🚀 go-pugleaf

Tom_O wrote:
> 
> yf@ziplip.com (Your Friend) wrote in message news:<be064478.0402050829.5fce17bf@posting.google.com>...
> >
> > Now here's where it gets funky: Ricardo would say that the USA should
> > innovate in technology and stop programming, and India should do the
> > programming and stop innovating. If we each concentrate on our "most
> > best" and then trade, more of both get produced for less ? the very
> > essence of increased productivity.
> >
> 
> You can't make an "innovation vs. programming" argument.  That's
> stupid.  Programmers are not analogous to factory workers assembling a
> set of components for an automobile.  When it comes to software,
> programmers *are* the innovators.  We work every day to "invent"
> computer systems by analysis, design, and implementation.  Seems like
> people outside the field of programming think we're just like highly
> skilled bricklayers.  We just sit down and "churn out" code like an
> assembly line worker, and that Indians should relieve us of this
> menial task so we can concentrate on becoming the next Bill Gates(who
> himself is a programmer).  The fact of the matter is, we can't
> innovate in the computer field unless we continue to maintain a solid
> base of experienced, employed programmers.  It's just that simple.
> When we ship programming jobs overseas we are not just losing "jobs",
> we are losing "professions".  The outsourcing proponents will preach
> about "comparative advantage".  Well, an American programmer whos
> personal "comparative advantage" is programming is now being forced to
> change occupations to something he or she isn't optimal at, like being
> a manager doing powerpoint presentations and sitting in meetings.  And
> Indians who otherwise would never even care about being a programmer
> are busy writing code because it's the only high-paying career they
> have a choice of doing.  Now tell me where the efficiency is?


 Your counter argument works. The simple models used by Ricardo proves
what a weak science economics still is. I've studied economics in
graduate school and believe me, it is as weak as a science can get. They
want the respectability of a hard science such as physics but they'll
never get it by such simple minded half-assed models. 

Of course, programmers are innovative, but if you're not in the field,
how can you be? There also is this hidden assumption which seems to
suggest Indian programmers are not up to par when it comes to being
innovative. Funny how the experts assume Indians will not be producing
much of anything new without our help. 

I think this is all just an excuse to move jobs out. Where will the tax
base come from in many cities and states if professionals aren't making
decent salaries. How long before the upper classes are taxed to death to
make up for the loss tax revenue? Then will they react? 

How many jobs were lost in our dead TV industry? In our dead VCR
industry? Who said Japan is better in building TVs? We could have kept
the industry but our brain damaged excutives lost the industry. We made
up for the loss because the best and brightest we able to create new
industries to make up for the mistake in losing our TV production. Not
because we were better off giving Japan TV production so we could do
better in some other field. That is so lame. 

If we keep losing and giving away one industry after another eventually
we'll lose it. How can we remain innovative as we were even two decades
ago? Are our children as well educated? Test scores have been dropping
for the last 20 years. There is a flood of people into this country who
barely score above 300 on their math SATs. Kids flooding into this
country who can't even handle fractions in high school. 

The gene pool is changing in America and its not becoming smarter.
Thirty years ago you had many bright kids going out into the job market,
talented and eager to do something new. Even the music has gotten worse
over the last 30 years. Rap is retarded music for brain dead kids. Kids
who hate reading, who don't understand science.

Sure there are many smart children remaining, but they are becoming a
smaller percentage of the population everyday. This magical idea we can
always innovative better than anyone else forever is too naive for my
taste. We've become like England of old, when they thought the sun would
never set on the British Empire, or when France was the most important
nation in the world, or when Germany thought it was the most powerful,
they all couldn't imagine themselves losing their greatness. Just as we
can't see ourselves losing it, in spite of all the signs we are.


They'll say someday, it wasn't an army which finally defeated the USA.
It was their business people from within, not unlike Rome's fall. We all
sense it in America even though we won't see it. How many of us believe
that America will be the most powerful nation on the eath in a 100
years? Not many. We sense it will be China. And doesn't that scare many
of us? We somehow sense that will not be a good thing for many peoples.
They are not a kind people or warm people. 

It might be karma working on the US. It took the country by almost
killing the native Indians. Maybe that is what is in store for its
whites. To be wiped out as it wiped out to have the nation.