Ah, yes .
AN appeal to an authority, wich if it disagrees with your POV, you'll promptly reject out of hand. You see, I've seen it too often before.

No sale.

translation:
People asked me for cites before, I referred them to Powerline, they said it was biased, therefor all requests for cites are BS.

I win.

That's arguably a factor but doesn't account for the lion's share of the issue.

[...]

Good point, but we're not loking at this in the frame of time. I daresay when they grabed the market share, the labor costs were not nearly as close.

Asserted without evidence.

lso, if I recall correctly, that's US labor costs we're talking about... involving US plants... in that particular quote, not US vs Japan.

This could be, I didn't read as carefully as I could have. A second read confirms you're correct, fair enough.

I'll suggest to you that Detroit coming up with a good vehicle is about the same as a blind pig finding an acorn.

I'd say offhand that qualifies as 'occasionally'.

"Labor costs are lower in Japan and South Korea because the government picks up the cost of providing some benefits, like health care, shifting that part of the labor cost from the private sector to the public."

That's arguably a factor but doesn't account for the lion's share of the issue.

And Bloomberg tells us that Ford's labor costs are only about $2 more per hour than Toyota's.

Good point, but we're not loking at this in the frame of time. I daresay when they grabed the market share, the labor costs were not nearly as close. Also, if I recall correctly, that's US labor costs we're talking about... involving US plants... in that particular quote, not US vs Japan.

[T]here wouldn't be nearly the price differential, to the advantage of the Japanese, if their labor costs were as high as they are here in the states. Study after study for the last couple of decades has proven that point.

The first sentence quoted is an assumption. Let me formulate an equally viable counter:

"Labor costs are lower in Japan and South Korea because the government picks up the cost of providing some benefits, like health care, shifting that part of the labor cost from the private sector to the public."

Let me also add a third:

"Labor costs are lower in Japan and South Korea because the governments artificially deflate the value of their currencies, giving an unfair advantage."

Now, we have three testable hypotheses. I've got to prep a class, but I offer this article, with this money quote (pun unintended):

After taking a look at the client's manufacturing procedures and comparing them to those of the Japanese rival, Gottfredson's team was able to disprove the client's long-held assumption that lower labor costs were a key factor behind the Japanese firm's manufacturing cost advantage.

The real explanation was more subtle: The Japanese company offered fewer customization options on its vehicles, so it had a much more efficient manufacturing process. In contrast, the American firm offered so many customization options that the complexity ate up a disproportionate amount of some workers time while generating downstream delays for others.

Also, "">Chrysler matches Toyota in efficiency".

And Bloomberg tells us that Ford's labor costs are only about $2 more per hour than Toyota's.

In other news, I read this morning that Georgia is giving over $400 million in tax breaks and incentives to Kia in exchange for an assembly plant that will employe 2500 workers.

This seems like a pretty bad bargain to me.

I'm not playing your game

Well, if here's a test of your memory skills; remember when I recently said I'm not playing your game?

Its not a game, I just want to see if you have a clue about what Atlas Shrugged is about. You claimed I did not understand it, that was you popping off. That you can't back up your BS is hardly a surprise.

I can appreciated that you don't want to risk being embarrassed if we were to really see who knows that particular book :) But hey, give yourself some to to go do some online research and you might just come back sounding informed on the subject.

As I say, they do occasionally show up

Ummm No. 10 yards for BS walkback... You said:

I'll suggest to you that Detroit coming up with a good vehicle is about the same as a blind pig finding an acorn.

What you are describing is a good vehicle.

As I say, they do occasionally show up.

You slam Detroit, because your political ideology says you must.

No, actually, I would prefer not to. But, truth being what it is...

So, if you aren't even interested in backing up your assertions with data or reasonable proof of some kind, why are you bothering to open your pie hole? Do you simply like rehearsing your biases?

Since the beginning you've shown every indication of dismissing anything that didn't agree with your mantra. So far, you've shown me absolutely nothing to change that perception. Care to try?

Did you ever notice the difference in pay between the assembly line worker and a typical Japanese exec is nowhere as huge as it is in American companies? Ever think that might have something to do with labor costs too?

I might, if there were one supervisor for every two workers. Fact is, the ratio is nowhere near that.

(this is a test)

Well, if here's a test of your memory skills; remember when I recently said I'm not playing your game?

If I said the earth was flat,

I would simply regard you as an idiot and move on from there. Come to think about it, that's not unlike what I'm doing now.

I will not buy an import vehicle, on matters of principle.

It would be interesting to see how many items Bit owns that are made in China, a brutal communist dictatorship...

I will also (Rather generously) assume that you haven't noticed where I have said, again repeatedly, where I will not buy an import vehicle, on matters of principle. Those matters and a fall outside the current realm of discussion.

What I find funny is that a lot of "imports" are actually made in American but whatever makes your principle feel better :P

But, it in direct answer to your question, there wouldn't be nearly the price differential, to the advantage of the Japanese, if their labor costs were as high as they are here in the states. Study after study for the last couple of decades has proven that point. In your attempts to wiggle out from underneath the weight of the facts, in your RE arguing a point that's already been argued out twenty years ago.

Did you ever notice the difference in pay between the assembly line worker and a typical Japanese exec is nowhere as huge as it is in American companies? Ever think that might have something to do with labor costs too?

OK, let's see how you do, here. I'm going to pull a Rick and ask for evidence to back this. Not that I'm going to hold my breath waiting for a substantial response, mind.

I've already provided you with a specific example of how an American company bah nvm you're in idiot mode...