USA no longer -The Land of Opportunity?

[True Blue]

My wife (here in USA) and adult stepdaughter (finishing school in UK) feel China is now the Land Of Opportunity.

 

I have been surprised by the almost complete lack of interest by my wife's friends and families in coming to visit her in the USA. Several friends do want us to meet them in Europe or in other Asian countries.

 

My stepdaughter and her friends are all looking forward to working in China. While they all went to school in Europe or in the USA, I have been surprised at the lack of interest in a career in a Western country.

 

In turn, they are surprised by the lack of interest of most of my friends and coworkers in visiting China. My wife expected almost all my friends and co-workers to be very interested in visiting China. They are not.

 

How does this compare with your experiences?

[Amaro]

U.S.A is number 1 and will always be the worlds superpower. Well that's the end of this thread.

[credzba]

My wife (here in USA) and adult stepdaughter (finishing school in UK) feel China is now the Land Of Opportunity.

 

I have been surprised by the almost complete lack of interest by my wife's friends and families in coming to visit her in the USA. Several friends do want us to meet them in Europe or in other Asian countries.

 

My stepdaughter and her friends are all looking forward to working in China. While they all went to school in Europe or in the USA, I have been surprised at the lack of interest in a career in a Western country.

 

In turn, they are surprised by the lack of interest of most of my friends and coworkers in visiting China. My wife expected almost all my friends and co-workers to be very interested in visiting China. They are not.

 

How does this compare with your experiences?

 

I am the American citizen in our family, but I have sentiments similar to your wife.

 

I am a software developer, and I have seen the US government allow immigration specifically for software development jobs, because companies claim they can not find the resources needed in the USA .. this is while many of my friends were laid off to be replaced by foreign people who would work cheaper.

Then, as if that wasn't enough, companies started outsourcing work to India, and other less expensive countries, and more of my friends got laid off.

 

I have had 3 companies from China interview me, and the job opportunities there are much more plentiful than here.

 

Like your wife, I am surprised my American friends have little interest in China, aside from its rapid growth and

job opportunities, there are 5,000 years of history there to see.

 

Many of my wife's friends in China would still like to come visit America, and most still see it as a favorable place to live, but they are not overwhelmingly interested.

 

 

As for our children, I hope they can all work in China, because I really do not think they will be able to find good jobs in America

 

For me, China certainly has more job and life opportunities than America. I am employed in America, and I like my job, but for my daughter, and 2 friends who have been laid off in the past months, I suggest the look not only in America, but in China.

 

"The Land of Opportunity" is where you find the opportunity.

[credzba]

U.S.A is number 1 and will always be the worlds superpower. Well that's the end of this thread.

 

 

Your mop slapping has obviously not started yet

[b.c]

U.S.A is number 1 and will always be the worlds superpower. Well that's the end of this thread.

 

Please tell me your joking. Our time is coming to an end. The writing is on the wall. Its only a matter of time. Sure, we may shine again because I believe the american spirit and ingenuity is like no other. But many significant structural changes in our government and education system will have to change first. Unfortunately, it seems that we keep heading in the wrong direction.

 

But in the meantime, you can follow the money. Money (and pretty much any other resource) follows opportunity. I think you will find capital fleeing the west bound for the east. This has been the trend for quite awhile.

[david_dawei]

I think it is a trend coming for a while.

 

As to why americans are not interested in china, consider that only about 20% (if I recall this stat) of american's have passports. Americans are generally disinterested in what any other country has to offer them. I think we stand to learn from many countries ways but we're generally not interested in that too; from personal to political levels.

 

But I have found that my wife's friends or family have a favorable thought on the US for the sole reason that there are two chinese guys who are living in the US (who speak no english) and each has made himself very comfortable with an easy living arrangement (among the chinese community). So this makes all the friends think that you don't even need english to work in the US Sounds a little too familiar among some ladies too

[yemmie]

I wish I could truly reply to this, but political threads are not allowed. Any real response to this issue will most certainly involve taking a stand on government policies and how we got to where we are now, and that will lead us to ideology, and that will lead us to politics.

[tsap seui]

The US peaked but hasn't come to realize it yet. The standard of living has been in decline for a couple decades, personal freedoms have been curbed, personal security has declined and the future doesn't bode well for improvement. I'm sure glad my working days are over rather than just beginning.

I agree with you Don.

 

And, even though I work 45-55 hour weeks rehabin' homes, now, I do it because I like to, not because I have to, anymore. I jes can't sit still, I like diagnosin' plumbin' and electrical problems, and finish carpentry on out of plumb and out of level walls. What can I say, I'm jes a simple rednecked, blue collared, and white sock wearin' patriot (empasis on the riot in patriot) sonabitch who "workin' keeps me young".

 

I see what my just turned 24 year old daughter, with her college degree in business is having to go through. It ain't purdy, for them youngsters, I tells ya.

 

And I agree fully with David too, both, about Americans, and the way lots of Chinese look at Amurica.

 

 

 

God bless America, we've done it to ourselves, it's up to us to hitch up our pants, dust ourselves off, and get this crap turned around.

 

tsap seui

 

With eyes wide open and somewhere in the middle of... not pro Chinese, nor anti American.

[Mick]

The US peaked but hasn't come to realize it yet. The standard of living has been in decline for a couple decades, personal freedoms have been curbed, personal security has declined and the future doesn't bode well for improvement. I'm sure glad my working days are over rather than just beginning.

I agree with you Don.

 

And, even though I work 45-55 hour weeks rehabin' homes, now, I do it because I like to, not because I have to, anymore. I jes can't sit still, I like diagnosin' plumbin' and electrical problems, and finish carpentry on out of plumb and out of level walls. What can I say, I'm jes a simple rednecked, blue collared, and white sock wearin' patriot (empasis on the riot in patriot) sonabitch who "workin' keeps me young".

 

I see what my just turned 24 year old daughter, with her college degree in business is having to go through. It ain't purdy, for them youngsters, I tells ya.

 

And I agree fully with David too, both, about Americans, and the way lots of Chinese look at Amurica.

 

 

 

God bless America, we've done it to ourselves, it's up to us to hitch up our pants, dust ourselves off, and get this crap turned around.

 

tsap seui

 

With eyes wide open and somewhere in the middle of... not pro Chinese, nor anti American.

I think tsap and Don are accurate in their assessment. What concerns me is our crumbling infrastructure......roads, bridges, dams, and a host of other things, not to mention our power grid, are rapidly deteriorating and little is being done to stem the tide. Partisan political bickering from both sides of the aisle has created legislative gridlock and sound bite is far more important than substance. It saddens me but until we make drastic changes in our political system, nothing is gonna change.

[Amaro]

I can you give you a great example of our obsolete infrastructure. In america, I have to deal with half-working obsolete cable internet. In Japan, one of my friends had the lowest plan DSL package which ran a Fiber Optic line directly into her home and the speeds were just amazing!!! Not to mention mass transport, our only real option to get from point a to point b would be an airplane.

[tsap seui]

The US peaked but hasn't come to realize it yet. The standard of living has been in decline for a couple decades, personal freedoms have been curbed, personal security has declined and the future doesn't bode well for improvement. I'm sure glad my working days are over rather than just beginning.

I agree with you Don.

 

And, even though I work 45-55 hour weeks rehabin' homes, now, I do it because I like to, not because I have to, anymore. I jes can't sit still, I like diagnosin' plumbin' and electrical problems, and finish carpentry on out of plumb and out of level walls. What can I say, I'm jes a simple rednecked, blue collared, and white sock wearin' patriot (empasis on the riot in patriot) sonabitch who "workin' keeps me young".

 

I see what my just turned 24 year old daughter, with her college degree in business is having to go through. It ain't purdy, for them youngsters, I tells ya.

 

And I agree fully with David too, both, about Americans, and the way lots of Chinese look at Amurica.

 

 

 

God bless America, we've done it to ourselves, it's up to us to hitch up our pants, dust ourselves off, and get this crap turned around.

 

tsap seui

 

With eyes wide open and somewhere in the middle of... not pro Chinese, nor anti American.

I think tsap and Don are accurate in their assessment. What concerns me is our crumbling infrastructure......roads, bridges, dams, and a host of other things, not to mention our power grid, are rapidly deteriorating and little is being done to stem the tide. Partisan political bickering from both sides of the aisle has created legislative gridlock and sound bite is far more important than substance. It saddens me but until we make drastic changes in our political system, nothing is gonna change.

 

I tell ya Mick, all the "roads pork" must be up here in this part of Pennsytucky. I have never seen so much road and bridge work. Hell, they even re-pave roads that don't need it. And we are in a rural area that you would think would be the last place they would spend millions upon millions to work on. Now, everywhere you go is filled with beautiful views....and the roads are very nice and comfortable.

 

I've never seen anything like it.....not even when they widened I-270 from Clarksburg, Md. down to Washington's I-495 Beltway...that project made I-270 a nice ride for two whole days, then it went back to the same old parkin' lot it always was.

 

tsap seui

Edited October 17, 2010 by tsap seui (see edit history)

[warpedbored]

All my life I've been hearing how America is going to hell in a hand basket. I'm not buying it. Yes we have our problems but one thing we have always been good at is pulling ourselves out of a hole. Yes China's star is in the ascent but the average Chinese is far from enjoying the same standard of living we have. Their population will drag them down until it is much smaller. I firmly believe that Americans need to quit whining about how bad things are getting, take pride in their country and do what we can to help. IMO the best thing we could do for starters is buy American. Too many jobs have been outsourced to other countries. If we as a nation took buy American seriously it would create a lot of jobs.

[Dennis143]

All my life I've been hearing how America is going to hell in a hand basket. I'm not buying it. Yes we have our problems but one thing we have always been good at is pulling ourselves out of a hole. Yes China's star is in the ascent but the average Chinese is far from enjoying the same standard of living we have. Their population will drag them down until it is much smaller. I firmly believe that Americans need to quit whining about how bad things are getting, take pride in their country and do what we can to help. IMO the best thing we could do for starters is buy American. Too many jobs have been outsourced to other countries. If we as a nation took buy American seriously it would create a lot of jobs.

Right On, Carl!

 

 

Politics and pork aside, I have to both chuckle and shake my head at all the doom-saying. Living among a very large immigrant and mostly Chinese community, I wonder what their answer would be to the looming fall of America. I'd have to guess that they'd look at me with both disbelief and wonder, as most of them clamored to come here to seek opportunities that were mostly out of reach back in their home countries. And, few want to return. They know that their drive and hard work may pay handsomely. If nothing else, their lives will be easier here. So, they believe. And, its that belief in America, our system and opportunities that keep our engine purring. I know we have problems. Only recently we all felt that our economic fabric was hanging by a thread, yet the doom we all feared has mostly evaporated. And, our engine keeps running. Call me Pollyanna, but I still see good times ahead.

[david_dawei]

All my life I've been hearing how America is going to hell in a hand basket. I'm not buying it. Yes we have our problems but one thing we have always been good at is pulling ourselves out of a hole. Yes China's star is in the ascent but the average Chinese is far from enjoying the same standard of living we have. Their population will drag them down until it is much smaller. I firmly believe that Americans need to quit whining about how bad things are getting, take pride in their country and do what we can to help. IMO the best thing we could do for starters is buy American. Too many jobs have been outsourced to other countries. If we as a nation took buy American seriously it would create a lot of jobs.

This whole notion of 'standard of living' sometimes strikes me odd but it does show that many americans are more concerned about this most anything else. Like our infant mortality rates are higher and we have fewer years projected to live, our HIV rates are higher, our crime rates have us at the most incarcerated rates, economic, housing, and auto crisis while corporations march on for big bucks and golden parachutes, our enemies around the world seem to increase. This is not about who is better just where is a countries focus (and spending) when dealing with and safeguarding certain aspects of their country.

 

I think the US is unwilling to admit that from the beginning you can only feed people a deception about a 'new world', an 'american dream', etc and it only works so long. Reality has to come around at some point to grab you by the coat tails and send you to the ground. But the message keeps coming as if putting it in our head enough times will become the modern day 'bread and circus'.

 

Buy US? Oh please... we've created that problem ourselves because we're two-faced; we want the lowest price and the highest profits. We simply have some models which just are not conducive to keeping work in the US. In my opinion, with the models we have, we should ship more and more overseas so we can continue to get cheaper prices in return. If we could somehow do that to the housing market maybe people could afford a house... but we'll find out soon (over the next several hundred years) that houses are the most inefficient use of space possible. But we're not about efficient but effect.

 

One point to Dennis: One thing the chinese know better about americans than we know ourselves is that we'll spend money even when we should not. We're wasteful beyond fault. I got a 'kick' out of Karate Kid with Jackie Chan where he told the family that the hot water is fine; just 'turn on the switch'. When told there are not such switches in the US he chided, "buy switches and save the planet". Hate to say it but there is more truth than comedy in that line. Maybe the chinese are frugal to a fault but one cannot claim the same rampant waste as what we see in the US. All per capita waste has the US at the top position on many issues. China has been pursuing alternate energy for many years and will for another 100. The US doesn't have a model which encourages this since it's all about turning profits; it's not about the environment or the people really.

 

Again, before anyone says this is a better than comparison, it's just a focus comparison. Our domestic and global focuses are different. So to me, it's a bit one dimensional to simply say China's standard of living is not as good. We could tit-for-tat that for many months and get nowhere because we would not be address the causes of those differences.

[amberjack1234]

I have to side with Carl and Dennis on this one. It sounds like some of you guys politics are not going your way or you did not get your $20,000 bonus last year.

 

I remember the same thing happened a few years ago when Japan was buying up America and darn near bought everything here that was worth buying and everyone was saying the same thing that you guys are saying here now. Every CEO in America was reading the latest book by the latest Japanese author of how we did it. Look where Japan is today. It did not last and neither will this last.

 

I don't say that all Chinese people have prospered because I now believe that they have in some ways to some degree but if they all were to attain the standard of living that most of Americans have China would be in much much worse shape economically as we are due to the sheer numbers of them, 1.3 billion. Spread all of China's wealth around to all of them and see what happens.

 

Larry