patrick.net

Since the late 1980s, America has made and exported only two commodities: Hollywood (tv and movies) and software. And of those two commodities, software is by far the larger. The gaming sector alone produces more wealth than Hollywood. And that is just a small part of the software industry.

The software industry just in itself is a multi-trillion dollar a year industry. And if you include the wealth generated indirectly by advancing other industries from materials manufacturing to biotech to automotive to medical to finance to aerospace to every other industry you can image, then the wealth creation of the software industry is incalculable.

America was a leader in the software industry, but we gave it all away to China and India and a few other third world nations in exchange for slave labor. America could have been the leader of the 21st century because of its dominance in software and information infrastructure. Instead, BRICS nations lead, and America has become a backwater nation rapidly deteriorating in its significance to the world economy.

The thing is that the software industry alone could have made America a 21st century economic powerhouse. But short-term greed and a willingness to sell the country at a discount has ensured that America will not be the superpower of the 21st century. And all the fools in Washington have yet to realize that the superpowers of the 21st century will be based on economic power, not military might. The nations that dominate the software industry will dominate the world.

Dan8267 says

America was a leader in the software industry, but we gave it all away to China and India and a few other third world nations in exchange for slave labor. America could have been the leader of the 21st century because of its dominance in software and information infrastructure.

Sad but true.

The only glimmer of hope is that corporate America had overemphasized the India-Bangalore Inc, as the primary IT destination, and as a result, have recently discovered that Bangalore is little more than a body shop than a place of quality and value-added services. But I emphasize, this is only a temporary setback.

Where India failed (due to a series of cultural issues & I don't expect 'em to be solved), China, Vietnam, Malaysia, & Philippines can succeed and they will, given the fact that they have nothing to lose and everything to gain by becoming east Asian tech leaders much like South Korea & Taiwan in firmware, during the 80s/90s.

Right now, the US is the leader in corn & soybean production. Perhaps coal and then later, shale. Thus, it's a Monsanto & Co empire, not too dissimilar to a third world nation's portfolio of commodities conglomerates and low paid worker bees.

I'm glad the Conservatives are constantly fighting to keep the software industry in America.

APOCALYPSEFUCK is Shostakovich says

I would buy an American made anything - if I could find anything made in America.

It's getting to the point where one really doesn't have a choice anymore. Even with auto parts. I can't just run to the local auto parts store and find filters (except for oil filters) that are made in USA. If I want to special order one, I can't find out in advance where it's made. The manufacturer's won't tell me (yes, I've have asked).

Sometimes I buy rebuilt parts that are rebuilt in USA where all the new ones are made in China. Or I rebuild them myself. I find alternators to be particularly easy to repair.

Some notable exceptions are spark plugs, spark plug wires, tires, and batteries are easy enough to find made in USA, but just about everything else, forget about it.

Supposedly some AC Delco, Motorcraft, and Denso filters are made in USA, but try to find those in any local store - good luck!

At least the stuff made in Mexico by reputable US companies usually is good, but the stuff that's made in China I try to avoid.

Its Bushes fault, no wait, its WalMart's fault, no its the greedy capitalist's fault.

Or could it be the fault of the enemy within? You know those lawless individuals and politicians who operate outside the law and refuse to be bound by the constitution?

Years ago, the auto industry began a moral marketing campaign to get more Americans to buy more American cars. Funny thing was, most of the cars in the employee lots of the big 3, were imports.
Honest Abe says

Or could it be the fault of the enemy within?

We are ALL aware "BIG BOX" stores are bad for Mom & Pop business's and American commerce in General. But we all compete for the best price anyway (except gubmint).
We all risked the mentality "It don't matter what you pay for the house, it will be worth 20% more next year"! We priced ourselves out of our own markets.
Did you find it difficult to train your monkeys (children) in the concept of sharing ?
Will we ever be capable of INTELLIGENT GROWTH ?

HE WHO DIES W THE MOST BANANAS WINS !!!

Damn! That looks like my family reunion.

I only buy American when the company offers American as well as made in other country counterparts.

Like musical equipment like Gibson, Fender ect... I don't buy the Made in China, Mexico, Korea ect no matter how much cheaper they are.

I bought new Mazda car because lets face it, our auto makers have thrown us under the bus. There's no need for 70% of the cars out there being over 20K, other than the greed that our automakers are fueled by.

Clothes, I'd like to buy American but Levi's left and went to Mexico, probably made in China now for all I know. The only jeans still made in America are some obscure no name Mom Jean brands that fit like a burlap sack on a farm animal.

It's a good thing computers aren't made in America anymore or the tech industry would still be a niche market for a few people and companies that could afford a $12,000 500mhz 16meg memory 20 gig hard drive desk top tower the size of a refrigerator.

I think Made in America is an area long past gone.
What I would like to see, is an industry standard in all industries where parts can be interchangeable. Where a small company can crank out chassis, another turn out drive trains, and another assembles various parts to customer specs, from many different companies.

But I have zero love for large corporations, screwing their customer base over for profits delivering inferior products, and firing employees just weeks before their retirement. Fuck em all to hell I say.

It's really up to the Mom and Pop operations to turn America around, and until that happens if ever, I'm afraid our decline will continue unabated. But I can't muster up any giveacrapness about it.

It's like people bitching about low wages, that are the King of the Costco and Walmart check out lines. Yeah buddy buy another 20 pack of shit you don't need.

It is a tough call. I bought a Hyundai recently -Korean car made in Alabama(well at least assembled there.) Toyota, Honda , BMW all have plants in the USA. If you buy a US car-you could be buying one made in Mexico or elsewhere.

As for foriegn manufacturers-I don't know. American corporations pioneered offshoring-both manufacturing and software and now back office(AP, AR, bill collectors, customer service, legal stuff, xray techs etc.) This was fully supported by both parties-republicans a little more-but not much of a difference. So I am not really mad at the foriegn folks who took advantage of our short sighted policies.

But I guess this has been done before-else why would you have stories about the folks who killed the goose that layed the golden egg?

All through human history groups of people have found other weaker or less technologically advanced folks to do the work. We outlawed slavery in this country only to have certain ambitious members of our group reconstitute it overseas. Out of sight, out of mind. I guess the South did rise again.

taxee says

We outlawed slavery in this country only to have certain ambitious members of our group reconstitute it overseas.

God Bless America.

TMAC54 says

HE WHO DIES W THE MOST BANANAS WINS !!!

Well put.

APOCALYPSEFUCK is Shostakovich says

I would buy an American made anything - if I could find anything made in America.

For clothes and suits, I end up buying stuff made in the USA and Canada.

Tablet computers?

Where do I go?

The best suits are still American. The best kitchen appliances aren't anymore and that's too bad.

lostand confused says

If you buy a US car-you could be buying one made in Mexico or elsewhere.

It says right on the window sticker where it's final assembly appoint is. So for example, you are looking at a Ford Festiva, which is made in Mexico, you are (or should be) repulsed by that and walk over to the Focus, which is assembled in Wayne, MI and buy that instead, especially since the price difference between the Festiva and Focus is minimal (since manufacturers often no longer pass along the made in third world country cost savings to the consumer).

They have outsourced all accountability to Alpha Centauri. That, paying people peanuts for peacework, and no labor or environmental laws, just irresistible. 'Free Trade' sounds so good.

taxee says

They have outsourced all accountability to Alpha Centauri. That, paying people peanuts for peacework, and no labor or environmental laws, just irresistible. 'Free Trade' sounds so good.

True, but Libertarians believe that humans are "basically good" and thus government is unnessesary. "The market" will take care of everything!

For example, if lots of children are dying in coal mines, that's good since it reduces the "supply" of children and results in higher child wages.

taxee says

We outlawed slavery in this country only to have certain ambitious members of our group reconstitute it overseas. Out of sight, out of mind. I guess the South did rise again.

That's funny, I missed the big news story where there are Slave labor factories over seas. So you're saying that Gomer is the International player that is so powerful he can set up slave camps in China. GASP!!! I had no Idea apple was a Southern Company. And you got 4 likes.

So if what you say is true, then it is your Lefty Liberal self imposing California Silicone houpleheads that are running the slave organizations around the world. I wonder when the CNN freedom project is going to blow the lid off this story. DO you think Interpol knows?

wthrfrk80 says

For example, if lots of children are dying in coal mines, that's good since it reduces the "supply" of children and results in higher child wages.

Oh BULLSHIT!!

Now which is it, either the kids in these countries have higher test scores than our kids do, or they are toiling away in a China factory and or mine somewhere?

Liberals love never missing an opportunity to make White American Males feel like they owe somebody something, or they doing something wrong, even when they aren't doing anything at all. Even if the stories conflict with each other.

Cap'n - radical liberalism can only be understood as the product of psychopathology. Thats why they can justify conflicting with, or contradicting themselves. Hope that helps, Abe.

wthrfrk80 says

True, but Libertarians believe that humans are "basically good" and thus government is unnessesary. "The market" will take care of everything!

Libertarians, I believe, think that today's free market, doesn't equate to the ones of the 19th century robber barons ala Upton Sinclair novels. That's where the optimism comes from.

The problem, however, is that the typical big US corporation goes for the lowest hanging fruit (see any Dilbert clip) and relies a lot on govt spending (defense or universities) for pure science and engineering research until there's a freebie in the public domain, a.k.a. *peace time* dividend, waiting to get patents, and then, the commercial sectors can jump in and make a profit.

At the same time, for the most part, the exchange of goods/services has been happening since the dawn of history. Thus, I don't see where Libertarians have a new angle on an age old story of commerce. All and all, not every newly minted businessman has success to capital and the holders of capital: VCs, private equity, hedge funds, rich people, etc, still make a lot of the decisions regarding who gets to grow his enterprise and who still works for the man.

wtfker80- I think libertarians believe that humans are basically good and that big, manipulative, intrusive, parasitic government is unnecessary. They believe limited, constitutional government is what's needed.

CaptainShuddup says

Oh BULLSHIT!!

Ha, he said something as absurd as one of your typical gems (at leat I'm pretty sure he meant it to be absurd).

CaptainShuddup says

Now which is it, either the kids in these countries have higher test scores than our kids do, or they are toiling away in a China factory and or mine somewhere?

Try both are true. Figure it out.

(hint: not all the kids go to school like they do here.)

I did just buy American--Chevy Eco Cruze made in Lordstown,
Ohio and a Worksman bicycle made in New York. The quality
is great! Let's take back our economy and put America back to work. Let's face it, the only way to change things is to vote with your dollars--politicians will never save us.

Honest Abe says

wtfker80- I think libertarians believe that humans are basically good and that big, manipulative, intrusive, parasitic government is unnecessary. They believe limited, constitutional government is what's needed.

libertarians believe that people suck. If that wasn't the case we wouldn't need a government to enforce the zero aggression principle and would be anarchists instead.

taxee says

All through human history groups of people have found other weaker or less technologically advanced folks to do the work. We outlawed slavery in this country only to have certain ambitious members of our group reconstitute it overseas. Out of sight, out of mind. I guess the South did rise again.

http://exiledonline.com/the-one-percents-doctrine-for-the-rest-of-us-slavery-feudalism-la-da-da-dee-dee-dee/

drew_eckhardt says

libertarians believe that people suck

And mostly, they are right in this.

JodyChunder says

And mostly, they are right in this.

Well....they ARE, DREW!