Comment by bongodongobob

Comment by bongodongobob 2 days ago

Maybe you should visit the rust belt/midwest before SV starts patting itself on the back for single-handedly re-invigorating the economy.

I get the spirit, but flyover country is not doing great. Unemployment is rising and there is a severe lack of decent paying jobs. Chips are great, but everything else is made in Asia. Increased automation is making a ton of jobs obsolete and there is no solution in sight yet. Chips ain't gonna do it.

epistasis 2 days ago

Maybe you should look at actual stats for what's going on in the economy before being completely cynical.

The investment in factories is absolutely massive over the past few years. The Inflation Reduction Act is bringing massive amounts of manufacturing into the US, starting with the lowest value add of assembly, and after that additional suppliers lower down the chain will be built up too.

It is not SV reinvigorating the economy, it's not happening in SV, it's happening in small towns all over the country. It's happening due to the bills that Democrats passed over Republican opposition, but because of politics, it's not being trumpeted as a partisan win in the towns where factories are being built.

Reply View 13 replies

laidoffamazon 2 days ago

> The investment in factories is absolutely massive over the past few years.
The fascinating thing is people don't want to believe this. They'll make every excuse before admitting that it's true. They want to be in a declining empire when the reality is the opposite.

Reply View | 11 replies
- riehwvfbk 2 days ago
  
  That's because reality that is readily observable by these people does not match the reality reported by the media and the reality portrayed in Democrat speeches. In that alternate reality manufacturing-heavy towns are booming and not dying out. US-made automobiles are the most advanced and Detroit is a world-class city. And it's simply not true, much like what Pravda would report back in the day.
  
  Reply View | 7 replies
  
  laidoffamazon 2 days ago
  
  > reality that is readily observable by these people does not match the reality reported by the media and the reality portrayed in Democrat speeches.
  Democratic* and also, no.
  > US-made automobiles are the most advanced
  You may be living in a different country then, given how impressive Tesla, Rivian, and Lucid are.
  > And it's simply not true
  Except it is, you're proving my point
  
  Reply View | 6 replies
- consteval 2 days ago
  
  > don't want to believe this
  I don't think so. Rather, we are being told repeatedly that investment in factories is real bad and we should just continue to do what we did. We, then, respond to that - and that gets interpreted as "oh so you don't believe the situation is getting better?"
  It is getting better, but there's still a lot of opposition and the opposition still needs to be addressed and their concerns heard.
  
  Reply View | 0 replies
- bongodongobob 2 days ago
  
  Cool, factories get invested in, the c levels get paid $500k/year and the workers get $17.50/hr. Come to the Midwest and see it.
  
  Reply View | 0 replies
- macinjosh 2 days ago
  
  Investment in factories != investment in american communities.
  Legal immigrants with special protected status, Medicare coverage, and some basic income from the government are given these manufacturing jobs because then the investors don't have to pay for health benefits, can severely under pay, plus they have the bonus of having a desperate, captive workforce.
  The investment class thinks workers need to be knocked down a couple pegs. This stuff will not end well.
  
  Reply View | 0 replies
bongodongobob 2 days ago

Bro I fuckin live in it. I don't care what stats you have, people in the Midwest are struggling to afford groceries and housing. Come visit.

Reply View | 0 replies

tomcam 2 days ago

You are completely correct. But the chips have immense strategic value. Not being able to manufacture them would be catastrophic in the event that China cut us off.

Reply View 0 replies