Very mixed opinions here as well....
On one hand, I'm tired of American dollars going to other countries. My knee jerk reaction is cut everyone off cold except for the handful of countries that supported the Iraq war. Everyone else can go to France and Germany for their handouts.
However, historically inhibiting free trade has NOT improved the overall economy.
The current trends with India also give me some practical concerns. Outsourcing help desk and call centers to India....do we really want the same level of communication with someone who is supposed to be helping us that we get while ordering at Dairy Queen or asking for a Cherry Slurpee at the Quickie Mart? Customers will vote with their feet...
On the technical side, it generally takes a team of 2-3 indians to do the job of one experienced American. They require specific instructions and specs and cannot look at the big picture or be creative. Aministrative and project management chores almost always have to stay here, they're not very good at that either. Also, the company who lets all of the engineering expertise end up in India or anywhere else outside the U.S. is doomed. Intellectual property must also be kept here, it isn't easily defended elsewhere.
With all of that said, outsourcing has it's place. As usual though with any innovation, American business has a tendancy to over do it while blindly looking at the bottom line. When there are repercussions with lost customers and other problems, they typically pull it back to a reasonable level.
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