On Tue, 4 Jun 2002 13:47:40 -0500, Lawrence Lile wrote:
>Well, the world is a dynamic place.  Nike changed a lot of
>things in their factories in response to all the criticism, yet
>people still stigmatize Nike because of actions that may have
>been rectified years ago.
>Meanwhile, most *everything else* you buy is actually
>manufactured in China, often under poor conditions.  Nike's
>competitors all enjoy the same apalling conditions that propmted
>protest, yet no one is squawking.

Good point!

>The last time I was in China (a few weeks ago) the factory
>manager told me that the Chinese government had recently
>mandated a 40 hour work week, and had begun to withhold social
>security taxes, meaning they expect to have a surplus of elderly
>retirees at some point and a rudimentary social welfare system.
>This is BIG news, in 1997 when I was there, factories worked
>people 12 hours a day 6 days a week, and people who got their
>hands cut off in presses had to beg.

Well that's too bad. I guess the Chinese government has learned
from ours how to promise the people a "pig-in-a-poke" -- glorious
benefits promised down the road, while stealing their money at
the same time!

Probably a good thing about the 40 hour work week though. Then
again, I'm not too keen on any government mandates to private
business. Basic human rights and freedoms, yes. As long as
personal freedom and free will is maintained, the system will
balance itself.

>Believe me, there is little in the way of consumer electronics
>that is not made in Korea or China, sometimes in conditions
>you'd shudder to think about.

Yes, it's bad but your frame of reference is your life as you
know it. It probably looks different to you if you've lived in
China all your life.

>Yes, it is appalling that there are a billion people who make
>less than $1 a day, and another billion making less than $2 a
>day.

Why is this appalling? What were the conditions they were living
under before the $1 or $2 a day job? Again, it's all perspective.
I remember my first regular job -- it was mopping a grocery store
floor for $1/hr. Not exactly a glamorous job, but I did it the
best I could and moved up as my skill set improved and I was
worth more to my prospective employers. Right now those chinese
workers have nothing to sell but "human hours". They are worth
what the market is willing to pay. If you could get hourly labor
here in the U.S. for the same rate, you would -- right? You buy
it there because they are willing to sell it at a price you are
willing to pay or rather what your customers are willing to pay.

As Jim said earlier, over time the economic conditions will
advance and the labor rates will rise commensurate to the value
provided.

Matt Pobursky
Maximum Performance Systems

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