I was surprised to learn that recycled plastics are often an international commodity, ground up and bagged in 250kg or so units, bought and sold like wheat. And having the biodegradable types is common unless one gets them from a single supplier, such as a credit card manufacturer, which is incredibly expensive.

We’ve seen a lot of things like that in building materials, food, toys, and other stuff imported into the U.S.

Competing with that availability and eagerness for business would seem to be very difficult.

(By the way, he shut down his business. He made plastic boards out of recycled plastic. HIs sources of raw materials couldn’t keep biodegradable plastic out of the bulk supplies, and the boards couldn’t be guaranteed to last.)

Chinese wages are rising faster, so although they are still lower, the gap is slowly closing (see Exhibit 1). Add to that American superiority in productivity, shipping costs, materials and manufacturing costs, and quality, and the reasons for outsourcing to China are getting less attractive.

There is nothing in the article about reducing our living and other standards to those of China. Nothing.

That was after I already linked one news article on the subject a few days ago that gave the basics.

Here’s another news piece on it.

Your response, solely focused on standards of living, makes it obvious you didn’t read it. Or if you did, you absorbed nothing that conflicted with your preconceived notions. If you don’t want to read my links, that’s cool. But if you’re going to act like you did, you’re probably going to embarrass yourself.

“Climate change is nonsense” “here”.

“Proof Saddam had WMDs” “here”

“Iran has nuclear devices” “here”

After “here” there is no more information. Many folks have mentioned this before.

I did read their own synopsis of their paper and I did look up the organization.

Which is more than I believe you did. I, for instance, could respond to the article. You couldn’t either describe it or respond to the content of my post.

And I stand by my post as being responsive to their paper as described by them.

Arf

If America is to become cheaper than that it will not be the country with which I’m familiar. I will admit it will have become a Conservatives paradise, but not really. Your basic Conservative will have gone the way of the Middle Class as the super and ultra-wealthy thank them for their contributions and sell them out. After all, worth will be measured by wealth, and most NASCAR loving, gun-toting, God-fearing, flag waving folks aren’t super-wealthy, simply super-gullible.

It sort of reminds me of the Jewish affinity for the Fundamentalist Christian Right. Do they realize that the Christians believe the Jews will ultimately wind up in Hell, after having been used by the Christians to fulfill “prophecy”?

The Boston group, by the way, looks to be a sterling organization, dedicated to the proposition that a short-term profit is better than long-term responsibility.