Interesting quote from an article I read:

http://www.latimes.com/news...0515,0,3990894.story

But slumming in America is fast becoming a business model for some of Europe's leading companies, and they often do things here they would never think of doing at home. These companies — not banks, primarily, but such gold-plated European manufacturers as BMW, Daimler, Volkswagen and Siemens, and retailers such as IKEA — increasingly come to America (the South particularly) because labor is cheap and workers have no rights. In their eyes, we're becoming the new China. Our labor costs may be a little higher, but we offer stronger intellectual property protections and far fewer strikes than our unruly Chinese comrades.

Don't take my word for it. Check out the study released this month by the Boston Consulting Group, which concludes that when you compare China's soaring wages and still-low levels of productivity with our stagnating wages and rising levels of productivity, the price advantage of manufacturing in China instead of the U.S. will shrink to insignificance by 2015. Investment in the U.S., says the group, "will accelerate as it becomes one of the cheapest locations for manufacturing in the developed world."

Yes I seen this coming when the USA dollar started dropping. Even the Aussie dollar which in the past (10 years ago) been 49c US reaches $1.08 US it has become attractive to spend in the USA.

Yeah, we're winning the race to the bottom.

quote Originally posted by ryan.hess: Interesting quote from an article I read: http://www.latimes.com/news...0515,0,3990894.story But slumming in America is fast becoming a business model for some of Europe's leading companies, and they often do things here they would never think of doing at home. These companies — not banks, primarily, but such gold-plated European manufacturers as BMW, Daimler, Volkswagen and Siemens, and retailers such as IKEA — increasingly come to America (the South particularly) because labor is cheap and workers have no rights. In their eyes, we're becoming the new China. Our labor costs may be a little higher, but we offer stronger intellectual property protections and far fewer strikes than our unruly Chinese comrades. Don't take my word for it. Check out the study released this month by the Boston Consulting Group, which concludes that when you compare China's soaring wages and still-low levels of productivity with our stagnating wages and rising levels of productivity, the price advantage of manufacturing in China instead of the U.S. will shrink to insignificance by 2015. Investment in the U.S., says the group, "will accelerate as it becomes one of the cheapest locations for manufacturing in the developed world."

I hope you're right...

The only negative to having a devalued dollar is that we have less buying power in the world, and foreign interests can buy our land / property much easier.

Many other countries don't allow foreigners to even buy land, or not retain full ownership... they require a sponsor... like in Thailand for example. 15% of any property must be owned by a native.

Anyone wanna bet that there will still be a big trade deficit in 2015? There will be.

Makes no difference what or how much we manufactor, or whose brand name is on it, ya still can't force the rest of the world to purchase it instead of what is built right there in their own nation.

[This message has been edited by maryjane (edited 05-23-2011).]

It make no differance when you are the tallest midget...