| Author | Message | ||
     Cowboy |
By the way with this mess the unions have got the postal seervice in will we have to revive the pony express? | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
The Progressive movement is ANYTHING but an advocate for the "worker". It's lip service of the worst kind. | ||
| Blake |
Fahren, Sorry there amigo, I thought you called me and others "narrow minded" for thinking of ourselves and our fellow countrymen as "Americans", then I thought you said you were guilty of doing the same. It's a common trait among liberals, punitive liberalism, feeling guilty for living in such a wonderful and powerful country. I see it all the time. You'll almost never hear left wing liberals brag about America or talk about the good and honorable about us, how we've helped to lift up untold millions from poverty and oppression, been charitable beyond imagination, tolerant and welcoming to so many and so much. No, from the left wing liberals we typically hear how narrow-minded, arrogant, imperialistic, greedy, selfish, intolerant, and narrow-minded we are. I am sick of it. So forgive my picking on you. You struck a nerve. | ||
| Fahren |
LOL Blake. Touchee! I wish we could all see how The good, old US of A is capable of both good and bad. It doesn't really have to be like GWBush said, "you're either for us or against us." We can be proud of all the good, and try, as individuals and as a nation, to be "more perfect." Those who dwell on all the bad bring us all down and produce nothing of positive value; those who dwell only on the good arrogantly ignore the fact that we aren't perfect, and that we can all be better. | ||
| Blake |
A'man to that! | ||
| Hootowl |
"you're either for us or against us." You have to take that in context. Believe he was talking about cooperation in tracking down terrorists and the money which fuels their jihad. Countries who refuse to hand over info about terrorists are definitely against us. It wasn't an open ended statement about friends and enemies. | ||
| Fahren |
This one has a lot of really good reviews: http://www.amazon.com/Mountain-Mens-Wolf-Short-Sle eve/dp/B0043M67OY/ref=pd_sbs_a_4 | ||
| Blake |
What Hoot said! | ||
| Hootowl |
So, I just bought a DeWalt track saw. Chose DeWalt because I thought they were made in America. Finding out that some are not. Guess I won't know until it arrives. | ||
| Littlebuggles |
Alfau, "What about undetected crime?" You ask a question many of us in the profession have a vague, but easy answer to. It's hard to catch the smart ones. Given the number of crimes committed in a day, what typically gets stopped are the flagrant and the most heinous. There are just not enough bodies to track all the criminal behavior that takes place. So that is a statistic that is harder to come up with... but trusting in the basic goodness of people, as well as the evidence of the standard book of rules for the bad ones... I really think you are looking at less than 10%. Ask an FBI agent though and their perspective will probably be different as they like to hire accountants specifically for the purpose of catching the smarter, or at least more educated criminals. Back on topic, we found a new sink for our kitchen when we were shopping last night, trouble was the display item was made in the USA, while the actual inventoried sink was packaged saying made in China. Opened the box with the sales assoc. and we found the finish quality on the boxed item was not up to par. We chose another similar model that was unfortunately $55 more, but we were happier with the overall quality, and we knew our money was spent on a made in the USA product.  | ||
| Ridesinnm |
I recently bought a Smith & Wesson M&P 9mm, largely because its American made. I chose it over the Springfield XD, made in Croatia. When the gun arrived, I ran into a problem disassembling it. The next day, I called S&W. Talked to a very nice lady who transferred me to a gunsmith. For a minute, he said they may have to look at it, and to give him my email address so he can send me a UPS shipping label so I don't have to pay, but we figured it out so I didn't have to send it in. I have been very happy with the gun, have about a thousand rounds through it without any malfunctions and I find it easy to shoot well for both me and my daughter. This is a company I like doing business with. American made, great product, excellent customer support, friendly, lifetime warranty. When it comes time for a 1911, I expect it will be a Smith. Brad. | ||
| Mtjm2 |
Hoot , most are not . They may be assembled in America , but most castings and parts are made in ? If one part or piece is made in America , it will be labeled as MADE IN THE USA , when it is not . Just like buying a HARLEY with wheels that are made in Japan . The manufacturing of anything in America has become to costly for a bussines to make it profitable . Federal regs. on every part of there bussines and the LABOR rate makes unmarketable . | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
 Although the labor rates aren't exactly comparable to China and India, they are close enough for discussion. We can not prohibit the importation of foreign products. We can not tariff imported products without inciting trade wars. The ONLY thing that will make the US more competitive with the rest of the world is to make the labor costs more competitive. Our wages aren't too high. Our cost to employ that labor is. We can't fix the problems simply by demanding higher wages. It simply guarantees that cheaper sources of labor will be sought. Based upon the comparative wages from the chart, they aren't hard to find. | ||
| Blake |
With such a high labor rate it's urprising how Germany is such a huge net exporter of German made goods. | ||
| Fahren |
Germany makes stuff, and they have pretty well usurped the US's role as THE producer of QUALITY manufactured goods, in the eyes of global consumers. If we have lost that competitive edge of being perceived as THE producer of quality, what's left? Manufacturing cheap, lead-painted children's toys to export to China? My point: there's more than one platform on which to compete. For buyers of German goods, price is not everything. Maybe we've lost sight of that somewhere in the boardrooms of the industrial U.S. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Part of the price of goods also has to do with productivity. US workers are some of the MOST productive in the world:  Given the higher productivity of US workers, even slight reductions in cost of labor can have huge dividends in global labor competitiveness. Fahren, odd that you mention German goods and price. Did you see the redesign VW did for both the Jetta and the Passat specifically for the US market? The Passat was slashed over $7,000 dollars to compete in the US market. Part of the issue is the US buyer. Some are willing to pay the higher price. Most aren't. We want more stuff and are willing to take a cut in quality to get it. That said, German car brands haven't been top in quality and reliability for quite a while. You mostly pay for the name these days. | ||
| Blake |
>>> Germany makes stuff, and they have pretty well usurped the US's role as THE producer of QUALITY manufactured goods, in the eyes of global consumers. >>> If we have lost that competitive edge of being perceived as THE producer of quality, what's left? Manufacturing cheap, lead-painted children's toys to export to China? There you go again, talking down your country. I don't agree, in fact I think you're full of baloney. Reality check!... Boeing, HP, Deere & Co, Caterpillar, Apple, Ford, Harley-Davidson (yeah it pains me to use that one), Texas Instruments, Motorola, General Dynamics, Weatherford International, Northrop Grumman, Snap-On, Honeywell, Cisco Systems, Baker Hughes, Unisys, Dow Chemical, Xerox, IBM, Raytheon, Eastman Kodak, Sun Microsystems, Ingersoll Rand, Cummins, Johnson Controls, L3 Communications, Micron Technology, Weyerhaeuser, Hughes, General Electric, Pratt & Whitney (United Technologies), NVidia, Rockwell, Good Year Tire, Nucor, Dupont, Pfizer, Lucent Technologies, National Oilwell Varco, Novell, 3M, AT&T, Intel, Merck, Microsoft, Dell, Corning, Oracle, Johnson & Johnson, Lockheed Martin, Monsanto, Winchester, Smith & Wesson, Colt, Ruger, Haliburton, Maytag, Cincinatti ... the list goes on and on and on. The Germans build a lot of cars and home appliances and some high tech mechanical stuff. Whoopdedoo. We invented breast implants! Can I get a "Go America!"  | ||
| Fahren |
It's not me talking us down - and it may very well not be the reality. But I am relating the perception of a heckuva lot of foreigners (non-U.S.A., that is) all around the globe about German quality. Don't confuse our perceptions with those of others all around the world, outside the USA. And don't confuse the messager with the message. I only mentioned German goods because you, Blake, did first. You made a good question, so I addressed it. | ||
| Bluzm2 |
Does anyone here get the Duluth Trading catalog? They have some pretty neat work cloths and such. Upon closer inspection though, 95% of the items in their catalog are marked "Imported". Very few items are "Made in USA". I was going to do an actual count but didn't feel like wasting the time. The thing that burns me is that the catalog is aimed squarely at the blue collar worker. The guys and gals that work with their hands and actually make stuff. I don't know, it just seems wrong to me.. | ||
| Fahren |
I've seen their catalog - at a certain point, though, it all looks like marketing hype to create an image. Not surprising that the goods are made elsewhere. Carhartt, then? They have operations in the US, Canada and Europe, according to their web site, so not guaranteed USA made, but who else? I like plain Amish clothing myself. | ||
| Alfau |
Buy American! (Message edited by alfau on September 07, 2011) | ||
| Boltrider |
Today I saw one of those pins you can put on your hat or shirt. It was an American flag pin and was still in the factory plastic, on which were stamped the words "made in China." | ||
| Court |
>>>If one part or piece is made in America , it will be labeled as MADE IN THE USA , when it is not . Read more. That's inaccurate. My favorite handgun is designed and manufactured less than 200 yards from where i work. | ||
| Ratbuell |
My favorite handgun is designed and manufactured less than 200 yards from where i work. Cool. Grab me one? I should really get something more current than my (very sentimental) 1951 Colt 4" OP... talk about "made in America" there! Although...it does have a handcarved ivory grip set that was done specifically for my father while he served in Korea. Does that make it non-American? | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
I live 30 miles from the Barrett factory. Anyone need an M82? | ||
| Doz |
Carolina boots baby..best damn boot for the money. Been wearing the pole climbers for years now. | ||
| Fahren |
Doz, the Carolina boots look great. Typical US mfg story, though - same with Carhartt: they broke up their manufacturing center in the US in 2000, and spread it out "in the U.S. and overseas." (See: http://www.carolinashoe.com/history.asp ) You would think if we could get enough purchasing power behind the patriotic idea, companies like Carhartt and Carolina, Redwing, etc. would LOVE to bring the operation all back home. How do you get the "PeopleofWalMart" off the stick, and of a mind to "Buy American" as a patriotic decision? Imagine the business Levi's or Carhartt could do, with a huge surge of US sales due to the concerted effort of well-informed, activist buyers, getting great products at a reasonable price and helping US manufacturing and jobs. I thought that was where the thread started. | ||
| Fahren |
Chippewa Boots , as they say, are "Handcrafted in the USA." I think you basically know these days if they don't advertise that, then they aren't made here. And also, American Made Work Boots (Message edited by fahren on September 07, 2011) | ||
| Court |
Yep . . . . sold my spare pair 2 weeks ago . . still have one unused pair and I also like the custom WESCO Boots as well . . . wearing Red Wings today . . . that I had to FIGHT for to keep the folks from selling me their "WORX" line which they say are "just the same at 1/4 the price . . . I bought the Genuine ones since they were "Made in America".  Boots are my life.  But . . . I do wear Italian boots for riding. | ||
| Fahren |
Lee Parks Gloves Fox Creek Leather Aerostitch Vanson and so on. |
