Timken, united states = China

[cmbrucew]

Mr Holleran
I believe that to be a fair assessment of our situation today.
It may be too little and too late to just say no to cheap imports.
Just a few old guys left that give a darn.
Bruce

 

[SofaKing]

SofaKing:

This is not a dig or trying to start a fight. It's just my opinion.

Hi Bill, the exchange of opinions and the sharing of collective wisdom is why we are all here. I think you provided a thoughtful response and I appreciate it, and the others made by fellow barners.

 

[Vics Stuff]

I have to agree with Scooder on this. I travel freequently back and forth from Thailand. I have met with a couple of manufacturer reps . One of them indicated that they currently make body emblems for Ford , GM , and Chrysler. The other rep indicated that they make rubber parts for the same 3 brands. As mentioned many of these asian companies manufacture products per spec not by price. So if the requesting company spec out a poorly built pruduct then that is what they build and not because they can not make quality products. i know I do have items made there to my specs and they are perfect. I am not about making large profits but a quality part.
Vic

 

[Fe26]

By the end of the 1980's we were the most powerful nation on earth, in industrial, economic, technology and military. And the fact that we;re broke in these areas, is my fault???

You are fifty years out Ron. The high point in American affairs was the sixties and seventies. In the eighties Mr Reagan bought into a new and unproven economic theory, that theory 'Trickle down economics' has now been dis-proven, the whole world is now living with the result.

And the theory? If you give the movers and shakers in a society free reign to make money, they will make a lot of money. What's left over will trickle down through other smaller players until it peters out. What really happened was; the movers and shakers on Wall St. and the City of London realised that money wasn't enough money, the real idea of money lay in debt. and so they sold it, bucket loads of it. And the trickle down theory had to bend itself to fit in with the new reality. Once a theory bends it has disproved itself.

The result was, if you weren't in debt. you didn't exist. Your debt. any debt. could be traded on financial markets, and here we are...

There is a line I remembered from the movie 'Godfather', Don Corleone says to his oldest son "A smart man with a briefcase can steal more than a hundred men with guns." And here we are.

 

[Fordors]

.............And here we are.

Very well said Fe. Yet another example is the recent merger of Kraft and Heinz as suggested and "forced" by 3G Capital and Berkshire Hathaway, two investment groups. Certainly shareholders along with those at the top of management will benefit from cost savings, increased market share, consolidation of facilities, reduction in workforce (particularly of low level employees) but at what cost to the production workers and supervisors?
Trickle down has only meant "See ya, you are not needed any longer" to the average Joe and Wall Street loves it.
They won't be content until they control all the wealth and there are no jobs left for the unwashed masses.