| Author | Message | ||
     Ourdee |
This is how My Mom explained it to me; Shortly after class, an economics student approaches his economics professor and says, "I don't understand this stimulus bill. Can you explain it to me?" I would have put this on the backfire board myself, but it would not let me, without thread jacking someone else's flamboyant discussion. } The professor replied, "I don't have any time to explain it at my office, but if you come over to my house on Saturday and help me with my weekend project, I'll be glad to explain it to you." The student agreed. At the agreed-upon time, the student showed up at the professor's house. The professor stated that the weekend project involved his backyard pool. They both went out back to the pool, and the professor handed the student a bucket. Demonstrating with his own bucket, the professor said, "First, go over to the deep end, and fill your bucket with as much water as you can." The student did as he was instructed. The professor then continued, "Follow me over to the shallow end, and then dump all the water from your bucket into it." The student was naturally confused, but did as he was told. The professor then explained they were going to do this many more times, and began walking back to the deep end of the pool. The confused student asked, "Excuse me, but why are we doing this?" The professor matter-of-factly stated that he was trying to make the shallow end much deeper. The student didn't think the economics professor was serious, but figured that he would find out the real story soon enough. However, after the 6th trip between the shallow end and the deep end, the student began to become worried that his economics professor had gone mad. The student finally replied, "All we're doing is wasting valuable time and effort on unproductive pursuits. Even worse, when this process is all over, everything will be at the same level it was before, so all you'll really have accomplished is the destruction of what could have been truly productive action!" The professor put down his bucket and replied with a smile, "Congratulations. You now understand the stimulus bill." | ||
| 2008xb12scg |
sad, very sad, but true... | ||
| Arcticktm |
...and all the while, the drain valve is open at the bottom of the pool (stock market). We all now have about half as deep a pool as we had last year. Unless we got out our share of the water in time (which I certainly did not). | ||
| Bill0351 |
Besides making no sense, being unclear what it means, and being a terrible metaphor, it's great. At least you and I both agree it belongs on the backfire board. | ||
| Court |
The mechanics may be a bit lacking . . but the results are spot on. How many, among our number, having heard this the last couple days are confident you'll be richer 2 years from now? How, I'm curious, do each of you see this impacting you? We should, by all rights, be a fairly representative cross section. I'm in the construction business which is currently running at or perhaps a bit beyond full capacity. Here in NYC building construction is constrained by the available number of tower cranes (most are rented overseas in China) and steel (most comes from overseas, like "Jumbos" from Belgium) so we CAN'T take on anymore work until late 2028. Anybody here see a windfall in this? | ||
| Oldog |
"Jumbos" are large steel shapes? Anybody here see a windfall in this? Wanna build a steel mill in Wilmington NC? Oh never mind it will be like the proposed concrete plant that Titan wanted to build the residents whine about lack of jobs and business but scream bloody murder over "mercury emissions" the real laugh, the electricity in this area is generated by a coal fired power plant, guess where Mercury comes from when you make c-ment | ||
| Gowindward |
I'm work for an OEM manufacturer suppling both residential and commercial construction. I do not see this helping my industry. I think the only thing that can correct this is time. | ||
| Court |
>>>"Jumbos" are large steel shapes? Yes. Structural steel weighing over 1,000# per linear foot is referred to as "Jumbo" steel. I'm doing a project now that has
The new World Trade Center will be about 20% "Jumbo". Their steel will come from Luxembourg. You can read about it HERE. If you are ever in town and want to tour one of the sites, let me know. Sometimes "Jumbo" steel is "faked" by welding a series of plates together. On one recent project (I can show you pics if you're interested) we used really heavy columns, boxed them with 1" plating and poured the resulting voids full of concrete. I'm a construction worker. | ||
| Indybuell |
I'm in the distribution business. This stimulus will have absolutely zero positive affects for me. | ||
| Oldog |
Structural steel weighing over 1,000# per linear foot is referred to as "Jumbo" steel.  The bigest thing my employer has built used 24" I beams as part of the main framing at several hundred pounds a foot. over 1000 pounds a foot! the shapes must be monstorus! We build pressure tanks here (ASME shop) the biggest thing that we weld is 3/4" plate one pass in one pass out and its done for the vessels the saddles may have 1 to 1 1/2" soles on them I asked my boss why we did not fab large shapes for our projects he indicated that warpage is a major concern, Your welders must be REALY REALY good doing stuff like that and not making a large steel pretzel of it.. Me I'm a wire rat, who works at a welding shop, to support his bike habit BTW thanks for the info. | ||
| Dalton_gang |
Brilliantly simplistic!! | ||
| Ducbsa |
I've seen fabricated beams with 6 ft webs at the top of 300 ft high boiler houses (big boilers are hung) and, interestingly enough, as the main girder beams for the 2 story Sara Lee headquarters building (from 1963). Once they get really big, it must be more economical to weld them, rather than roll them. | ||
| Thumper74 |
Court, are you participating in the reconstruction of the WTC? | ||
| Ourdee |
2 yrs.? I hope I'm not living in my mother inlaw's garage. I am in a strange predicament indeed. I am in the UAW working every other 2 weeks for Chrysler. I hope Buell will take me in. I don't mind working for the money. Thanks Bill for a partial Amen. (Message edited by ourdee on February 19, 2009) | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
I hope taxes are sky high. I make my money assisting folks in implementing legal (and government recommended) strategies for reducing tax exposure in savings programs. I'm certain my "hopes" will come true. I believe there will be fewer people to work with in two years due to the fact that there be fewer people making incomes requiring my services. | ||
| Johnnymceldoo |
Iam praying for rain. | ||
| Cityxslicker |
thinking about Haliburton consulting in my off season, lord knows that machine is primed to the pumps. | ||
| Seanp |
How many, among our number, having heard this the last couple days are confident you'll be richer 2 years from now? I know I will be - that's the best part of being in the military. A raise every year, and another one every two years of time in service. I'll be promoted within a few months - that's another raise. Some years I get three raises - inflationary in January, time-in-service in June, and promotion whenever it falls during the year. And with Obama's plan to increase the military, (a pdf file available here with his campaign promise - and we know he'll keep all his promises) I have some job security too. Especially considering the fact that I am in a short-supply pay grade. Ft_bstrd - do you do any work in NY state, by any chance? I need lots of help with my taxes this year... | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Ft_bstrd - do you do any work in NY state, by any chance? Not specifically, but I am licensed to. If you want to PM me offline, we can talk. | ||
| Seanp |
PM done been sented. | ||
| B00stzx3 |
Hope for the best! As far as screwing up goes, The Chosen One has a pretty tough hurdle to hop after the last 8 years. Good luck Obama, just keep your hands off my beer and ciggs. | ||
| Johnnymceldoo |
Hope for the best! As far as screwing up goes, The Chosen One has a pretty tough hurdle to hop after the last 8 years. Good luck Obama, just keep your hands off my beer and ciggs. Yes because Bush had everything to do with this economy but not lenders being pressured to lend to people they shouldnt have lent to. Iam sure obama is hoping your major concerns for his term are beer and cigs. | ||
| Cudajohn |
SeanP, yes we do get a what? 2% raise every year in the mil. but have you seen Congress' % increase on thier yearly salary. It's like 20%. We do a great job and risk our necks doing it and they fudckt up America. Something is opposite here. Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining about the pay because I'm a patriot and would do my job for free but qualifying for WIC as an E-5 puts it in perspective. We don't serve for the money. | ||
| Seanp |
Cudajohn, Yeah, those politicians really are nice to themselves, considering they don't do much except sit on their fat asses and take bribes. But hey, I have more job security than they do. And I don't have any problems with my conscience weighing me down for my life's decisions... | ||
| Court |
The entire housing thing is so stupid as to be laughable . . . while property values dropped nearly 40% the last year . . guess what the market did? . . sales up 85% and inventory held goes from 13 months to 5 months with prices low and mortgage rates the lowest in history. Guess what is gonna happen when the feds begin tampering with this? These guys are idoits . . . who here is eager to pay their neighbors mortgage? | ||
| Cityxslicker |
theres some great analogies in Phantom Tollbooth, clipping grass with a pair of tweazers, draining a pool with an eyedropper, moving a beach with a spoon Its not a recession, its not a depression, its the doldrums |
