>>>http://www.pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/pulpit20040122.html
>>
>>A good article reflecting most of my concerns very well.
>>
>>I seriously doubt, though, that the tried-and-true (to date) "good ol American ingenuity will save the day" is going to work this time.
>>Firstly, it is precisely those kinds of jobs (innovative folk) that are MOVING OUT now.
>>Secondly, the innovative folk here will have to take McJobs - probably 2 or 3 of them - to keep their standard of living, leaving little time for creative works.
>>
>>The government (thus US) is being sucker-punched on this and it's going to be too late when they catch on.
>>
>>Another interesting side-effect...
>>Jobs move offshore. Industrial parks and plants shut down. Their real-estate prices drop. Wal-Mart buys a few to make a new store. Now those people who no longer can afford fancier stores can go to their local Wal-mart rather than travelling a distance to one.
>>All the while, of course, it was Wal-Mart that forced to move to off-shore so that they could lower prices even further!
>>And Wal-Mart, of course, proudly has no unions, thus having lowest pay rates and (recently) was shown to WAY over-work their employees (clocking out but staying on the job) for 2+ hours daily!
>>
>>It STINKS!!!
>
>Makes me wonder, how long will it take until we see the blueprint for some "new age communism" or any other project of the kind? Something has to counterbalance the corporate rulers of the world, or else the future won't be bright at all.

I don't know how it's (counterbalance) going to happen, or even *if*.

The unions have no more bargaining chip with outsourcing being threatened the instant they 'step out of line'. Also, with the government's tacit approval, a growing number of pension plans are being robbed blind by the companies followed by defaults on pensions when it is shown they are 'broke'. Seems to be no penalty for defaulting on a person's (earned) pension RIGHTS. Unions are toothless there too. And, of course, unions have been made a pariah anyway by the media, and most people asked readily say that unions are money-grabbing anachronisms that ought to be outlawed.

There are people who go out and demonstrate against corporate greed (aka "globalization") but these get virtually NO attention from the media. When a bit of attention is afforded it is about the hooligans who seem to follow the legit demonstrators and shash things up. I'm almost convinced now that these "hooligans" are actually funded by corporations to intentionally divert the attention from the real issues. The media (all corporations, don't forget) essentially tsk-tsk the (legitimate) demonstrators, equating them all with the few hooligans.

Dark days ahead, my friend! No relief in sight.