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Talk about your broken records, that same kind of protectionist/jealousy crap has been espoused probably since the beginning of socialist labor movements in the 1880s.

How do we compete "globally?" We focus on things that are value-added, like engineering, research and development, etc. Low-tech manufacturing jobs SHOULD be outsourced, except in strategic cases like the Steel industry. Instead, you have cartels that attempt to artificially raise the price of labor.

One thing we're good at (although so are Europeans) is pharmaceutical development. And yet you have members of the Left who think it's OK to allow drug reimportation from countries that have imposed price controls, effectively imposing price controls here. How's that for destroying the value of the pharmaceutical industry!

Say all you want about "greed" and the rest of the looter diatribe. It's an immutable law of the universe that Capital, like water and electricty, flows in the path of least resistance. You can harness it with free trade, and try to let the impact of outsourced production bring improved wages around the world. You might just save a few bucks in the long term on international development assistance if the rest of the world learns to help itself, and has enough value to their own economy that they don't go overthrowing it or crapping on their environment.

Which brings up another point. It is the worst kind of paternalistic garbage to moan about environmental conditions in developing nations, as they attempt to drive economic growth. The history of industrialization is the history of environmental damage, look at the UK, look at the Hudson River Valley, look at Pennyslvania. You cannot possibly expect people to preserve their environment as a pristine playground for you to vacation in, as they try to figure out how the hell to feed themselves and grow their economy above the agricultural/demesne level. If they don't place a value on the impact presently, or to future generations, there is nothing we can do about it, unless you are prepared to levy sanctions or fight a war. And don't give me that "diplomatic pressure" business, when has that EVER worked?