone is presenting a conspiracy theory here, it is you when you guess at the motives of tens of millions of people. The motives of Monsanto are manifested in black and white and in action. The results of their actions are also manifested in black and white scientific studies. Their poison is prohibited in much of Europe.

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Have you asked yourself why anyone would take on corporate giants like Monsanto on this issue? What would the motive be if not that GMO’s are a danger to the species?

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People take different lessons from a financial reversal. The one Jan took sounds like a healthy one but I wonder if she would have been able to hold such a view if she were still in the U.S.?

I keep reading about so many people who, after suffering a job loss or other financial reversal due to the current economic crisis, are destroyed by the culture and the health care system. In Europe, we see Italians, Spaniards, Greeks and Brits who are committing suicide after being left destitute by the banking system.

It seems to be a problem of culture, especially for Americans. Being taught to have high economic expectations and to be competitive rather than cooperative brings a high level of pain and ultimate destruction to the population when these goals are not achieved. No wonder so many expats in Costa Rica express gratitude to the culture,almost a sigh of relief, at being released from the stresses of life as wage slaves in the high pressure economies.

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Victoria,

I celebrate skepticism as a healthy approach. But every single source of information has an agenda behind it so your criticism of the information based soley on source is invalid. If you have information which contradicts the article, I might disagree with YOUR source…especially if it is from a known liar such as US government or corporate news media.

Confirming validity of information is not an easy thing to do these days. Ultimately, we have to use our critical thinking capacities to make conclusions. Do you believe that Costa Ricans have no point of view on GMO crops?

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Crime follows money, drugs follow crime. Americans bring money and economic disparity with them wherever they go. It is a contagion.

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Maybe it’s time to leave the Caribbean area and San Jose, but not the entire country.

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Can anyone name a period in recorded history when silver was without value not able to be used for barter?

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Early social security is a no-brainer considering the state of the world economy and the dollar. I am curious as to what is going to happen to all of those expats who rely only on social security benefits and/or government pensions when those programs go bust. What will the Costa Rican government do with destitute pensionados(if anything)?

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