From: merritt@macro.bu.edu (Sean Merritt)
Newsgroups: alt.politics.libertarian
Subject: Re: Japan VS. US
Date: 23 Dec 92 16:32:28 GMT
Organization: Boston University Physics Department
In-reply-to: bolden@beta.math.unc.edu's message of 23 Dec 92 02:42:12 GMT

In article <1992Dec23.024212.13125@samba.oit.unc.edu> bolden@beta.math.unc.edu (Jeffrey Bolden) writes:

   In article <1h85qgINNriq@usenet.INS.CWRU.Edu> cb926@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Edmund Joseph Ryan) writes:
   >
   >Bolden:
   >
   >Well, this isn't scientific, but if you have a declining living
   >standard, you will tend have people leave the country provided
   >that a superior living standard exists elsewhere. I'm sure the
   >average Japanese doesn't like spending fifty dollars in tolls,
   >being forced to volunteer for extra working hours, having a 
   >bureaucracy instead of a democracy, and having some maniacal,
   >brutish police force and if the means would leave.        
   >
   >In such a situation all of the smart people usually leave first
   >and then the rest of the population catches up. Japan will 
   >experience a brain drain. On top of that, the corporations
   >will no longer have a work force willing to work over time.
   >
   >As for American military might, we do have some say when we
   >target a conflict. When the U.S. focuses on politically
   >and econmically popular causes (like freeing Kuwait), it
   >does have an effect. But U.S. foreign policy is not 
   >consistent and intervention depends upon the whims of the
   >people in the executive branch and in the legislative
   >branch. In this case, foreign agitants usually can act
   >without worrying about U.S. intervention unless they
   >encroach on Burundi when we have a president who is of
   >Burundi background. (No offense on Burundi. Just using
   >an example.) I guess we agree there.
   >
   >Virtually,
   >
   >Edmund J. Ryan

%	   First off, you can clall me Jeff, this is a pretty friendly board
%   all around.  As for people leaving the country, not that many people want
%   to leave Japan.  But large emmigration would be very damaging to their
%   economy.  Actually I've heard that once they assign Japanesse people to
%   foreign countries (work related assignments) that they tend to stay in
%   those assinments, as they have trouble reintergrating them.  This may
%   eventually force the Japanesse to raise their level of consumer spending. 
%   Hopefully though I don't see how this will help their economy, it seems to
%   me like it would only hurt it.
%	   As for foreign policy it seems like agree completely, just a half
%   full - half empty phrase problem.

 What the first poster is refering to is called "brain drain". Germany
 suffered this in the late 1800's. The major benefactor was the United
 States. The 1990 census says that 1 in 4 Americans claims German
 heritage, the largest ethnic group in the country. England and France
 were hard hit in their Socialization periods this century. Today
 Ireland is suffering this malady(Irish is the second largest ethnic
 group and English third).

 Could it happen to the United States? I think yes. Could it happen
 to Japan? Again I think yes. The thing to consider is the perciptating
 factor. These European exudus wero either politically motivated
 or economically motivated or both. If conditions become intolerable
 either politically, or economically, the smart head for the door.
 In the US I think a brain drain is more likely to start for
 economic reasons, Japan political. 

 A country that becomes a major exporter of intelligent educated people
 is in decline.


 -sjm

--
Sean J. Merritt		         | "Every revolt is a cry of innocence    
Dept of Physics Boston University|  and an appeal to the essence of being."
merritt@macro.bu.edu             | Albert Camus, The Rebel
Newsgroups: alt.politics.libertarian