You are absolutely right about the higher overhead costs for any US company. But you left out the legal liabilities that any US company must take into consideration, in particular liabilities from special interests that attempt to slow or stop any progress.
I don't want to pick nits here, but I think the costs you cite for prisons, military, and space are somewhat red herrings to the overall discussion. That's all absorbed in the tax burden, which also includes all the social spending, roads/ infrastructure, and political welfare that is part and parcel of gov't spending.
When China becomes as bloated as we are now, they'll have similar difficulties in competition. Compare the US back in the '50s and '60s to China now, and it would be a better comparison.
When they have a self-indulgent populace such as ours, with thousands of competing piglets wanting to suck at their gov't teat for some particular special concern, they'll have the same problems with whoever their then-competitor may be. |
