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taking in aggregate terms about the impact of rationalization (technology-driven standardization of tasks) make little sense. the implementation and impact of these processes vary wildly by sector. textiles differ from clothing differs from x differs from y differs from z.
outsourcing impact is problematic in terms of measurement at another level as well: because of how american production levels have been altered (at the level of definition)--this is written into tarrif definitions, which enables you to decode place of origin for transport, which is the basis for stats on the matter---so you cant know too much from the official numbers--saying that it has been overstated is arbitrary. if assembly operations are understood as elements of domestic production, and much assembly is offshore, then how would an aggregate number tell you anything about what is going on? the examples can be multiplied here....
your "learning curve" for corporations is meaningless in the abstract--same logic applies here. what sectors are you talking about? do you think there is some zietgeist that organizes corporate behaviours such that everyone recognizes the same thing at the same time? then you are dreaming....
unemployment figures are also suspect in that people unemployed more than 6 months are not counted--it is a reagan-style way of addressing structural unemployment--pretend it is not there---the claim that the american is a full-employment economy seems to fly in the face of reason--you have to be totally uncritical about the definition of the statistical category "unemployed" to believe anything like that.
this all seems like conservative pollyanna stuff to me--nothing is wrong, dont worry, every critique is generated by handwringing naysayers as a function of some emotional problem they share, not to take it seriously, see eveyrhtying can be explained away----if you assume an adequately credulous audience---which this line seems to be able to find.
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a gramophone its corrugated trumpet silver handle
spinning dog. such faithfulness it hear
it make you sick.
-kamau brathwaite
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