Hi Dragan,

>>PMFJI Al,
>>
>>>>Your comparison of the hardware inside a PC and outsourcing software development is specious. Robots in India, Taiwan, etc. differ little from those within the U.S.
>>>
>>>Let's assume that's true. Why, then, aren't all electronic components made in the U.S.?
>>
>>One reason - cost. Recycling/disposal of etchant, defluxers, and cleaning solvents used in circuit board production can be upwards of 5 times the original cost. I'm not familiar with semiconductor production, but I suspect there are similar costs. Beyond that are other costs - Superfund comes to mind. We are still dealing with disposals from the 60's and 70's today. How are these other countries competing? Use your imagination...
>
>Really, what about the legislation in those countries? I know there's a big push for legislation to be brought into existence there, which would protect intellectual rights (just track the travels of Bill Gates in the last ten years) - patents, copyrights, to the extent of spelling doom for local pharmaceutical industry. The push is coming from here, if I wasn't clear.
>

Elsewhere in this thread, I dropped a link to Al showing one view of the state of affairs in Taiwan circa 2001. Knowing the many years Taiwan has been manufacturing, I was suprised how far behind they were in this respect. The push, coming from here, to correct environmental problems, I doubt would have the pressure that your example above would have.

>Why is then a similar push omitted when it comes to environmental protection laws? Two words come to mind: "corporate" and "profit".

Thanks for providing my answer for me :-)