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Outrider
| | Posted on Friday, June 11, 2004 - 02:31 pm: | 
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Oh Poop, I forgot to mention the US Government not applying it's Anti-Trust Laws to the Major US Retailers as they did to other industries.
How about the Rico Racketeering Act? Read it sometimes, it can be applied as well. |
Outrider
| | Posted on Friday, June 11, 2004 - 02:37 pm: |
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Whoops...What would you think of a Nameless Major US Retailer that demanded we take the American Flag and "Made in America" off the front of our packaging. They insisted that we print "Made in America" only in the same small print on the back where the others buried their "Made in China."
Almost all of you shop there! |
M1combat
| | Posted on Friday, June 11, 2004 - 03:42 pm: |
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Wally world. |
Hootowl
| | Posted on Friday, June 11, 2004 - 03:48 pm: |
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Well it can't be WalMart...they don't sell American products. |
Outrider
| | Posted on Friday, June 11, 2004 - 03:57 pm: |
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Funny thing about the ships coming in low in the water and leaving high and dry. Nobody in Wisconsin believed me, but during a recent vacation I took my girl friend to dinner in the LA Harbor area and she got a chance to see it for herself. Then I took her to an outlook where she could see the square miles of containers that had been recently unloaded. Now, she is one of my biggest advocates and is telling everyone she knows.
The key here is that it is not the only harbor that receives goods from China. LA supplies the Southwest, Seattle the Northwest and upper Midwest, Houston the Southcentral, Philadelphia and NJ/NY the East and to be honest, I forgot the others.
If you are not near a seaport, you can always just watch a train passing through town as the majority of US Manufacturer's ship via truck and it takes too long for the rail services to satisfy the "Just in Time" logistics their domestic customers demand of them. |
Outrider
| | Posted on Friday, June 11, 2004 - 03:59 pm: |
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Yeah, but I wonder how much if anything Walmart paid to use the "Popular Mechanic's" name on their import line of tools and hardware? |
Outrider
| | Posted on Friday, June 11, 2004 - 04:02 pm: |
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Incidentally, Walmart does still sell one of my domestic programs I sold them years ago. Problem is to stay alive the manufacturer now has 80% of his product line made in China.
The downside is now he had to get a facility 4 times larger than what he needed to manufacture the same volume in and he laid off 80% of his workforce as now he is primarily an importer/distributor/marketeer.
The only good thing he has going is that he is still one of the best inventors of specialty hardware products I know and that keeps him alive.
edited by outrider on June 11, 2004 |
Jim_witt
| | Posted on Saturday, June 12, 2004 - 12:05 am: |
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Interesting reading in the Asia Times.
-JW: |
Outrider
| | Posted on Saturday, June 12, 2004 - 10:00 am: |
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Jim...Nice article. Thank you. |
Jim_witt
| | Posted on Saturday, June 12, 2004 - 05:56 pm: |
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Bill,
Did you read Asia fills her boots - dollar reserves skyrocket.
-JW:
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Outrider
| | Posted on Sunday, June 13, 2004 - 12:04 pm: |
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Jim, Thanks again. My writings were based on personal experience and trend recognition. This article supports my much of my material via the international banking community.
One of my issues is that China is forcing the value of the USD to below their yaun. A rough translation is that by doing so, they do not have to increase their standards of living anywhere near as much as we have to decrease ours. Considering the vast population of China, this would be their easiest path to both world uniformity and economic domination.
On the humorous side, at the onslaught of WWII, Japan swore to a 100 (I believe that is the right number) year war with the US. No where did they say it had to be with weapons. International economics makes for a bloodless war, eh? Interesting how the Japanese first outsourced to Korea and now China. Even more so when you consider that the Chinese still hate the Japanese vehemently for past acts of aggression.
Do you have any references to the concept of a world currency? |
Jim_witt
| | Posted on Sunday, June 13, 2004 - 04:26 pm: |
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Sorry ...
A global monetary unit or MonataryPhysics. Nope, my understanding of social engineering is totally limited.
-JW: |
Outrider
| | Posted on Sunday, June 13, 2004 - 05:37 pm: |
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"Social Engineering"...I imagine without it there would be no civilization but the phrase is still a little thought provoking.
Perhaps one way for the world's governments to meld. Any guess as to which direction we appear to be going peacefully like sheep being led to the slaughter?
One reason to question this is it appears we can't even get along in this country. Granted we were raised to be individuals and free thinkers.
Perhaps the powers-to-be are right and we should lose our freedoms and live under a more disciplined system. Looks like the lack of discipline, starting in the home, has not been good for the preservation of our society.
Wonder if it is too late for me to become a "Commie Pinko Kid?" Aw, forget it. I would rather die first. |
Jim_witt
| | Posted on Sunday, June 13, 2004 - 07:41 pm: |
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Since I'm a pessimist, I’ll let you figure that out. BTW, I know this is an old book but did you ever read The Coming Soviet Crash? Here's another interesting link for some reading by the author.
-JW: |
Outrider
| | Posted on Monday, June 14, 2004 - 04:25 pm: |
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Interesting on how being a pessimist is the attitude of the majority, regardless of party, toward almost everything our Government does in reference to addressing the real problems America faces today.
Seems over government is the trend that is robbing us of our freedoms and opportunities. |
Bomber
| | Posted on Monday, June 14, 2004 - 04:47 pm: |
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robbibng us of our freedoms and opportunies . . .no matter what the party in power . . . . . |
Buellkowski
| | Posted on Monday, June 14, 2004 - 05:28 pm: |
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There is still plenty of opportunity available. Buy some Chinese steel tubing, fabricate a chopper, and sell it back to a noveau riche businessman in Shanghai for $$$, plus Chinese duties. That'll make you feel better.  |
Bomber
| | Posted on Monday, June 14, 2004 - 05:34 pm: |
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kowski . . . .I LOVE that idea!
good on you! |
Outrider
| | Posted on Monday, June 14, 2004 - 07:04 pm: |
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Buellkowski has the right idea. We can turn into a nation of "one to one hundred-off" manufacturers to balance out the trade deficit. Imagine the competition that would generate for West Coast and Orange County Choppers. LOL
Sounds like the Woodburning Stove Industry in the 1970's until China stole that too. |
Mikej
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 15, 2004 - 08:38 am: |
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Shoot, now I've got to go welder shopping.
Let's see, Port Choppers, Lake Michigan Choppers, West Coast of Lake Michigan Choppers (WCLMC???), Wisconsin Choppers,... hmmm Whiskey Choppers! I think I've got it. Now to go buy up all the used Urals for the engines.  |
Roc
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 16, 2004 - 02:05 am: |
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Somewhat related.
http://www.sinodefence.com/ |
Outrider
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 16, 2004 - 07:48 pm: |
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Roc...Good Read.
Gee, what does a peace loving nation of undernourished, overworked and underpaid billions need with that stuff. It's not like anyone on earth is dumb enough to attack them. Well, at least not unless they are planning some ridiculous act of aggression.
One would think that the Chinese would be concentrating their efforts on bettering the quality of life within their borders. Guess that is a bad assumption, eh?
And now I would like to end the day with an appropriate song made famous by Frank Sinatra.
"And now the end is near,..." |
Roc
| | Posted on Thursday, June 17, 2004 - 12:51 am: |
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http://www.missilethreat.com/
May 31, 2004 :: Washington Times :: Analysis
The Washington Times editorial staff writes a fine editorial on the dangers of allowing China membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), an action which pretends China can be trusted. An excerpt:
China’s membership is tacit acknowledgement by the other member states — including the United States, Britain, France and Russia — that Beijing supposedly can be trusted with a bigger role in global nuclear trade. That is a shortsighted decision we fear could have dangerous implications in the future. China’s Communist government has a long history of weapons proliferation. Beijing’s relationship with North Korea is particularly troubling. For years, Pyongyang has acted as a middleman to sell billions of dollars of black-market Chinese weapons to such places as Libya, Iran, Syria, Cuba and Pakistan. Pakistan’s nuclear-weapons program would not exist without the technical expertise it received from Chinese scientists. North Korea has worked hastily to produce nuclear warheads and the systems to deliver them. The engineering and designs for their intercontinental ballistic missiles are Chinese, and the two nations maintain a mutual defense pact (the only one Beijing has). It is risky to assume that Beijing will not sell nuclear material to its ally given its lack of restraint in the past.
The editors conclude, with no equivocation: “Beijing’s leaders harbor superpower ambitions and see themselves as the next challenger to American global power. Helping the Chinese become a more significant nuclear power is a mistake.”
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Philip
| | Posted on Thursday, June 17, 2004 - 04:58 am: |
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i was at home depot today buying a screw in fluorescent light bulb. do i buy the phillips bulb assembled in mexico for 14.97 or the brand x made in china for 8.95? did not see one made in usa. |
Outrider
| | Posted on Thursday, June 17, 2004 - 12:32 pm: |
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Not many bulbs are made in the USA. Having been in the light bulb biz as sales manager for a US Manufacturer (read: marketing company) that only imported bulbs from China, I strongly suggest you get the Phillips regardless of where it was made. Phillips is the industry leader in bulbs of all types and private labels for a number of the majors just like Osram/Sylvania does with fluorescent tubes.
Stick with the big brand names and you will be happy compliments of a higher quality control standard. Especially where fluorescent screw-in bulbs are concerned. Granted on standard incandescent bulbs the internals are quite similar and assembly is automated, but the glue and general QC is the weak link. Also, shop for a brass base rather than an aluminum base especially if the bulb will be used outdoors.
Additionally concerning incandescent bulbs, don't fall prey to the Long Life, Extended Life, Long Warranties or Large Hour Ratings. Quite simply, the long life bulbs are all the same in a manufacturers line and only the packaging changes to support the various price points. Is a good profit maker for the manufacturer as nobody ever returns an incandescent bulb.
If you look close the long life bulbs are 130v and not 120v. All this means is a slightly thicker element and a more yellow hue to the light produced. All the manufacturers sell them for the folks that are/were supplied their electricity (130v) by the TVA so they can experience normal bulb life. Once they discovered they lasted longer on 120v they started with the long life and commercial bulb marketing ploy.
Bet you wish you never asked that question, eh? |
Philip
| | Posted on Friday, June 18, 2004 - 10:37 am: |
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not at all, i knew some of the vast wealth of knowledge would surface! i did buy the phillips and have used them for years. it is sad that you do not even have a choice to buy american even if you want to! thanks for the info. |
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