Random Thought of the Day

Quote: SOOPOO

Really? Allowed? The only way stop them is to punish foreign manufacturers with tariffs. Because due to unions getting the floor sweeper in the factory $20 an hour here, while in China/Vietnam/etc they do it for $2 an hour, America is just not competitive. Tell me how you want our politicians to force companies to pay 10 times the labor costs and compete?

The government paid many corporations to leave the country.

We would first have to decide if we prefer having a sovereign country, or cheap plastic crap made in Asia that ends up floating in the ocean and ending up in the food supply. Fixing this hole we've dug since Kennedy can't happen with one move or overnight. It probably won't be fixed at all. But if we as fellow countrymen want it fixed, we have to stop digging. And it's going to hurt.

The truth of it is, we were sold out long ago and we let them do it. Most folks are content to just eat, sleep, and procreate. Other than that it doesn't matter who's in charge. And that was, kind of the unspoken assumption, that we could all just go to work and we could trust the government to tax as little as possible and the world would settle for us being on top of the heap and foreigners would always accept paying our debt. That was an illusion.There was always those behind the curtain wanting more, and greedy politicians willing to write legislation for a price. We've been to docile, and we've been had.

But right now, we don't have a capitalistic country. At least in any description I've seen in the past. In what form of capitalism does the government buy stocks, etf's, and bailout fraudulent banks with taxpayer money? [JP Morgan chase is charged with price fixing of silver, right now RICO] Our biggest company's are guilty of felony price fixing, our congress is openly guilty of insider trading.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2020/03/20/senators-accused-of-insider-trading-dumping-stocks-after-coronavirus-briefings/#42a53a364a45

HSBC is busted time after time laundering drug profits, https://www.investopedia.com/stock-analysis/2013/investing-news-for-jan-29-hsbcs-money-laundering-scandal-hbc-scbff-ing-cs-rbs0129.aspx

Wells Fargo, https://www.google.com/search?q=criminal+charges+against+wells+fargo&rlz=1C1CHBD_enUS839US839&oq=charges+against+well&aqs=chrome.2.0j69i57j0l3.8742j1j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Time after time the biggest tbtf banks in our country are caught committing fraud and theft of billions, and now trillions, laundering drug money for cartels, fixing prices, manipulating interest rates, and here we are bailing them out again. So yeah, I'd rather force enough manufacturing to happen inside our borders that we aren't held hostage for foreign country's that are trying to take away our way of life. Nationalize enough of every industry, to know if we are getting a decent price.

Look at the share buybacks at Boeing over the last ten years, and now we are bailing them out, and although they have to reroute that money, you can be much of it ends up in golden parachutes. Just a preference SooPoo, if we are going to waste the value of America and congress is choosing who wins, I vote for the working class.

We need to put a stop or at least a bigger halt to the revolving door between congress and lucrative jobs at the very company's that they oversaw while in office. Everyone that runs a central bank today, is a former employee of Goldman Sachs. You could argue who else has the knowledge. Well there are people that have the knowledge on how to juggle money and be honest. See Bill Black and how he put a thousand bankers in jail during the S&L banking crisis.

Do you want it fixed? You would have to take a hit on your stock portfolio to do it. And most people of means aren't willing to take that hit. The federal reserve should not have a 6 trillion dollar stock/ junk bond portfolio, but they do. How do you want average working family's to save for their own old age and medical care, if they have to compete against the very government their taxes have paid to cheat them?

Quote: rxwine

China's not really an a horrible enemy, but it's hardly a good ally either.

Not since Mao killed 60 million xtians and they have KFC.

People are just people, with all the natural wants and desires every other person has. But America used to be against Communism, now we are bff's with Viet Nam, and China. But since the end of the Cold War and the break up of the USSR, Russia can't make friends with us no matter what they do.

Do to the laws of unintended consequences, we have forced Russia into the arms of China. And with China's manufacturing ability, [given and stolen] and Russia's vast resources, our politico's [both sides] have helped create, maybe not an enemy but a fierce competitor for who controls the world reserve currency. We probably are going to lose this battle.

We can't even make masks in this country, but we can continue permanent war. It's a matter of preferences. We would rather launch hundreds of Patriot missiles at the desert, than have jobs that support the lower caste.

Quote: petroglyph

The government paid many corporations to leave the country.

We would first have to decide if we prefer having a sovereign country, or cheap plastic crap made in Asia that ends up floating in the ocean and ending up in the food supply. Fixing this hole we've dug since Kennedy can't happen with one move or overnight. It probably won't be fixed at all. But if we as fellow countrymen want it fixed, we have to stop digging. And it's going to hurt.

The truth of it is, we were sold out long ago and we let them do it. Most folks are content to just eat, sleep, and procreate. Other than that it doesn't matter who's in charge. And that was, kind of the unspoken assumption, that we could all just go to work and we could trust the government to tax as little as possible and the world would settle for us being on top of the heap and foreigners would always accept paying our debt. That was an illusion.There was always those behind the curtain wanting more, and greedy politicians willing to write legislation for a price. We've been to docile, and we've been had.

But right now, we don't have a capitalistic country. At least in any description I've seen in the past. In what form of capitalism does the government buy stocks, etf's, and bailout fraudulent banks with taxpayer money? [JP Morgan chase is charged with price fixing of silver, right now RICO] Our biggest company's are guilty of felony price fixing, our congress is openly guilty of insider trading.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2020/03/20/senators-accused-of-insider-trading-dumping-stocks-after-coronavirus-briefings/#42a53a364a45

HSBC is busted time after time laundering drug profits, https://www.investopedia.com/stock-analysis/2013/investing-news-for-jan-29-hsbcs-money-laundering-scandal-hbc-scbff-ing-cs-rbs0129.aspx

Wells Fargo, https://www.google.com/search?q=criminal+charges+against+wells+fargo&rlz=1C1CHBD_enUS839US839&oq=charges+against+well&aqs=chrome.2.0j69i57j0l3.8742j1j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Time after time the biggest tbtf banks in our country are caught committing fraud and theft of billions, and now trillions, laundering drug money for cartels, fixing prices, manipulating interest rates, and here we are bailing them out again. So yeah, I'd rather force enough manufacturing to happen inside our borders that we aren't held hostage for foreign country's that are trying to take away our way of life. Nationalize enough of every industry, to know if we are getting a decent price.

Look at the share buybacks at Boeing over the last ten years, and now we are bailing them out, and although they have to reroute that money, you can be much of it ends up in golden parachutes. Just a preference SooPoo, if we are going to waste the value of America and congress is choosing who wins, I vote for the working class.

We need to put a stop or at least a bigger halt to the revolving door between congress and lucrative jobs at the very company's that they oversaw while in office. Everyone that runs a central bank today, is a former employee of Goldman Sachs. You could argue who else has the knowledge. Well there are people that have the knowledge on how to juggle money and be honest. See Bill Black and how he put a thousand bankers in jail during the S&L banking crisis.

Do you want it fixed? You would have to take a hit on your stock portfolio to do it. And most people of means aren't willing to take that hit. The federal reserve should not have a 6 trillion dollar stock/ junk bond portfolio, but they do. How do you want average working family's to save for their own old age and medical care, if they have to compete against the very government their taxes have paid to cheat them?

Much of what you say above is true but I think you missed the biggest reason manufacturing moved off shore. The American consumer has been taught in school for years now in to be a 'smart' consumer. Don't get ripped off and always go for the cheapest price. Walmart has exploited this to perfection selling reasonable (not exceptional) quality merchandise cheaper than the competition. To do this they rewarded the manufacturers that could supply them at the price point they wanted. They succeeded because the American consumer loved the cheaper prices. Even the well paid union employees couldn't fathom that they were shooting themselves in the foot buying the off shore manufactured product. What happened next is all the traditional retailers using the old US supply chains couldn't compete and were forced out of business. The nail in the coffin for traditional retailers is being driven in before our eyes right now. The American consumer is flocking to Amazon and other on-line retailers because they are usually cheaper.

I doubt this can be reversed now and even if it was it probably exacerbates the problem. We increase the cost of the goods which means the workers will need more money to purchase the goods. This all works in the closed American market but the inefficiency prices the goods out of the international market. No easy solution now despite some of the drivel put out by some special interest groups with poor math skills.

You and I can both remember when tools were repairable. When my grandfather passed, I was gifted his old hand drill. It had an aluminum body and I used [although I prefer cordless now] until the switch quit working. So, I decide to repair the switch, just because of sentimental reasons. When I opened it up, I could see that the switch had been replaced before, or was originally installed so the switch could be replaced. Amazing that when that was manufactured, we built electric motors with quality that was expected to outlast the trigger.

Still today for wood working enthusiasts, no one wants crap tools because the poor quality will end up costing in the final product.

My wood working mentor gave me several ww magazines where people commented on the goods and evils of tools. I like the saying one of the guys came up with, "Craftsmen free since 73". In woodworking circles it was well known that their radial arm saws were slightly more accurate than dynamite for fine cuts.

As the economy continues crashing, repairable products may become desirable again. I know out in farm country, farmers don't buy the shit tractors you see at tractor supply, even though small ones are so much cheaper. Crap products aren't for serious craftspeople.

Do you recall when McCulloch [from Havasu] made chainsaws and outboards? What crap. Out on the water, you don't see Face trying to keep an old Mercury [Black death] running. When it really matters, buy quality. If you can afford to use something once and throw it away, harbor freight all the way.

I bought the cheapest set of tap and dies you ever saw. I only needed it once, thank god. Now I haven't used the set in a decade, I hope the die will work again. But if I was pipe threading again, I would buy Rigid, just like I will wager you have. Neither one of us probably has lousy channel locks in our tools?

Quote: petroglyph

You and I can both remember when tools were repairable. When my grandfather passed, I was gifted his old hand drill. It had an aluminum body and I used [although I prefer cordless now] until the switch quit working. So, I decide to repair the switch, just because of sentimental reasons. When I opened it up, I could see that the switch had been replaced before, or was originally installed so the switch could be replaced. Amazing that when that was manufactured, we built electric motors with quality that was expected to outlast the trigger.

Still today for wood working enthusiasts, no one wants crap tools because the poor quality will end up costing in the final product.

My wood working mentor gave me several ww magazines where people commented on the goods and evils of tools. I like the saying one of the guys came up with, "Craftsmen free since 73". In woodworking circles it was well known that their radial arm saws were slightly more accurate than dynamite for fine cuts.

As the economy continues crashing, repairable products may become desirable again. I know out in farm country, farmers don't buy the shit tractors you see at tractor supply, even though small ones are so much cheaper. Crap products aren't for serious craftspeople.

Do you recall when McCulloch [from Havasu] made chainsaws and outboards? What crap. Out on the water, you don't see Face trying to keep an old Mercury [Black death] running. When it really matters, buy quality. If you can afford to use something once and throw it away, harbor freight all the way.

I bought the cheapest set of tap and dies you ever saw. I only needed it once, thank god. Now I haven't used the set in a decade, I hope the die will work again. But if I was pipe threading again, I would buy Rigid, just like I will wager you have. Neither one of us probably has lousy channel locks in our tools?

I usually just install security systems now and own a bunch of crap tools I wouldn't have been caught dead with when I spent most of my time being an electrician. The Klein tools that I haven't lost or been stolen from the 70's are as good today as when I bought them. I still have the first digital multimeter that I bought when digital meters first appeared. The 'craftsman tools' of today in Canada come from Canadian Tire better know by it's nick name "Crappy Tire". Don't know if you have noticed yet but Loews picked up the 'Craftsman' name from Sears and is selling tools under that label.

Watching the Keiser report: Stacy says, " innovation happens on the manufacturing floor", that's why America came up with so many patents, because things were being invented out of need, during manufacturing. When we offshored the manufacturing floor, we also offshored the innovation base of our country. If no one does anything but each others laundry, we won't invent anything.

People trying to recapture the magic of The Three Stooges, probably didn't consider getting a set of brothers. Same with the Marx Brothers.

That's probably the secret sauce.

The last few months kind of reminds of a time when you have a bunch of friends or family and a bunch of f***** up crap happen all in one day, and someone says, "Are we having fun yet?" just to annoy everyone.

Or is it to lighten the mood?

I forget.

https://www.military.com/off-duty/last-person-receive-civil-war-pension-dies-90.html

"By the time of her death, the family had been collecting the pension for 155 years."

Quote: petroglyph

https://www.military.com/off-duty/last-person-receive-civil-war-pension-dies-90.html

"By the time of her death, the family had been collecting the pension for 155 years."

Wow,

Quote:

Every month since, the VA has paid Irene Triplett $73.13.

A private made about $13 to $16. So maybe that was adjusted for inflation.