Sigh, nobody studies history (me either, I just lived it).
The loss of jobs overseas has crippled this country from what it was in the 1950's and 1960's. In 1950-60's one parent worked and one stayed home and nurtured the family. You had a new car every 2-3 years (mostly paid for) a home with a mortgage that would be paid off well before you retired, and a lot of people had a vacation cabin or the feasibility of getting one (and time to use them).
Then the manufacturing jobs went overseas.
Now you have a car with a 6 year loan that will never get paid off (car is worn out before loan is). You have to keep refinancing your home mortgage to pay for your new cars so the home is never paid off. Both parents work to service the debt on their loans and they stick their kids in day care centers. No one has a cabin or summer place anymore, unless they are rich, and even the rich don't bother because they have to work 50% more hours than the average guy to stay where they are.
How does loosing those jobs work out ok even if more people are employed now than back then?
A nation can not continue to exist financially by having its citizens sell burgers and insurance to each other.
Japan almost destroyed the USA in the 70's and 80's by stealing our manufacturing jobs. We fought our way back over a 20 year period (of really crappy employment opportunities) through the high tech industry growth. Now China and India are stealing the tech jobs.
Let me warn anyone studying for a tech job now. Don't bother, it will be as useless in 10 years as spending 5 years to become a tool and die maker became in the 70-80's. Probably a lot sooner because now you don't even need to spend 3 years building a factory. Rent an office, run in a T1 line and buy a couple hundred Taiwanese Clone PC's for a few hundred bucks each and run pirated software on them. Instant support center, software design company, etc. Pay your Masters and Phd employess a couple hundred USD a month and with minimal investment and overhead one entrepreneur can steal (200x$60,000=) $12m/year from the USA economy. What a deal! BTW $6 million of that would have been tax revenue to support the $50 Billion a year we are spending to "liberate and pacify" Iraq and Afghanistan. I don't see a real big Chinese or India contribution to stopping terrorism.
If you want USA jobs - B U Y A M E R I C AN! Vote with your wallet.
Any USA tech employee who buys an Intel CPU (brags about creating 20k new jobs all overseas since the end of the recession and none of them in the USA) or a Dell computer (moved all of its consumer tech support over seas to people who barely speak pidgeon english) should be neutered so they can't breed their stupidity. And just for the hell of it send Intel and Dell a letter telling them how you feel. Along with a copy of the sales receipt for your new (non-Dell / non-Intel) PC.
Ok, one more rant.
Out of work? Making peanuts since you got layed off in the recession? No prospects of things getting better?
D O N " T B L A M E B U S H, O R C L I N T O N O R T H E C O N G R E S S.
Blame the bastards running Intel and Dell. The failure of this recovery to spur job creation is not true, the jobs were created. All of them in India and China. At the choice of the Dell's and Intel's we are supporting. Boycott the scum suckers. Tell your friends family, and anyone asking for recommendations here to buy from pro american tech companies.
Since I did live through this same thng before I know no one will heed (or even consider) my words but at least I know I took action by saying and living them. (AMD PC's, Zenith home entertainment center, GM cars, and whatever else I can find with a sticker on them indicating significant USA manufacturing content.)
PS My second choice is Korean (my company makes money selling to them) or Japanese (hey we crushed them twice in one century {WWII and the 12 year recession we helped drive them into}, so cut them a little break).