[vaseline2008]

As gas prices have risen many US Citizens are blaming everyone and everything. Funny how if one takes a few steps back and realize that with all of the outsourcing to Chinese manufacturers the US Consumer has empowered and enriched the Chinese with more purchasing power for oil. Kind of makes you think doesn't it?

[Sixstrings]

Good point.

If we made our Stuff (tm) here in the US, we'd have no unemployed, a booming economy and -- most importantly -- manufacturing would be more automated here so you wouldn't have a million Chinese iPhone workers motoring about on scooters and now cars, using up all the oil.

But hey if Apple made it's stuff here then it would just be a very rich profitable company but not the Most Profitable Company of All Time. I think I read something like Apple is worth more than Microsoft and another big one put together.

How does Apple make these gargantuan profits? By passing off the real cost of production to anyone but them, of course.

[graham]

Microsoft and Google.

[Cog]

If you think Apple is not being sensitive to your desire to pay more for their product, no one is forcing you to buy an I-Phone.

[chris89]

If you think Apple is not being sensitive to your desire to pay more for their product, no one is forcing you to buy an I-Phone.

Yeah, no political grievance is legitimate where capitalism is involved. They're just providing a service - you don't have to buy the baby spleen.

[vaseline2008]

Good point.

If we made our Stuff (tm) here in the US, we'd have no unemployed, a booming economy and -- most importantly -- manufacturing would be more automated here so you wouldn't have a million Chinese iPhone workers motoring about on scooters and now cars, using up all the oil.

But hey if Apple made it's stuff here then it would just be a very rich profitable company but not the Most Profitable Company of All Time. I think I read something like Apple is worth more than Microsoft and another big one put together.

How does Apple make these gargantuan profits? By passing off the real cost of production to anyone but them, of course.

Well I just used the iPhone as an example, didn't mean to stir up that can of worms.

The principle applies to all that we import -- countries like Japan, South Korea, China, Indonesia, and all the other countries where products we consume are made.

[2012 Survivalist]

It's called globalization, and it has consequences. While initially it opens up new markets for the major economies, in the long term it means that poorer countries will get work, and slowly become less impoverished.

Soon India will be outsourcing...

Globalization could be the undoing of the superpowers. At the very least they have taken a gamble.

[SeaGypsy]

A company called Adani, based in India, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adani_Group
has been outsourcing for several years. I doubt it outsources office staff, but it does shipbuilding in Subic Bay, Philippines. One of a bunch of very large Asian corporations diversifying to an extent almost unheard of in the West.