Mike,

Enjoyed the brief discussion we had on this topic in person and enjoyed your post, too. I think it's absolutely critical that people begin to really look at where real value comes from in the employee equation. You are right... if the job can be sliced and diced, it will be... and then shipped out. This is also related to the "crowdsourcing" push, which is depressing the value of right-brained work, too. Economic pressures being what they are, people are content to make a quick few bucks today rather than take time to build relationships and make more money later through a trusted client/vendor/partner situation. What they don't realize is that when the economy rebounds, no one who has been paying them $300 for a logo will now be willing to pay $600. No one will ever value your work at a higher price point than you set for yourself. Have you ever had a client get a bill and say, "Really, it was such an outstanding job... I'm going to send you an extra $500?" :)