RANT
When was the last time that you heard anyone in the government actually trying to improve:
- Quality of product
- Ethics that would cause people to care about what they are creating
- Reduce costs on businesses, especially small businesses and corporate income taxes (and other taxes)
- Take issue with free trade when the other areas around the planet clearly do not practice it
- Hold the countries to account for the environment at the same level as US based manufacturers
Consider Seattle, where the minimum wage rose without an increase in knowledge / skills / abilities.
Consider the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, with all of the additional tax liabilities that are involved and without a substantive improvement in healthcare that would ensure a more healthy workforce.
Consider the monetary and fiscal policies of the US and how it impacts the dollar, the economy and the business climate.
Consider the impact to businesses in Ferguson, Baltimore and other cities. Seeing the looting, etc. just made me shutter -- someone is going to pay for each and every item that was stolen / destroyed / etc.
Consider the quality of the pupil coming out of High School, Community College, University, etc.
Consider how quickly the press, elected officials, etc. dog America. When was the last time you heard about American exceptionalism or anyone attempting to regain it?
On and on it goes.
The point is that the leaders of the country are really working hard to make doing business in the US harder. Yes, other countries have their own difficulty, but for each unit of currency that a business makes a return on investment calculation is performed. If that ROI is significantly biased outside of the US, companies will move part or all of their organization beyond the boarders of the US.
Don't get me wrong -- the US has a lot going for it, but businesses watch the ROI trade. China and other countries
can make a quality product and there are many very smart people around the planet.
END RANT
Bottom line: how are we as the US going to work to improve American competitiveness on the world stage?
Thoughts?