"Heh, two trillion dollars, what a grand gesture. But look, Dr. Cooper sneered, one point five trillion of that is specifically for infrastructure." "Infrastructure, it does involve a lot of real industries, but what infrastructure needs most is still people. But are there still people within our country who can handle infrastructure? Can our citizens still do this kind of hard work?"
"Right now, even a simple plumber charges 200 dollars per visit. When a large number of people come to do infrastructure, won't one worker's daily fee exceed 500 dollars a day? That's 15,000 dollars a month in wages. If all these jobs are done by Americans, do you think our infrastructure companies can afford these expensive Americans?"
"Let's not even talk about what will happen after this infrastructure funding is allocated. Right now, aren't all our domestic infrastructure projects being done by illegal immigrants or Mexicans?"
"A redneck demands a salary of 500 dollars a day. Whereas an illegal immigrant or Mexican only needs 120 dollars a day, and they work more meticulously and diligently than our rednecks. They are also very respectful to their bosses, otherwise, if they are not respectful, they will be directly fired and won't get a single cent of compensation, because they have no status and can be easily bullied by those bosses."
"So, even though the number of illegal immigrants sneaking in increases every year, the illegal immigrants in our country are becoming scarcer because fewer white people are willing to work for low wages. And more and more basic jobs are being occupied by those illegal immigrants!"
"In the future, with the allocation of this 1.5 trillion dollars, tens of thousands of basic construction projects will begin in a short period. But where will we find so many people to work in such a short time?"
"You expect them to hire rednecks with high salaries, which is impossible. So they will probably vigorously promote the relaxation of refugee policies to allow more illegal immigrants to enter through the border and be their free labor."
"But do you think these illegal immigrants are pushovers?"
"No, of course not. The reason they are willing to endure hardship now is to put down roots in the country and let their descendants become Americans. This way, their descendants can enjoy our welfare policies, receive the 300 dollars subsidy distributed monthly, collect various food from government relief, spend the little money they have on various drugs, and finally, the hard work will still be handed over to more new illegal immigrants. In the future, our country will eventually be completely socially torn apart because of this!" Dr. Cooper said.
"Uh... Doctor, I truly understand your feelings and logic!" Professor Parkinson nodded. "But this only speaks to the issue of illegal immigrants. It doesn't mean it will lead to the further collapse of our real economy!"
"Don't you understand yet? The essence of the real economy lies in people, in a large number of skilled workers. Just like us in 1940, once we decided to go to war, we could immediately mobilize millions of workers and build hundreds of aircraft carriers simultaneously at docks across the country. An aircraft carrier was launched every week on average. This is the real real economy of a country, the real industrial capacity of a country!"
"But can those illegal immigrants become these highly skilled workers? No, they can only do the simplest physical labor. Since they are illegal immigrants, it is destined that they lack learning and knowledge in their formative environment, and it is destined that they can only be the lowest-level workers. We still cannot have enough high-tech workers. Everything appears lively, but in reality, it is just a mirage, easily shattered."
"Moreover, we all know that for infrastructure projects contracted by the government, over 70% of the funds disappear for various reasons. The actual funds that reach the ground might only be 30%, or even less. This money is meaningless."
"Then the remaining 500 billion in consumption vouchers should definitely boost the real economy. And the plan clearly states that the consumption vouchers can only be used to purchase goods produced in the United States. And because they are electronic vouchers, there is no possibility of profiting from them. Every dollar will be directly issued to consumers. Is there any problem with this!" Professor Parkinson said.
"Yes, this might indeed have some boosting effect, and some companies will profit from it. But it still boils down to one problem: domestic production is too expensive, while foreign production is too cheap. A shirt made domestically costs 30 dollars, while in China, it might only cost one dollar. The cost difference is thirty times. This is an temptation that our domestic capitalists cannot resist."
"So, although the rules stipulate that it must be manufactured domestically, rules are just rules. Domestic manufacturing is just a label. Those entrepreneurs can completely purchase a large number of unlabeled shirts from abroad under the guise of raw material procurement, and then use their domestic factories to affix the label of 'Made in the USA' to them. Then it directly becomes a domestically manufactured product."
"These are all methods I used extensively when managing businesses back then. And you are referring to academics who have never experienced the tempering of actual business operations, so of course, you wouldn't know these simple yet effective methods." Dr. Cooper said, not forgetting to mock Professor Parkinson.
The flesh of Professor Parkinson's face twitched slightly, and he then asked, "Anything else?"
"There certainly is, but many of the remaining disadvantages are too messy. I've had someone compile them into a report, which is very detailed. The economy is up to the board of directors to decide." Dr. Cooper said.
"Alright, I will definitely convey your intentions!" Professor Parkinson said, and then he left with his recording equipment and materials.
"Boss, will this Parkinson misinterpret our meaning, or deliberately cut corners and not report your words completely!" After Dr. Parkinson left, the secretary asked cautiously.
"No, he wouldn't dare. First of all, the board of directors has already explicitly required him to record it. Secondly, the two people standing behind him are not his subordinates, but people from the board of directors. These people will also report everything I say to the board of directors verbatim, so whether Parkinson tells the truth is not important!" Dr. Cooper said. xxs1
"Then why did the board of directors have to make an unnecessary move and have this Parkinson question us? Is this intentionally disgusting us?" the secretary said.
"You've actually hit the nail on the head. The board of directors is having Parkinson disgust me, because I've already said the same things to the board of directors, but they were all rejected on the spot!"
"I said that allowing Chinese people to control e-wallets is a fatal crisis, but the board of directors didn't care at all. They told me that as long as they do business in the United States, as long as they are willing, this Western Mustang Wallet can immediately change from Jiangnan Group's to Goldman Group's. An electronic payment wallet is just a prop. As long as this prop can be snatched into their own hands, would Jiangnan Group dare to send people to snatch it back?"
"I said investing in useless high-tech military products is a waste. They said everyone knows these so-called high-tech weapons are a waste, but everyone also knows that this is the military-industrial complex pursuing its own interests. And behind the military-industrial complex are financial groups, which is equivalent to channeling benefits to financial groups."
"And our Goldman Group's board of directors is a financial group. If you ask me to cut off the benefits that are delivered to them on a silver platter, how can they possibly accept it?"
"As for the war consuming a large amount of funds, it's the same logic. Ultimately, the beneficiaries are Goldman Sachs itself. There is no reason for them to oppose themselves."
"As for the real manufacturing aspect, their reason is even simpler: as long as labor costs continue to rise, the decline of the real economy and industrial transfer are inevitable. No matter how much money you throw at it to try to reverse this trend, it is impossible, because capital will always seek higher profits, and wherever the cost is lower, they will go there."
"So, instead of trying to save the real economy by wasting effort, it's better to go with the flow and reap more benefits. After all, even if the manufacturing industry flows out, it doesn't matter. As long as our military remains strong and its combat power is terrifying, and as long as our dollar is tied to oil and all global transactions are settled in dollars, it means that even if the United States becomes a completely hollow country, we can still fleece the world."
"You see, all my arguments have been devalued by the board of directors. And it's not that they don't understand my arguments, but rather they see them more clearly. However, they will only do what makes money, and not do things that are thankless and unrewarding."
"Since the board of directors has clearly rejected me, yet they still want Parkinson to ask again. This clearly tells me that Parkinson is here to replace me. If I withdraw my previous stance, obey the board's arrangement, and stop making those opposing statements, then Parkinson's trip would have been in vain."
"But if I continue to insist on my own opinion, then Parkinson will replace me and become the new president of Goldman!" Dr. Cooper said.
"What!" The secretary exclaimed in shock. "Boss, since you've seen through all this, why did you deliberately say those things?"
"Child, the key to the problem is not whether those words should be said, but what outcome is most beneficial to me!" Dr. Cooper patted his secretary's shoulder. "As for the future of the United States, it's actually irrelevant to me. At least, I won't see the United States collapse before I die. So, for me, the most beneficial thing is to have a peaceful retirement, find a suitable reason, step down gracefully, and quietly enjoy the remaining few years of my life. This is the most beneficial thing for me."
"Anyway, I've already earned enough money. If I don't enjoy this money, wouldn't that be a huge loss!" Dr. Cooper laughed heartily. "Moreover, everything I've said today will be proven in the future. By then, I'll be a hero with foresight, extraordinary vision, and who was ultimately betrayed by his own people, and who worked for the country. Isn't that better than continuing to be a fool on the front lines, enduring criticism?"