"LWG" wrote in message
. ..
That is to say the products made in developing countries bear little of
the cost of the social structure we expect in this country. Products from
developing countries can undercut price, or use higher-priced materials
and still be competitive on price because of vastly reduced labor costs.
The sort of jobs which involve the greatest social benefits are usually
the first to leave, as the manufacturers vote with their feet.

Outside of government (which has no responsibility to anyone, ever) and a
few legacy companies, where have you seen defined benefit plans for
employees lately?


What I mean is ----- Why should a consumer worry about "...purchasing that
quality at the expense of your fellow workers..." when the same workers have
demonstrated an unwillingness to contribute to the efficient production of
the product virtually causing the price to be artificially inflated? (
"...the American companies have to pay their workers 60k -100k per year,
whether they work or not, and then support them in retirement in that same
standard of living for as long as thirty to forty years?...) I'm just
wondering how the two statements can be reconciled. Are the workers entitled
to work for 60-100k with defined benefit plans and sweet retirement deals
because they simply exist as workers or because they actually contribute
profitability to their company?