Gordaen’s Blog

Outsourcing was a part of both 2004 presidential candidates’ speeches. Both claimed that they would do something about it. Kerry quoted figures showing the thousands of jobs lost by President Bush during his first term. Bush pledged to fight against corporate outsourcing. The topic died down and we have lived on with our technical support answered in India and our American flags manufactured in China. Ford continues to show their poor management and limited insight, laying off thousands (isn’t that the history of the company?). Chrysler’s PT Cruiser is made in Mexico (and I wish the ugly things would all say south of the border).

Outsourcing is most visible in the auto-manufacturing world. People generally accept (or perhaps don’t know) that cars like the Camaro (which is Canadian) are made elsewhere. It’s cheaper to build cars elsewhere, so why would a company actually spend money making their techniques more efficient, making quality parts, or keeping pace with consumer desires when they can just send the jobs elsewhere, offer minimal warranties, and pocket millions? Obviously, pride, loyalty, patriotism, nationalism, and morals aren’t factors for major companies like GM.

Of course, our government has to be patriotic, right? It wouldn’t make any sense to outsource government-created jobs. Yesterday, I saw the bottom of a United States Postal Service (USPS) box that proclaimed it was made in Canada! At first, I chuckled a little that our government would endorse Kruger, Inc. rather than a company in the US (which would have created jobs for US citizens and helped the economy). Then I thought about the kind of message that sends.

I don’t know how long this has been going on, or even what percentage of USPS boxes are made by Kruger, Inc., but everytime I think my opinion of the government couldn’t become lower, they somehow manage to prove me wrong.