Where did the American jobs go???

[Working Man]

Walk down the mile long aisles at any Super Walmart.. Pick up 5, 10, 20 items.. Maybe one from each of the departments.. Where is the product made???? WHat percentage is manufactured in the US,, how about China???

The talk today was about Social Security, funding it,, regulating, revisiting the formulas for distribution, etc...

Folks, forgettaboutit!@!@@@!!!!

America is F'n BROKE.. This country dosn' have a pot to piss in,((that is made in this country.)) We are borrowing money from the same son of a bitches that are supplying the bullets that kill our kids in Iraq.... Go figure.

Walk buy the local elementary school's parking lots for staff. Count the numbers of Dodge, Chevys and Fords, , then count the Hondas, Nissans, etc... Which country made the car your kid's school principal drives???

OF the foreign made cars you see on the road, especially the Kias,,, how many of them have Amercian Flags on the rear windows, or SUPPORT OUR TROOPS sticker stuck on the back????? How can we be supporting our troops when we are not fighting at home to keep the civilian jobs of our men and women serving in the military from being stolen, or shipped to foreign shores while they are away fighting for us????

ANOTHER JOKE.. LET THE CHINESE MAKE MORE CLOTHES FOR THE US MARKET....... WE WILL LOSE GARMENT WORKERS BUT GAIN TRUCKERS AND LONG SHOREMAN!!!! TODAY's News 12/13/04

Tell that to the immigrant, or long time resident who works in a US textile plant in Ohio, or North Carolina. Lot of good it will do them.

Why it matters where a pair of blue jeans is made.. F' the sewing... sure.. There is one person who's skillset may be limited, but has that skill that needs that job of assembling a pair of jeans.. Then you have the inspector who makes sure that the pair is done correctly,,, then you have the stock clerk who gathers the garments and brings to the warehouse person who loads up the bins full of blue jeans.. Must have at least one person shipping the goods out, and maybe one person sweeping the floors,,, and how about the sewing machines and computerized laser cutting machines?? Must be some technicans on duty to service that stuff..... How about the sales staff?? The accountants, and payroll people??? How about the healthcare benefits they receive from their employer???

Seams to me,, no pun intended,, that it takes many people to make a pair of jeans in the US.. We are not losing just one job and gaining two,, we are losing probably 20 per plant, per company, per town, per state..... Why?? SO the likes of Filenes, or Walmart can squeeze another buck or two from an imported garment for profits while killing off another American mill town???


I doubt many Americans care... Actions speak louder than words.. The proof is in the results we see occuring every day.. And every day America's future is getting more dim... And will continue down this dark path until the Chinese buy up ALL of the IBM's left in America, and then there will be no America.. My guess, we have less than 30 years left as Americans.


Please America's people, proove me very wrong.

 

[freeandfun1]

Walk down the mile long aisles at any Super Walmart.. Pick up 5, 10, 20 items.. Maybe one from each of the departments.. Where is the product made???? WHat percentage is manufactured in the US,, how about China???

The talk today was about Social Security, funding it,, regulating, revisiting the formulas for distribution, etc...

Folks, forgettaboutit!@!@@@!!!!

America is F'n BROKE.. This country dosn' have a pot to piss in,((that is made in this country.)) We are borrowing money from the same son of a bitches that are supplying the bullets that kill our kids in Iraq.... Go figure.

Walk buy the local elementary school's parking lots for staff. Count the numbers of Dodge, Chevys and Fords, , then count the Hondas, Nissans, etc... Which country made the car your kid's school principal drives???

OF the foreign made cars you see on the road, especially the Kias,,, how many of them have Amercian Flags on the rear windows, or SUPPORT OUR TROOPS sticker stuck on the back????? How can we be supporting our troops when we are not fighting at home to keep the civilian jobs of our men and women serving in the military from being stolen, or shipped to foreign shores while they are away fighting for us????

ANOTHER JOKE.. LET THE CHINESE MAKE MORE CLOTHES FOR THE US MARKET....... WE WILL LOSE GARMENT WORKERS BUT GAIN TRUCKERS AND LONG SHOREMAN!!!! TODAY's News 12/13/04

Tell that to the immigrant, or long time resident who works in a US textile plant in Ohio, or North Carolina. Lot of good it will do them.

Why it matters where a pair of blue jeans is made.. F' the sewing... sure.. There is one person who's skillset may be limited, but has that skill that needs that job of assembling a pair of jeans.. Then you have the inspector who makes sure that the pair is done correctly,,, then you have the stock clerk who gathers the garments and brings to the warehouse person who loads up the bins full of blue jeans.. Must have at least one person shipping the goods out, and maybe one person sweeping the floors,,, and how about the sewing machines and computerized laser cutting machines?? Must be some technicans on duty to service that stuff..... How about the sales staff?? The accountants, and payroll people??? How about the healthcare benefits they receive from their employer???

Seams to me,, no pun intended,, that it takes many people to make a pair of jeans in the US.. We are not losing just one job and gaining two,, we are losing probably 20 per plant, per company, per town, per state..... Why?? SO the likes of Filenes, or Walmart can squeeze another buck or two from an imported garment for profits while killing off another American mill town???


I doubt many Americans care... Actions speak louder than words.. The proof is in the results we see occuring every day.. And every day America's future is getting more dim... And will continue down this dark path until the Chinese buy up ALL of the IBM's left in America, and then there will be no America.. My guess, we have less than 30 years left as Americans.


Please America's people, proove me very wrong.

so, what do you think about the "weakening" dollar?

 

[Working Man]

I doubt many Americans care... Actions speak louder than words.. The proof is in the results we see occuring every day.. And every day America's future is getting more dim... And will continue down this dark path until the Chinese buy up ALL of the IBM's left in America, and then there will be no America.. My guess, we have less than 30 years left as Americans.

 

[Adam's Apple]

You should check out the Rescue American Jobs group. I believe they have a website on the Internet. This is probably a problem that American workers are going to have to solve themselves. Practically all the manufacturing plants in our city have closed down, and the work has been outsourced to foreign countries. All that is left is Otis Elevator, and the expectation is that they will be gone within five years. Our biggest employers now are the hospital and the university. I, for one, don't believe America can stay at the top of the heap financially as primarily a service industry country.

 

[Comrade]

Walk down the mile long aisles at any Super Walmart.. Pick up 5, 10, 20 items.. Maybe one from each of the departments.. Where is the product made???? WHat percentage is manufactured in the US,, how about China???

Who cares, it's mostly cheap crap. Why should we make cheap crap instead of hi-tech products and services?

The talk today was about Social Security, funding it,, regulating, revisiting the formulas for distribution, etc...

Folks, forgettaboutit!@!@@@!!!!

Forget about old people? How mean.

America is F'n BROKE.. This country dosn' have a pot to piss in,((that is made in this country.)) We are borrowing money from the same son of a bitches that are supplying the bullets that kill our kids in Iraq.... Go figure.

Last I checked we are the richest country around, and #3 in overall GDP per capita.

Has this somehow changed from growing at record rates again this year?

No, I don't think so.

Walk buy the local elementary school's parking lots for staff. Count the numbers of Dodge, Chevys and Fords, , then count the Hondas, Nissans, etc... Which country made the car your kid's school principal drives???

Cars were invented more than a century. So tell me again why we need to still build cars and not something newer?

OF the foreign made cars you see on the road, especially the Kias,,, how many of them have Amercian Flags on the rear windows, or SUPPORT OUR TROOPS sticker stuck on the back????? How can we be supporting our troops when we are not fighting at home to keep the civilian jobs of our men and women serving in the military from being stolen, or shipped to foreign shores while they are away fighting for us????

You mean we need must enact socialist measures to stay 'competitive', and thats the American way somehow?

ANOTHER JOKE.. LET THE CHINESE MAKE MORE CLOTHES FOR THE US MARKET....... WE WILL LOSE GARMENT WORKERS BUT GAIN TRUCKERS AND LONG SHOREMAN!!!! TODAY's News 12/13/04

I bet making 100K+/year as a long shoreman is better than working in a sweatshop, hmm?

Tell that to the immigrant, or long time resident who works in a US textile plant in Ohio, or North Carolina. Lot of good it will do them.

Hell, maybe then immigrants won't come here then.

Why it matters where a pair of blue jeans is made.. F' the sewing... sure.. There is one person who's skillset may be limited, but has that skill that needs that job of assembling a pair of jeans.. Then you have the inspector who makes sure that the pair is done correctly,,, then you have the stock clerk who gathers the garments and brings to the warehouse person who loads up the bins full of blue jeans.. Must have at least one person shipping the goods out, and maybe one person sweeping the floors,,, and how about the sewing machines and computerized laser cutting machines?? Must be some technicans on duty to service that stuff..... How about the sales staff?? The accountants, and payroll people??? How about the healthcare benefits they receive from their employer???

I'm sure when jeans become a national emergency, we'll manage with no problem. That is if the 'job creating' government hasn't totally f*cked the flexibility and individual initiative driving our great American economy.

Seams to me,, no pun intended,, that it takes many people to make a pair of jeans in the US.. We are not losing just one job and gaining two,, we are losing probably 20 per plant, per company, per town, per state..... Why?? SO the likes of Filenes, or Walmart can squeeze another buck or two from an imported garment for profits while killing off another American mill town???

Maybe they can get jobs at Walmart then! Or make software, cure cancer, or you know, do something better with their lives.

I doubt many Americans care... Actions speak louder than words.. The proof is in the results we see occuring every day.. And every day America's future is getting more dim... And will continue down this dark path until the Chinese buy up ALL of the IBM's left in America, and then there will be no America.. My guess, we have less than 30 years left as Americans.


Please America's people, proove me very wrong.

I suppose every era of technological enhancement in our economy has already done that.

 

[Merlin]

I remember three things more than anything else when I was a kid and very young man. One was the government wanting everyone to get a S.S. card, promising it will "Never be revealed to any one except your employer and not become an I.D.". (It was even printed on the bottom of the S.S. card) Another was Priest and little boys, and the third was the Government promising the people that one day our nation would become a "SERVICE NATION", I assume that meant that all the hard work would be done by other country's and we would have the easy work and all the knowledge. After a few years the talk stopped, but the idea still hung on. Sam Walden (rest his soul) didn't like that idea. When he started Wal-Mart he wouldn't have any foreign stuff in his store. If he needed a product and it wasn't available, he would help some one set up a business to build it and supply it. After his death that idea was shot to hell. As far as blame goes, I blame three things for loss of jobs. First, the so called environmental groups that don't have anything better to do than dream up stupid crap to stop jobs, and second, the Government for listening to them and acting like every little item is bad for you so we have to stop it. And there is also the stupid lawsuits that are allowed to go to court ( i.e. hot coffee spilled in lap) that make businesses so paranoid they are afraid to create any more jobs and people are afraid to start a business because they will get sued. The third and most important, is O.S.H.A. This was a very good idea in 1971 when it was implemented into the work place, but over the years it gotten to be a bureaucracy that can't be controlled. If you are in the heavy industry O.S.H.A. rules adds "approximately" 30% to the cost of doing business. There are some jobs that have been canceled and sent overseas because of their rules. Until our Government lets the people become responsible for their own lives, we will continue to lose jobs to other countries.

 

[Mr. P]

One more thing to add to the list...

Shitty products from American factories that are more expensive.
Who's gonna buy that crap..Just the Union folks that make it, it seems.

 

[fuzzykitten99]

First things first....Working Man, what does the first digit/letter does the VIN number on your car start with? Let me know, and I will tell you whether or not you have a valid post.

 

[freeandfun1]

you know working, you must be young. otherwise, you would recall that in the 80's, the same thing was said about the US. But then, it was the Japanese that were going to buy our nation. Today, it is the Chinese (according to you and a few other liberals).

The economy runs in cycles. In the late 80's, the dollar was strong and so we shipped a lot of jobs overseas. In the early 90's, the dollar weakened, manufacturing came back to the USA and then, in the late 90's, Clinton let his buddy Soros cause an economic catastrophy in Asia which led US manufacturers to once again outsourcing jobs to Asia to cut costs and to compete with the Euro. Now, the dollar is weakening and before long, the jobs will start coming back to the USA. This is not a new cycle. It is one that has been occuring since the end of WWII and before that I am sure. Already our exports are increasing (due to a weak dollar) and yes, we are importing, but one thing they don't mention is that a lot of the imports are being imported from US manufacturers with facilities overseas. As I said, if the dollar keeps weakening, it will be cheaper to MFR here and the jobs will come back.

 

[Huckleburry]

Free and fun, the asian economic crisis was not Clintons fault it
was caused by lots of things and yes giant hedge funds with a serious moral hazard played a part. Other than that I agree with everything you have to say and only have one addition. When american jobs are shipped off shore, foreign wage rates increase and their employment increases. This causes an increase in world demand. This is a terrific thing as it stimulates the world economy. I don't know if you follow the world bank much, but if you are board and want to read somthing truely inspirational you should check out the speech made by the current director when he was first hired. It is amazingly capatilist for all of the right reasons and tales the economic debate of world production way out of the box.
Cheers
HUCK

 

[rei_t_ex]

Simple example. Say Country A, using all of its resources, can produce either 200 loaves of bread or 100 gallons of milk, or any combination. It thus costs Country A 2 loaves of bread to produce 1 gallon of milk. Now, consider Country B for whom it cost 1/2 a loaf of bread to produce 1 gallon of milk. The Country A can then purchase milk from Country B at the cost of 1 loaf of bread. The result? If Country A specialises in bread production, it can now consume either 200 loaves of bread, or 200 gallons of milk. The pie which can then be split among the population is thus increased. Perhaps it is increased at the expense of short-term losses for Country A's milk producers, but the benefits of free trade for society as a whole are undeniable. Besides, look at some of the hard numbers for outsourcing - they are a MINUTE fraction of total job turnover. Moreover, as a result of free trade, we have insourced more jobs than we have outsourced - the number of jobs right now is HIGHER than it would have been now, had we not made the decision to expand our trade relations. The lacklustre job market right now is a result of a wobbly economy, not of trade.

 

[Huckleburry]

Hooray Ricardian trade models

 

[rei_t_ex]

Hooray Ricardian trade models

They have been proven to work. That is all that matters.

 

[sagegirl]

Where did the jobs go...bottom line, profit margin, and greed.

The work force reflects so much about a country.

Owners of corporations and businesses control that work force. Most people want a job so they can provide for themselves and have a little fun. There was a time, not so long ago that there were few if any concessions an employer had to make to their workers. A person worked til they died. There were company towns, no obligations for safety, wages, anything at all. Workers were at the mercy of the company.
The unions evolved out of the organization of the workers to demand certain minimum considerations for their safety, and wages as well as other concerns. I will admit the unions got too powerful for their own good and have created problems of their own.....but you cant throw out the baby with the bath water so to speak. There isnt a single one of us that has not benefited directly from establishment of the unions. Many ideas that are now government policies, and labor laws, whether you agree with them or not, are the basic tenents of the early unions.

We all know that the owners and top executives in almost any big company enjoy proportionally greater rewards from the profits of a company than the workers. It is very difficult for the rest of us, white collar, blue collar, or the working poor to really understand the wealth these execs have. We get glimpses of their wealth when either their corruption or greed gets them into trouble and then we subconsciously tuck it away as some sort of moral lesson that money doesnt buy happiness, or that it doesnt solve all your problems. While this is true, make no mistake, these people are motivated by money, by the power, and the luxuries it provides. They need not concern themselves with the daily expenses that the rest of us struggle to juggle. They need to decide which house they will celebrate the holidays at, big problems like that.
Im not down on the rich....Im just saying they live in a totally different atmosphere than the rest of us.

From this premise it follows that the bigger their profits, the better. So how do they accomplish this. They lobby for all kinds of advantages, tax cuts, enviornmental waivers, trade policies, (Im not really up on all this, but I know it when I see it) They have resisted and even criminally violated retirement funds, and collective bargaining. They even have workers (so desperate to keep their jobs) convinced that these protections and agreements are so dampening on the ability to do business that the very workers who are being duped want to sign off their hard won benefits ......out of fear.....the threat is real. The job could be outsourced, eliminated, or shipped overseas. All in the name of profits.

So what is the work force to do. We want to participate in the american dream. However, we are caught between a rock and a hard place. We have to be competitive, but even capitalism has its limits. When we can no longer afford or even find the products we manufacture (and that "made in the usa" label is scarcer everyday) we look to get them cheaper, just like a corporate exec, and we buy from overseas. Whether you like it or not, you cannot and do not buy "american". The computers we use, the cell phones, the cameras the video games, the communications systems, anything at all electronic with circuit boards, display screens, computer chips, and so forth is by far mostly produced overseas. The computer chips in your american car are most likely foreign made, and the servo motors that adjust the mirrors and raise and lower the windows, and the video screen for the kids ,and the global positioning unit, and the stereo and the alarm are all foreign made plus all the consumables that are part and parcel of it all. Dont kid yourself. There is also alot of junk we import,(I dont go to walmart or other major chains) and I am diligent to limit my consumption and buy whenever I can from local merchants and buy locally produced items. My choices, because of this stipulation, while still quite abundant, are usually less diverse and more expensive. I know this is not the case for alot of people, the parking lots at the malls and at walmart are full.

I dont even offer up solutions for these complicated issues, I just do what I can on a very small scale. I wish for good outcomes, but I dont feel real optimistic.

 

[Huckleburry]

I don't have too much time and so this will be short. The problem with american job loss is linked to a fundamental flaw in the global economic system, worse yet it has been agravated by nearly two centuries of short sighted trade policies. First I must say that ricardian trade models work (comparitive advantage) but they are starting to function in a way that no one ever envisioned. Industrial countries that have a comparative advanatage in all aspects of production are being trampled by countries whose wages are so low that the comparative advantage is reversed. Yes the sunk cost is enormous but the returns are worth while. What Ricardo never envisoned was a world with such cheap transportation, and such wildley divergent real wages.
The fundamental flaw in the global system is that our capacity to produce as far outstripped our global capacity to consume. That American jobs are being shifted off shore gives us reason to hope that real wages in the rest of the world will begin to rise, stimulating global demand and closing the gap between production surplus and demand deficit. In a perverse way loosing american jobs is the best thing for the American economy in the long run.
My father is unemployed and has been for two years now so I truely understand the implications of advocating such a view. My father may never work again, but my hope is that my grandchildren will not have to go through what my family has had to.
Cheers
Huck

 

[Working Man]

You should check out the Rescue American Jobs group. I believe they have a website on the Internet. This is probably a problem that American workers are going to have to solve themselves. Practically all the manufacturing plants in our city have closed down, and the work has been outsourced to foreign countries. All that is left is Otis Elevator, and the expectation is that they will be gone within five years. Our biggest employers now are the hospital and the university. I, for one, don't believe America can stay at the top of the heap financially as primarily a service industry country.

Think about it. Who has the money to put up buildings that have elevators??? To an extent that profits will exceed expectations??? The Chinese do.. So,, I would speculate that Otis will bail on the US.. Carrier is already on the band wagon and having portable AC units made in China... UTC (Pratt & Whitney) is whoring out its production to China, and the old Soviet countries left and right.

In this case, part of the blame has to fall on the Machinists Union for not building a better relationship with managment. Nobody cared/cares when the plant gets socked for property taxes, inventory taxes, etc..... So,, when the company does move off shore,, sure, even I get pissed.. But,, the mentality that "they",,, the manufactures, are just greedy thugs,,,, has to change.

WHO DO YOU OWE YOUR ALLIEGENCE TO??? Those who give you a check for your labor, or those who think your labor is for their benefit and take your money away?(in the form of taxes and useless social programs)

A news report last week highlighted a situation where we the tax payers paid/pay some fat useless crack head whore to transport her useless crackhead kids back and forth to public school. This is IN ADDITION TO THE WELFARE SHE AND THOSE BRATS RECEIVE!!!

Why?? Because when the littles slimers don't show up for class, the town loses matching money (fed, or state) to keep those slots open in school.. SO, it was cheaper to try and bribe the bitch to get the kids to class by paying for her time and gas.

If I am correct in my assumtion of the town you live in, then the school is part of your problem as well.. The waste and neglect are ignored because of the "jobs the school" brings to the area. That place is worth so many indictments I can't imagine the numbers....

 

[Working Man]

Who cares, it's mostly cheap crap. Why should we make cheap crap instead of hi-tech products and services?




Forget about old people? How mean.



Last I checked we are the richest country around, and #3 in overall GDP per capita.

Has this somehow changed from growing at record rates again this year?

No, I don't think so.




Cars were invented more than a century. So tell me again why we need to still build cars and not something newer?



You mean we need must enact socialist measures to stay 'competitive', and thats the American way somehow?



I bet making 100K+/year as a long shoreman is better than working in a sweatshop, hmm?



Hell, maybe then immigrants won't come here then.



I'm sure when jeans become a national emergency, we'll manage with no problem. That is if the 'job creating' government hasn't totally f*cked the flexibility and individual initiative driving our great American economy.



Maybe they can get jobs at Walmart then! Or make software, cure cancer, or you know, do something better with their lives.



:teeth:

OK, If we kick all the Indians and Pakastanies out of the US, who will drive the taxies and sell us slurppies at Ghandi Mart?????? Well???
But, come to think about it,, why are these two ethnic groups so prevalent in these businesses??? Maybe cause our youth expect too much too soon, and the others won't work at all??

But,, while so many of our youth learn to cheat at "gamming" and learn all of the intellectual skills needed for life by playing "Grand Theft Auto, San Andreas",,, some of those immigrants are coming here, excelling, and becoming doctors and nuclear scientists... Yep. You are right,,, many of the blacks, hispanics, and many many whites will be filling out those applications for Micky D's and Wal Mart..

What are the stats for American youth taking advanced math courses and getting into the engineering industries???

Oh yeh, but you don't know, or understand, why automotive technology is so important for the US economy... I will not waste your time, or mine explaining it to you..

 

[Mr. P]

Think about it. Who has the money to put up buildings that have elevators??? To an extent that profits will exceed expectations??? The Chinese do.. So,, I would speculate that Otis will bail on the US.. Carrier is already on the band wagon and having portable AC units made in China... UTC (Pratt & Whitney) is whoring out its production to China, and the old Soviet countries left and right.

In this case, part of the blame has to fall on the Machinists Union for not building a better relationship with managment. Nobody cared/cares when the plant gets socked for property taxes, inventory taxes, etc..... So,, when the company does move off shore,, sure, even I get pissed.. But,, the mentality that "they",,, the manufactures, are just greedy thugs,,,, has to change.

WHO DO YOU OWE YOUR ALLIEGENCE TO??? Those who give you a check for your labor, or those who think your labor is for their benefit and take your money away?(in the form of taxes and useless social programs)

A news report last week highlighted a situation where we the tax payers paid/pay some fat useless crack head whore to transport her useless crackhead kids back and forth to public school. This is IN ADDITION TO THE WELFARE SHE AND THOSE BRATS RECEIVE!!!

Why?? Because when the littles slimers don't show up for class, the town loses matching money (fed, or state) to keep those slots open in school.. SO, it was cheaper to try and bribe the bitch to get the kids to class by paying for her time and gas.

If I am correct in my assumtion of the town you live in, then the school is part of your problem as well.. The waste and neglect are ignored because of the "jobs the school" brings to the area. That place is worth so many indictments I can't imagine the numbers....

And I thought you were a just another liberal union ass...Guess I was wrong.
We'll see.

 

[Working Man]

I remember three things more than anything else when I was a kid and very young man. One was the government wanting everyone to get a S.S. card, promising it will "Never be revealed to any one except your employer and not become an I.D.". (It was even printed on the bottom of the S.S. card) Another was Priest and little boys, and the third was the Government promising the people that one day our nation would become a "SERVICE NATION", I assume that meant that all the hard work would be done by other country's and we would have the easy work and all the knowledge. After a few years the talk stopped, but the idea still hung on. Sam Walden (rest his soul) didn't like that idea. When he started Wal-Mart he wouldn't have any foreign stuff in his store. If he needed a product and it wasn't available, he would help some one set up a business to build it and supply it. After his death that idea was shot to hell. As far as blame goes, I blame three things for loss of jobs. First, the so called environmental groups that don't have anything better to do than dream up stupid crap to stop jobs, and second, the Government for listening to them and acting like every little item is bad for you so we have to stop it. And there is also the stupid lawsuits that are allowed to go to court ( i.e. hot coffee spilled in lap) that make businesses so paranoid they are afraid to create any more jobs and people are afraid to start a business because they will get sued. The third and most important, is O.S.H.A. This was a very good idea in 1971 when it was implemented into the work place, but over the years it gotten to be a bureaucracy that can't be controlled. If you are in the heavy industry O.S.H.A. rules adds "approximately" 30% to the cost of doing business. There are some jobs that have been canceled and sent overseas because of their rules. Until our Government lets the people become responsible for their own lives, we will continue to lose jobs to other countries.

How many of these geeks that post on this BBoard have any idea about tort reform, and environmental nazis???

I didn't know Sam Walden did that for start up companies.. The rest of the pricks who made the 5 and 10c store so popular, "buy low, sell high, screw the rest" are probably proud of themselves today..


Instead of spending billions on welfare, and crap like that.. How about creating industry friendly zones where the government helps manufacturing companies by assisting in the design & implementation of pollution controls??

What happend to our plating companies?? Our circuit board houses?? Etc, etc.. Driven offshore..

 

[Working Man]

One more thing to add to the list...

Shitty products from American factories that are more expensive.
Who's gonna buy that crap..Just the Union folks that make it, it seems.

Dirty polluting cars from GM, and feel old after just 60k miles, Transmissions that fall apart just after the front ends fall off from Chrysler, and Ford???? Cheap bastards...

It is a tough argument for me to make. I too want a car that will give me good service for 150k miles, with at most reasonable service expenses... Three GM products never made it even close for our family.. All fell very short in their reliablity... My Dodge??? I probably won't make 100k with the tranny.. Junk.. My Blue Ford?? What blue paint??? It all fell off a long time ago.

My Mercedes is not pretty, and has its faults, but it also is still good to drive after 175k.... Damn German Diesels last for ever! ) (NOT VW THOUGH!!)

I bought the Dodge new, all three GMs new, the Ford was used. The Mercedes was used.

I want the cars made here so we can get some jobs, technology, and self esteem.