According to a report by the official North Korean Central News Agency, North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un convened an urgent operation meeting of senior generals, signed a rocket preparation plan, and ordered his forces on standby to strike the U.S. mainland, South Korea, Guam and Hawaii.
Does this mean that good-paying manufacturing jobs in China, South Korea and Taiwan might one day return to the U.S.?
Forbes said, "There is an important reason why many U.S. companies open stores, build factories and hire people overseas: That’s where the sales are. If a company outsources jobs to another country, that’s 'off-shoring'. However, companies can also build stores or factories in foreign countries and hire the people who work there. That’s also 'off-shoring', but it isn’t necessarily 'outsourcing'. Those are company employees, both American and foreign."
But when a U.S. company builds factories overseas to manufacture their products using cheaper labor (rather than exporting their products from the U.S. to consumers overseas) they are creating 'demand' by enabling foreign workers with an income, who in turn use other services and products from other U.S. companies, such as McDonald's and Wal-Mart
U.S. manufacturers have self-perpetuated this economic cycle of 'demand' overseas to increase their company's bottom line to offer ever greater returns to their shareholders --- who are mostly large institutional investors (banks, hedge funds, private equity firms, etc.), and more often than not, the corporate executives themselves with stock options.
The U.S. spends $700 billion a year in "defense spending" on the best military power in the world, which has become more like a private police force for U.S. corporations operating overseas --- defending "U.S. interests" and not the Homeland or the American people per se.
So when we buy foreign-made products in Wal-Mart (out of economic necessity, because of their lower prices), we aren't only just contributing to the suppression of wages domestically, but we are also contributing to the economies and treasuries of foreign countries --- and American workers are being taxed in the U.S. to support the defense of those "U.S. interests" overseas.
If North Korean leader Kim Jong Un makes good on his promise, is it really worth the cost to U.S. taxpayers (of which 50% earn less than $27,000 a year) defending corporate America's interests overseas, especially when we have such high unemployment, stagnant wages, and growing poverty here at home --- just to protect U.S. corporate profits that are earned and un-taxed overseas?
But if we do go to war with North Korea, just like with all other U.S. wars (with the exception of Iraq and Afghanistan) there should also be a war profits and excess profits tax on the wealthy and these American multi-national corporations to pay for the war --- and our government should not further burden the American workers with protecting the interests of companies who don't protect the interests of the American workers.
Instead of spending such a vast amount of our nation's resources defending "democracy" abroad and nation building overseas, we should spend more time defending democracy at home and building here.
While Congress has been forcing austerity on the working and middle class, their
F-35 joint strike fighter — which has a price tag of more than the entire sequester combined — will most likely be saved from cuts.
The F-35 joint strike fighter, which was affectionately named the “Fiasco 35,” has been a disaster since production began in 2001. With a price tag of $1.5 trillion, the costliest weapons system and the single most expensive item in the 2013 Pentagon budget has yet to fly a single combat mission.
The F-35 is the perfect example of the massive waste and abuse throughout the Pentagon budget. But it’s just one example. The Pentagon budget is full of pork, and with over 50% of all discretionary spending going to the Pentagon, we know there are savings to be had.
Large portions of theF-35 joint strike fighter are being outsourced to manufacturing partners around the world.
It is outrageous that working and middle class families are being asked to make do with less, while Lockheed Martin, their lobbyists and allies in Congress protect profits and wasteful projects.
Sometimes public pressure works. Back in 2009, USAction/TrueMajority led a successful campaign to defeat the F-22, another plane we couldn't afford and didn't need. Now thry're back again to take on the F-35.
Either send them on a mission to North Korea, or use the savings to help Americans at home.
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