Dean's Speech at Nationals

[Marc P.]

Originally Posted by KenWittlief

its not arrogant to say the US lead the industrial and technology revolution - its a historical fact. Stuff that is being manufactured all around the world, was invented here - electric power, telecommunications, tubes and transistors, semiconductors, computers...

No, but it is arrogant to assume the US is the only country in the world capable/deserving to invent and manufacture these goods. I've followed the whole outsourcing "phenomenom" for a while, and while I am young and employed, let me ask this:

Is there a difference in outsourcing internally, within the country, than outsourcing internationally? Say an engineering firm in New York decides it can cut costs by hiring engineers in Nevada to work, assuming a lower cost of living. Is that as bad as outsourcing to India or China? I've never heard so much contraversy about companies relocating within the country as I've heard about companies hiring overseas.

The bulk of Deans speech was to say let those millions of new engineers in India and China work with current technology if they can produce it cheaper. That is the purpose of competition after all. Good for them, they can make a living. What we need to do here is develop new technology, rather than rely on what's already here and common.

but the real technology revolution came from men with names like: Wright, Ford, Edison, Tesla, Westinghouse, Farnsworth (<extra credit if you know him)

and companies like Bell Labs, IBM, Intel, GE, GM

Exactly! What Dean is saying is we need to become the next generation of great inventors, and start the next generation of great companies. We can't hope to make a living off our grandfathers and great grandfathers work, especially when the technology is already developed all over the world. It's up to us to keep the spirit of invention alive and keep pushing the boounds and "raising the bar" of technological innovation.