Saturday, April 28, 2007

And again...

Apologies. But I have another China Article

How Rising Wages Are Changing The Game In China

For years, Yongjin Group has earned a decent profit selling lamps and furniture to the likes of Wal-Mart (WMT ), Home Depot (HD ), Target (TGT ), and Pottery Barn. But lately the company has seen its margins shrink to 5% -- half what Yongjin made when it opened its factory in the steamy southern Chinese city of Dongguan 14 years ago. Why? Labor shortages are forcing the company to boost wages. Last year salaries surged 40%, to an average of $160 a month, and Yongjin still can't find enough workers.

Soon China will move into higher level value added goods. The bastion of the West and Japan.

Thursday, April 26, 2007

China again...

I was watching T.V the other day, the weather channel.
And they have a running ticker-tape of sorts that gives the latest news.

Guess what?

Thats right. China again.

It has now overtaken the U.S as the world's second biggest exporter - with exports growing an amazing 27% in just one year!

Click here to read it.


Frankly, I like the idea of an economically multipolar world (though not of a militarily multipolar world). More competition means less special interest groups. And in many important ways the success of the U.S.A has been because it had little competition and was thus open to being a HUGE special interest groups bonanza. For e.g, I read that 50-65% of graduate students in hard science fields in US colleges are foreigners.

Why is this a good thing? Am I anti-U.S.A?

Not particularly, but I dont like restrictions on my life options and opportunities. When you think about it, there are massive restrictions in the USA. Its only 'selling point' was that other places had worse restrictions giving the USA a comparative advantage - for people of talent themselves and also as a place to park their money.

The US has affirmative action which effectively makes 20% of coveted University seats off-limits to people who deserve them. Ditto the job market. And my personal favourite - the wise Supreme Court Griggs Vs. Duke Power Co. and its aftermath.
As foreign countries rise in eminence, pressure will build to dismantle a lot of this bunk - and paradoxiacally, return the US back to what its founding fathers by and large wanted it to be - a (classical) liberal country.

Thursday, April 19, 2007

Duke lacrosse commentary

There is so much commentary on the Duke Rape case recently.
Conservatives are severely critical of Michael Nifong, the D.A

Thats true and laudable as far as that goes. But what about the bitch who screamed rape and furthermore has a history of doing similar things?

Why isnt she talked about? Why isnt her picture and name splashed over the media because its clear that she lied about the whole thing? She accused 20 people at first then watered it down to 3. That alone should have made the police disbelieve her story.

Rape is a horrible thing. But falsely accusing someone of rape is almost as bad in itself. The accused stand to lose their dignity and social respect, indeed their career and perhaps even their very lives in jail. What kind of a legal system doesnt clamp down on such an obvious imbalance of power?

Could it be because shes a Woman? Or because shes Black? Or both?