Sorry to follow up on myself, but from tomorrow's New York Times:
"In China, a booming economy has pushed up oil demand so quickly that its consumption is expected to surpass Japan's next year, as it becomes the world's second-largest oil importer, after the United States. Gas and diesel prices are identical to American prices, although they are higher as a percentage of income in China."
On Sat, 22 Nov 2003 21:06:10 -0500, Gary Coffman brought forth from the murky depths:
The good news for most Chinese people is that their bicycles use VERY little gasoline.
------------------------------------------- Stain and Poly are their own punishment
Ah..no. If a 7 course meal in China costs $2, and it costs $100 in San Francisco.. and rent in China costs $5 a month and $1500 in the Gay Bay..purchasing power is not the same.
If one can live for $50 a month comfortably in China, and $2500 a month in Marin County..there is a difference somewhere that cant be tracked back to tarrifs etc.
Gunner
"The British attitude is to treat society like a game preserve where a certain percentage of the 'antelope' are expected to be eaten by the "lions". Christopher Morton
"Tom Gardner" wrote
But if you outsource jobs, foreigners can buy your stuff and our exports will increase. Maybe that will help solve the trade deficit problem. Sarcasm intended. But if you are outsorcing software jobs, since they pirate their own product you get nothing in return except immediate gratification paying lower wages.
On Sun, 23 Nov 2003 03:36:34 GMT, Spehro Pefhany wrote something ......and in reply I say!:
It's not the competition that scares me most. It's the sudden doubling of the World's petrol consumption and pollution.
...and then there's India....
**************************************************** sorry remove ns from my header address to reply via emailImagine a _world_ where Nature's lights are obscured by man's. There would be nowhere to go. Or wait a while. Then you won't have to imagine.
Sure it is. The gay machinist will only pay $2 for his meal if he orders Chinese take out (plus delivery charge, of course). And the Chinaman will certainly be smarter than to pay $100 for a San Francisco treat (plus shipping). Their dollars are both dollars, worth exactly the same, but one of the machinists is likely to show better sense than the other in where he spends them.
Gary
Blink blink..you lost me somewhere along the way.....
Gunner
"The British attitude is to treat society like a game preserve where a certain percentage of the 'antelope' are expected to be eaten by the "lions". Christopher Morton
Gary is assuming everybody's money is converted to dollars at the exchange rate. You're talking about what things cost in different places.
You're on different vectors.
Ed Huntress
On Mon, 24 Nov 2003 13:11:05 GMT, "Ed Huntress" wrote something ......and in reply I say!:
Thanks Ed. I was biting my fingers.
**************************************************** sorry remove ns from my header address to reply via emailImagine a _world_ where Nature's lights are obscured by man's. There would be nowhere to go. Or wait a while. Then you won't have to imagine.
Let's make it simple. You've got a duck. You can get it cooked in San Francisco, or in Beijing. If you get it cooked in San Francisco you'll want to sterilize it before eating it, but it will be fresh, even if it tastes like Clorox by the time it's safe to eat.
If you get it cooked in Beijing, the duck will come back in a container ship and it will either be duck jerky by the time it gets to you, or it will be Ancient Duck, which is like Ancient Eggs that have hatched.
You don't want to go there. Cook the duck yourself, and save some money.
Ed Huntress
And lo, it came about, that on Tue, 25 Nov 2003 01:11:20 -0500 in rec.crafts.metalworking , Gary Coffman was inspired to utter:
The real question is "How long does it take the machinist in China, versus the machinist in San Francisco, to earn enough to buy lunch?" Also known as the "City Bus Driver / Big Mac Index". If it takes me 30 minutes to earn enough for lunch, is that better or worse than the guy who works for a half hour?
When you look at things from that perspective, the numbers attached to the paycheck are "irrelevant", and a better perspective on relative life styles are obtainable. (This also leads into the "marginal value" of something. There is a joke about the guy who, after taking note that to god, a thousand years is but a minute, and thus a million dollars is as a penny, asks god for "a penny". (and is told "in a minute.") And I will never quite forget the day I got a pay raise and a pay cut all at once. The numbers on my check went up, but instead of getting 5% over minim wage, I was now getting minimum wage. Big whoop. Hey, if you pay me in Turkish Lira, I'm a multi-millionare. Oops, billionaire: two weeks pay is about 1,169,600,000.00 Turkish Lira. "I'm rich, I'mm rich, I've a trillion Lira!" Of course, it cost me a million to buy an ice cream, and a Big Mac is eight and a half million, but who cares, it's the numbers which matter.
right.
tschus pyotr
-- pyotr filipivich "We don't support "guns" ... the term "gun" gets in the way of what is really being talked about here - we want choice in personal security devices." Ann Coulter
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