How the U.S. Lost Out on iPhone Work
Capitalism
“We sell iPhones in over a hundred countries,” a current Apple executive said. “We don’t have an obligation to solve America’s problems. Our only obligation is making the best product possible.”
For technology companies, the cost of labor is minimal compared with the expense of buying parts and managing supply chains that bring together components and services from hundreds of companies.
Companies like Apple “say the challenge in setting up U.S. plants is finding a technical work force,” said Martin Schmidt, associate provost at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In particular, companies say they need engineers with more than high school, but not necessarily a bachelor’s degree. Americans at that skill level are hard to find, executives contend. “They’re good jobs, but the country doesn’t have enough to feed the demand,” Mr. Schmidt said.
“We shouldn’t be criticized for using Chinese workers,” a current Apple executive said. “The U.S. has stopped producing people with the skills we need.”
In the last decade, technological leaps in solar and wind energy, semiconductor fabrication and display technologies have created thousands of jobs. But while many of those industries started in America, much of the employment has occurred abroad. Companies have closed major facilities in the United States to reopen in China.
Tried Burmese food for the first time at Burma Superstar. The food was excellent! A mix of 75% Thai and 25% Indian, with wonderful flavors and textures. It was a bit pricey, though we over ordered (so technically our meal could be counted as two meals).
The tea leaf salad had a brilliant mix of textures (e.g., crunchy nuts, leaves, and seeds).
The samusa soup was like a samosa in soup form!
The mango chicken was well-cooked (soft and tender) and spicy.
I watched The Help on my flight back from the Philippines. It was rather wonderful timing. One of the strangest elements for me while with family in the Philippines is the presence of the staff. Maids, drivers, and the like do so much (e.g., set the dinner table, make all meals, clean up, do laundry) and are given little respect. I understand the comfort (especially for my grandparents who are elderly and need help), but for many others it seemed excessive. I wish they were treated better, because it resembled indentured servitude. (Though many times, the children of the staff were well taken care of by the families for whom they worked.)
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