Wednesday, March 31, 2004

Why Outsourcing Is Good: A Simple Lesson for Liberal Yuppies

You work in Manhattan, at the headquarters of a company whose product is sold throughout the U.S. and overseas. You live in Connecticut and commute to Manhattan by train. You drive to and from the train station in an SUV that was assembled in Tennessee.

Shazam! Outsourcing is outlawed. You can't buy a new SUV unless it's assembled in Connecticut and all its parts are made in Connecticut of raw materials that are native to Connecticut.

Wait, it gets worse. You can't work for a Manhattan-based firm if you live in Connecticut. Only Manhattanites need apply. The good news is that you won't need an SUV if you live in Manhattan. The bad news is that you can't afford to live in Manhattan. The good news is that you wouldn't want to live there anyway, because the only raw materials native to Manhattan are smog and smut.