The US is losing its competitive edge.

Wow it looks as though u need some serious investment within your hi-tech industries and education system and urgently by the sound of it.

''U.S. investment in research and development has stayed flat for the last three decades, while it has grown significantly in competitors such as Brazil, India, China and Israel.''

''Students in the United States are behind their counterparts in other countries in math and science, and some Asian countries are graduating five times as many engineers.''

edition.cnn.com...


India is going to be very big in the computer industry soon also, they have so many programers and software engineers that there are many that cannot find work.
I believe there are going to be some very bad repercussions for this trend of the west losing its manufacturing base to the developing world! When are we going to wake up and realise that if we keep outsourcing all we will be left with is some claim that we ''own'' most of these foreign companies. What good is that if we ever go to war with these countries, which i admit is unlickely but very possible in the future. Are we going to say they must hand over our manufactured goods or we sue them for breach of contract LOL.

Well, maybe if America isnt viewed as the best at everything, other countries wont hate us as much.



Just a thought.

Originally posted by JustAnIllusion
Well, maybe if America isnt viewed as the best at everything, other countries wont hate us as much.



Just a thought.

Are u trying to say that it is ok for your country to fall behind in certain areas to please the rest of the world? If so then i believe u may be a contributor to the problem, i would have thought having your country be the best at everything is something to be proud of not looked at as some kind of flaw.

Originally posted by ufo3
Wow it looks as though u need some serious investment within your hi-tech industries and education system and urgently by the sound of it.

''U.S. investment in research and development has stayed flat for the last three decades, while it has grown significantly in competitors such as Brazil, India, China and Israel.''

''Students in the United States are behind their counterparts in other countries in math and science, and some Asian countries are graduating five times as many engineers.''

edition.cnn.com...


India is going to be very big in the computer industry soon also, they have so many programers and software engineers that there are many that cannot find work.
I believe there are going to be some very bad repercussions for this trend of the west losing its manufacturing base to the developing world! When are we going to wake up and realise that if we keep outsourcing all we will be left with is some claim that we ''own'' most of these foreign companies. What good is that if we ever go to war with these countries, which i admit is unlickely but very possible in the future. Are we going to say they must hand over our manufactured goods or we sue them for breach of contract LOL.

While I wont dispute anything that you posted, we must take into account an ENORMOUS amount of scientists and engineers come to the US each year to gain access to the US's HUGE research budgets. You state they have remained "flat", but that’s relative, the US's budget although flat, is still many times higher than most.

So the impact of the US's education system is severe, the overall effect is somewhat tapered due to the influx of foreign talent. Research in the US is still preferred by many scientists.

I will agree 100% that something needs to change, as homegrown smarts is "better" than imported smarts!

Hey i am studying in order to live in your USofA lol. BTW those statements are not mine i quoted them from the CNN article i posted the link for.

Or in other words, sure other countries may be graduating larger amounts of engineers or scientists...........but Ultimately alot of those folks will go where the money is, which is the US. US history shows that many of our great inventors, and scientists originated from other countries and became US citizens. ........I admit this theory is highly debatable, however it is most likely that if an engineer or scientist is really SO good, they will go where they have the best resources/best funding for their smarts/and higher potential for growth.

Carburetor

[edit on 11-3-2005 by Mr Carburetor]

Yeah thats all ok in theory like communism but there are 2bn+ in China and India alone, something tells me that just a fraction of these will be a far higher immigration rate than the public will accept. The people in these countries are rapidly rising out of poverty and soon enough the lure of the US will diminish, people will be able to stay at home and make good money, we need to invest now and maintain the technological lead if we want to keep the dominant position we have.

>Well, maybe if America isnt viewed as the best at everything, other countries wont hate us as much. Just a thought.

I think much of it has to do with our ignorance as a country though too-and our inability to keep our eyes and ears open to reality.

Yes, US rresearch funding has not increased while other nations have.

So now the US only spends 10,000 times as much instead of our usual million.

And I am really glad all of those countries are graduating engineers. The best ones will come here as usual.

Thanks for helping us out guys

Originally posted by American Mad Man
Yes, US rresearch funding has not increased while other nations have.

So now the US only spends 10,000 times as much instead of our usual million.

And I am really glad all of those countries are graduating engineers. The best ones will come here as usual.

Thanks for helping us out guys

Complacency is not really a good strategy americanmadman.

Originally posted by livinlife
>Well, maybe if America isnt viewed as the best at everything, other countries wont hate us as much. Just a thought.

I think much of it has to do with our ignorance as a country though too-and our inability to keep our eyes and ears open to reality.

Boy, does media really play a big part here. A big portion of judgment and stereotypes are placed on the US due to media and Entertainment. Its in many family housholds staring people in the face all across the world. ........The US people are arrogant, the US people are violent, The US people are ignorant. Its very easy to judge this way when you are watching the media or cable channels as that is what they are meant to do is cause controversy and entertainment.

Well, i will tell you that the average joe here is quite down to earth. There are alot of good families and good hearted people here. Arrogant people are all over the world, not just the US. The US side of it is just placed in front of people's faces more as we provide enormous entertainment and media for the world.

Carburetor.

Originally posted by ufo3

Originally posted by American Mad Man
Yes, US rresearch funding has not increased while other nations have.

So now the US only spends 10,000 times as much instead of our usual million.

And I am really glad all of those countries are graduating engineers. The best ones will come here as usual.

Thanks for helping us out guys

Complacency is not really a good strategy americanmadman.

You call having a research budget many times that of most countries COMBINED and taking the best from every other country while also retaining your own complacency?

I call it increasing the gap.

Look if we have 10 times the budget, and take half of every other countries top 10% of scientists and engineers, that is a good thing.

No one else can claim to be doing that.

The first thing the USA needs to do to regain the competitive lead in many areas, is to admit they've lost the lead and are losing out to alot of other nations. Once you guys can admit that other nations are doing a better job in technology, then you guys can solve the problem.

But in typical american Ignorance, many people there refuse to admit that you guys are no longer #1 (in many areas not just research and engineering)...

I know the US gets a lot of very good scientists from abroad but what i am saying is that u wont keep getting these people indefinately, as other countries progress their citizens choose to stay in ever increasing numbers as the same opportunities are available right on their doorstep. Where will that leave the US?

A report by the Naional Science Foundation seems to dispute the comment that R&D growth has been flat in the US.

Rate of Change in inflation adjusted R&D spending:
www.nsf.gov...


R&D as percent of GDP:
www.nsf.gov...

Lots of data on science and engineering stats at the site below:

www.nsf.gov...

Some interesting stuff there.

It looks like the US, EU and Japan are near the top.
All other countries are lagging behind.