Guardian: Apple would still be highly profitable if production was in U.S.

[CountDeMoney]

What's the logic behind anybody giving a rat penis soup fuck about a bunch of Chinese workers?

Depends whether you are behind or in front of the veil of ignorance.  If the former, then based on rought population numbers, you should care about 20 percent.

Meh, I take the Osama bin Laden approach; Chinese factory workers are as fair a target as PLA troops when it comes to mitigating the Advanced Persistent Threat.

Besides, if they weren't making iPods, counterfeit pharmaceuticals, lead painted toys, unsafe car tires and melamine-poisoned pet food, they'd be in the armaments industry.  So fuck their lot in life.

[Jacob]

I'm continually amazed by the strength of the belief that government and government policy is inherently futile and self-defeating.

Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.

Well, I'm happy that I live in a country where we've mastered fire.

[mongers]

I'm continually amazed by the strength of the belief that government and government policy is inherently futile and self-defeating.

Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.

Well, I'm happy that I live in a country where we've mastered fire.

[Jacob]

3.  I don't think the inequality problem in the US is primarily or even significantly the result of offshoring of manufacturing in itself.  But that is a longer discussion.

I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on the drivers of the inequality problem.

[citizen k]

I'm continually amazed by the strength of the belief that government and government policy is inherently futile and self-defeating.

Two words: history and entropy

[Razgovory]

That's three words.  I can sumit up in two words: "Cognitive dissonance".   Berkut and those like him have already formed an idea of what government is, and information that contradicts this schema is forgotten, relegated in the mind as unimportant, or subtlety changed to reinforce the current belief.

[DGuller]

I'm continually amazed by the strength of the belief that government and government policy is inherently futile and self-defeating.

Two words: history and entropy

Don't forget "massive propaganda".  Sure, one should always be skeptical of government regulations, but there is a difference between skepticism and blanket dismissal.  At the end of the day, the totality of government regulations is what makes our society civilized.

[The Minsky Moment]

3.  I don't think the inequality problem in the US is primarily or even significantly the result of offshoring of manufacturing in itself.  But that is a longer discussion.

I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on the drivers of the inequality problem.

I had planned a thread but that darn work stuff keeps interfering.
Short answer is financialization and deflation.  The latter has been influenced by globalization and offshoring but also by the rise of Eurozone and post-Volker hawkish orthodoxy at the Fed.

[Valmy]

That's three words.  I can sumit up in two words: "Cognitive dissonance".   Berkut and those like him have already formed an idea of what government is, and information that contradicts this schema is forgotten, relegated in the mind as unimportant, or subtlety changed to reinforce the current belief.

Alright give me this information.

[Razgovory]

That's three words.  I can sumit up in two words: "Cognitive dissonance".   Berkut and those like him have already formed an idea of what government is, and information that contradicts this schema is forgotten, relegated in the mind as unimportant, or subtlety changed to reinforce the current belief.

Alright give me this information.

That government can successfully regulate something?  Okay.  Take for example the Cuyahoga River.  It doesn't catch on fire anymore.  This is an improvement.  I doubt there are many people who claim that the Pure Food and Drug act did not improve food quality and the requirement that food and drugs had labels that helped consumers make better choices.

[PDH]

Morning, new day.  One day closer to death.  The world still sucks and nobody can ever fix it.

[Valmy]

Morning, new day.  One day closer to death.  The world still sucks and nobody can ever fix it.

I guess if you consider politics to be the world and the entirety of politics to be the US Federal Government than sure.  But come on if you can use your bully pulpit to brainwash your students into your political foot soliders you could probably rule Wyoming like a king.

[PDH]

Last spring I got evaluations, one said "PDH was horrible, he is too liberal,"  another said "PDH is horrible, he is too conservative," while a third said "PDH was great, he even swore in classs."

Given that is the range of my foot soldiers, I will pass on revolution.

[Admiral Yi]

Sure, one should always be skeptical of government regulations

[grumbler]

I'm continually amazed by the strength of the belief that government and government policy is inherently futile and self-defeating.

Two words: history and entropy

Don't forget "massive propaganda".  Sure, one should always be skeptical of government regulations, but there is a difference between skepticism and blanket dismissal.  At the end of the day, the totality of government regulations is what makes our society civilized. 

I don't think that the totality of government regulations is what makes our society civilized, but agree that they are important in the process, in a well-governed society (and part of the problem in a poorly-governed society).  I guess if I lived where Jacob does and was surrounded by people who had a strong "belief that government and government policy is inherently futile and self-defeating," I'd be concerned about that issue.  I've never met a person with even a weak belief that this was true, though, so I won't spend any time trying to figure out why a coupla cranks in western Canada are cranks.

I suspect that your explanation that those two (or however many there are out there) are the subject of massive propaganda.  I can't think of another reason why a Canuck would have a strong opinion on anything.