Simon, why don't you just move the hell over here? You are absolutely obsessed with the United States, Why don't you move over here & run for the next term as mayor of California???
Bangalore, India, set to over-take 'silicon valley'
by Simon 16 Replies latest social current
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Euphemism
Simon... the problem with comparing the $50/hr programmer in Silicon Valley and the $20/hr programmer in India is that $20 will probably get you more talent in India than $50 in California.
I do think that free trade improves everyone's economy in the long run. But more importantly, I agree with ballistic, it's a question of fairness. Protectionism implies that somehow, my having a job is more important than some programmer in India having a job. I just don't see any basis for claiming that.
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Leolaia
I live in Silicon Valley....it's been hit hard, but more from the dot-com bubble bursting and the economic downturn...with businesses either failing or packing up for cheaper locales. I think the glory days are gone....:( This place feels like New Bedford in 1870.
I saw a program on the other side of offshoring and the positive and negative effects of such jobs on the lives of Indians.....The money helps a lot, a bit of a trickle-down to wider families, but the tech jobs are a real niche thing that just comports to the preexisting class system and thus helps very few of the very poor (a huge portion of the population)....plus the techies are fashioning themselves a bit as yuppies, indulging in self-oriented consumerism, and are being motivated to abandon traditional practices in favor of Western ones...resulting in erosion of some family relationships.... -
Crazy151drinker
Interesting that China is predicted to be the worlds richest power within 10 years though.
who made that prediction? The Chinese?? LOL
Hard to say. Maybe total GDP. Not per capita though.........
Wow, the US GDP is over 11 Trillion. Holy *****!
Interesting quote from the CIA factbook:
Long-term problems include inadequate investment in economic infrastructure, rapidly rising medical and pension costs of an aging population, sizable trade and budget deficits, and stagnation of family income in the lower economic groups.
#^#$$# Health Care costs will be our doom. -
NewSense
Regarding the prediction that China will be the world's richest power in ten years, I suppose that it's possible. Anything is possible, I suppose. I live a stone's throw (or should I say, a missle's course?) from China. I live on Taiwan (a.k.a. "Formosa"), and we who live here are concerned with every "twitch" of the big Asian dragon. China has been getting richer and richer due to the influx of foreign (especially Taiwanese) capital. But the Chinese have huge factors working against them. They are trying to graft a modern, capitalist economic system onto a political system which is hopelessly corrupt and useless. China is facing enormous problems with their infrastructure. One big problem is that it seems that one day soon, they will be unable to insure a steady supply of electrical power. Even now, their richest cities like Shanghai and Guangzhou are suffering power cuts. People are saying that their entire power supply system may one day "crash." When that happens, all those foreign firms will withdraw their factories. China is also having to deal with a huge gap in income and lifestyle between their urban population on the east coast, and the farming population in the interior. People in the cities can afford to buy cars, Rolex watches and designer clothes. People living in the interior have to scrape by on 50 U.S dollars - 50 U.S. dollars a year. Also, the Chinese banking system is one huge, fetid time bomb waiting to explode. China is on the verge of total chaos. The only thing holding it together is the Chinese Communist Party. The problem is that the Party has lost just about all of legitimacy and moral authority to govern. Just about the only card that the Chi Coms still have to play is the old nationalism card (read: "Let's 'liberate' Taiwan!). Meanwhile, the twenty million people on little Taiwan are going their own way. They are quickly developing a strong "Taiwanese consciousness." They are developing their own national identity. And their attitude toward China is: "Get f*****. Sooner or later, there will be war; it' s inevitable. With the outbreak of war, Japan will definitely get involved. And probably the two Koreas also. If China fails to annex Taiwan, China will definitely fragment socially and politically. Tibet and China's Muslim provinces in the far western region will definitely secede. After that, it's abybody's guess what will happen. I just hope that the Chinese will find a nice, safe place to store their nuclear missiles so that no one gets hurt.
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bull01lay
My job has been affected by this overseas outsourcing to India - I was made redundant in November of last year, along with 44 other workers. Becuase of the very poor IT industry (if you can call it that) in this country, I had to take a £20,000 a year pay drop just to get back into gainful employment.
I've worked along side some of these 'experts' from India, and whilst on paper their credentials are excellent... you put them in front of a PC and they are pants. They have no experience - as one of them said to me "well, I've seen someone do it, so I should be able to!". Certifications mean squat if you don't have the experience to back it up.
Another thing they didn't take into consideration was the work ethic in India - over here, you get a major fault 5 minutes before finishing time, you stay till it's fixed. Whilst we were handing over to the new employees, a site link failed between UK and Paris with only 10 minutes left of the shift. The operative in India that was attempting to solve the problem just downed tools and said "my shift has finished. Goodbye" and went!!!
If my memory serves me correctly... I recall it being in the news last year how India and Pakistan were on the verge of war, and how the rest of the nations were watching anxiously as they are both nuclear powers... well, guess where they decided to site the building for the Indian employees ??? You guessed it.. on the India / Pakistan border!! It beggars belief really!!!
Fortunately, the new company that I work for handles governmental contracts. I can't see the British Government handing their programming or support over to Russia, India or China!! So my job may be safe in the short term at least.....
Bull!
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lawrence
It all comes down to what Thomas Merton (Trappist Monk) wrote in the late 40's/early 50's "It's A Pre-Occupation With Profit Versus People." As revolting a statement that is - it is the long and short of the matter.