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Thread: Made in China sentiment

  1. #91
    You must also be a fan of the China study. Man the amount of I have caught off defending the concepts in that book.

    Imop most Americans “not the poor” without choice are dying of nobody’s fault but their own. Makes me so mad when you factor in health care costs vrs those whom actually care for their health.

    Seems to me health coverage should be pro rated based on your life choices that affect your health. I know I know you can’t do that but but the subject sure does wreck my head. Go ahead just keep feeding those kids milk and stuffing em full of cheese.

    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Bolton View Post
    Yeah.. and there is also a cultural movement afoot in China that having an obese child is a symbol of affluence (because you have the ability to over feed your child). Then add in the instant Walmart Walmart hormone laden food landed in their culture breast started to grow (dairy hormones produce larger udders) as well as cancers.

    Dont know what the point is other than watch what you wish for.
    Last edited by Lee Schierer; 05-22-2020 at 8:03 AM.

  2. #92
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    Quote Originally Posted by Frederick Skelly View Post
    Fair enough. Not everything I say about france is good either. And if I can talk trash, why can't they? At the end of the day, we often demonstrate why this is a great country. Plenty of faults. But plenty of heart. Gordon Sinclair said it very well. Go listen again, if it's been a while. LINK
    Wasn't defending them. Maybe "enjoy" was the wrong word. Found it interesting and awakening. Being a ripe old nineteen years old from a small town seeing the world for the first time it hadn't occurred to me that other countries may not like or appreciate us.

    Didn't take long to figure out that the only reason the locals looked forward to a ship pulling into port was for the money that was being spent on various goods.
    Confidence: The feeling you experience before you fully understand the situation

  3. #93
    Quote Originally Posted by Jerry Bruette View Post
    Wasn't defending them. Maybe "enjoy" was the wrong word. Found it interesting and awakening. Being a ripe old nineteen years old from a small town seeing the world for the first time it hadn't occurred to me that other countries may not like or appreciate us.

    Didn't take long to figure out that the only reason the locals looked forward to a ship pulling into port was for the money that was being spent on various goods.
    Hi Jerry, I figured you meant it much like you described. I was really "speaking" to everyone generally and didn't mean anything negative in my response to your post. I apologize if it came off that way Sir.

    Have a good one.
    Fred
    "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

    “If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”

  4. #94
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    I think that everyone should be proud of their native country, their customs and accomplishments. Making comparisons between cultures is rarely accurate or productive.

    The United States of America is a very young country but we have made contributions in technology, medical advancement, engineering and a host of other fields that the entire world has benefited from. The Brits think we brag to much and its absolutely true. We have earned the right to take our place in this world as a nation that is built on the love of freedom and we promote and reward personal innovation and accomplishment. Our track record in the last two centuries helping other nations is beyond criticism, we have been there though thick and thin for our allies and most other countries as well and best of all we have never been a nation that believes in conquering our enemies.

    We have made mistakes but for the most part we have corrected ourselves and we continue to adjust. Our government is far from perfect but our people are proud and hard working and we will always be proud of our way of life. We argue among ourselves more so than with any other nation but we continue to move forward. Even though we fuss and fight with each other we can unite every soul in our country when the need arises. There are people all over the world that will tell you that the greatest sight they have even seen is our flag in the streets of their country.

    Uncle Sam does have a sense of humor though, he loves to laugh and enjoy life.

    Spend your money where it suits you but don't forget that your countrymen need jobs and the loss of manufacturing capability in America is taking its toll on our way of life.
    Last edited by Keith Outten; 05-22-2020 at 11:45 AM.

  5. #95
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    Well said Keith......too many of us who enjoy the freedoms this country provides, look for any and every opportunity to criticize it. It isn't perfect. BUT.....it is easily at the top of the list. No need to apologize for that. Be proud of it.

    Jim

  6. Quote Originally Posted by Perry Hilbert Jr View Post
    Back in the late 1960's, It became known that the only place in the world that large bearings for hydroelecric turbines were made in Czechoslovakia. The Russians could have held our entire electrical grid hostage, but didn't. zI am amazed at what is made where.
    Bear in mind, Czechoslovakia was so in step with the USSR that it was invaded in '68. That said, there could have been a political/economic motivation in permitting sales instead. We'd shown with the Heavy Press Program (not to mention the space race) that we could achieve our engineering goals if we needed to. I could see the USSR deciding that blocking sales would mean we'd just develop them ourselves, which would cost them hard currency.

  7. #97
    Quote Originally Posted by Keith Outten View Post
    We have made mistakes but for the most part we have corrected ourselves and we continue to adjust
    I completely agree with your post and I dont take any pleasure in the areas I am unhappy with the US but the statement above speaks directly to my point. WE (the USA) learned that poisoning our water, pretty much, for the most part, kinda sorta, is not smart. WE (the USA) learned that company stores and company housing and kinda, sorta, enslaving, your workforce, isnt really the greatest thing. We learned that when you force your workforce into foolish workplace hazards you wind up with the misery of OSHA. Greed created OSHA. We learned that when you know that disposing of some nasty juju that is a byproduct of your production is expensive so you opt to dig a hole and bury it poisoning your local community that its pretty much a back-fire and now your greed created the EPA. The list goes on an on. And I agree that we (kinda) learned and (kinda) adjusted...

    But now... with all that learning, and all that adjusting, we have US corporations creating, advocating, advising, all with legal teams of course making sure there is enough prosecutorial distance to not be able to bridge the gap of culpability, that are not only flushing their manufacturing nations down the toilet but they are flushing their own country and planet down the toilet. Wanna talk about treason? And pride in your "native country"?

    It simply doesnt add up. We knew better when we buried the stuff in the ground the first time (its why we buried it). We knew better when we created unsafe work place. And now we are "suffering" with the regulatory agencies that were created by that foolishness, and whats the answer? Go do it to another country/nation/population... AND low and behold realize that now we are on such a small marble that we have shot our self in the foot AGAIN... lol....

    It makey-no-sensey...
    Last edited by Mark Bolton; 05-22-2020 at 2:32 PM.

  8. #98
    Quote Originally Posted by Keith Outten View Post
    We have made mistakes but for the most part we have corrected ourselves and we continue to adjust.
    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Bolton View Post
    I completely agree with your post and I dont take any pleasure in the areas I am unhappy with the US but the statement above speaks directly to my point. WE (the USA) learned that poisoning our water, pretty much, for the most part, kinda sorta, is not smart. WE (the USA) learned that company stores and company housing and kinda, sorta, enslaving, your workforce, isnt really the greatest thing. We learned that when you force your workforce into foolish workplace hazards you wind up with the misery of OSHA. Greed created OSHA. We learned that when you know that disposing of some nasty juju that is a byproduct of your production is expensive so you opt to dig a hole and bury it poisoning your local community that its pretty much a back-fire and now your greed created the EPA. The list goes on an on. And I agree that we (kinda) learned and (kinda) adjusted...
    Heh, both your comments echo Winston Churchill's quote: "You can always count on Americans to do the right thing - after they've tried everything else"

    I also love "The best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with the average voter"

    That man had a way with words.

  9. #99
    Some of the things Mark has listed are "in the eye of the beholder". Try telling the coal miners they need to get another
    job. They ain't interested. They love their work as much as heart surgeons love theirs. The earth is getting cleaner
    not dirtier. Many of us remember visiting friends and family who used "out houses". I remember when rain coats came
    with removable plastic covers. They were for black rain ,not jelly donuts.

  10. #100
    Quote Originally Posted by Mel Fulks View Post
    Some of the things Mark has listed are "in the eye of the beholder". ...
    Easy now. You’ll give people false hope. And ALL hope is lost!!!

    I work for BIG (insert ‘EVIL’ of preference), and our 5 yr plan is to utterly destroy the entire planet and kill our customers. Seems workable to me, the Board of Directors agrees, and best of all the stockholders know nothing!

    Last edited by Jim Becker; 05-22-2020 at 8:24 PM. Reason: fixed quote tagging

  11. #101
    Malcolm, thanks for the stock tip ! You are wise to keep your plans out of the papers ,you don't need any competition.

  12. #102
    Quote Originally Posted by Mel Fulks View Post
    Some of the things Mark has listed are "in the eye of the beholder". Try telling the coal miners they need to get another
    job. They ain't interested. They love their work as much as heart surgeons love theirs. The earth is getting cleaner
    not dirtier. Many of us remember visiting friends and family who used "out houses". I remember when rain coats came
    with removable plastic covers. They were for black rain ,not jelly donuts.
    Dunno, seems like a bit of a convenient recollection/interpretation on your part. I'm sure many were happy to have work and food of any kind but I think the accurate account is that very few appreciated receiving their chit slips at payday and the deductions for housing, food, and so on, that "conveniently" left them with zero to ever better themselves while big daddy was getting richer and richer. You may recall something called the mine wars and then of course the dreaded union.

    To in anyway think the majority were happy with the situation in those times is a god awful stretch.

    Extrapolate that out to today where those communities have been so decimated that what is now a very good paying job in a place that's basically a million miles from any job that will pay half as much or less? And hell yeah your going to have people rallying in favor of that cash. But those pay scales are not in place because big daddy suddenly felt like giving back to the workers. They are there through laws and fight that had to be waged because they were too greedy to do the right thing to begin with.

  13. #103
    I think "too greedy to do the right thing" is a perfectly legal and kind observation. But most are happy with their
    unions and not dependent on good will. They see today's work situations as great improvements.

  14. #104
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    The last time I was an employee I wasn’t too impressed with the benefits so I decided that I would just open an IRA and make my own retirement. It automatically transfers money every month, so I don’t have the chance to consider spending that on something else. I have tried to max it out every year. We do the same with insurance now, bought our own through a broker.

    I have little faith in social safety nets, given that they seem to be perpetually on the brink of failure and generally require one to plead their case and be left in the hands of someone deciding wether or not they should be helped. Personally I would rather plan for my own future and hopefully those things will add to it, rather than rely on them and wind up far worse off.
    Last edited by Brian Holcombe; 05-23-2020 at 10:54 AM.
    Bumbling forward into the unknown.

  15. #105
    Quote Originally Posted by Mel Fulks View Post
    I think "too greedy to do the right thing" is a perfectly legal and kind observation. But most are happy with their
    unions and not dependent on good will. They see today's work situations as great improvements.
    We are on the same page there as I said. The wages in themselves today, in the areas Ive been speaking to, are very hard for the locals to walk away from. Then you add in the family history and tradition of it all and it gets even deeper. But again, those wages exist only because of very painful fights that had to be fought to gain "reasonable" compensation for the work in lieu of the massive profits and personal wealth gained by a few. And the thumbing of noses at safety for the sake of profit still goes on and is well documented.

    Said before, I in no way shape or form advocate for the government to determine what anyones salary should be, or what any CEO's compensation should be, or a cap on their maximum net worth. Lunacy. The market, society, and their workforce, should do that but in many many cases, right out to today, those market/societal/workforce motivators often times simply dont work out all that well for a bunch of reasons. And again to my point, a great example is Walmart and Apple. Walmart has consciously controlled its workforce and directly (though I am sure maintained enough legal distance) coached, directed, forced, is vendors down this very path in other countries with the top sitting pretty and the staff having a job but... Then you have the Apple/Foxcon "relationship" with a factory that was so wonderful to walk through the gates on your first day of employment (only to never be able to afford to leave due to your perpetual debt to the company store/housing) that employees began throwing themselves off the roof of the building. To the extent that Foxcon (soley producing for Apple) installed nets around the building in a program called "Nets of love".

    It would be one thing if that were just happening as a natural progression of growth in another isolated country, they have to learn their own lessons. But its happening at the hands of a massive US corporation that at its peak was sitting on something like 800 billion dollars in cash reserve, and now the poor babies are down to a meager 200+ billion (likely because the 800 billion looked so bad on paper) and is holding the puppet strings on the whole thing while people are lining up willing fork over nearly $2k for their flagship new phone. Yet we need a prison factory? Again, no-makey-no-sensey

    The days of the market and the consumer driving corporate conscience are gone unless they are burning fetus' to heat their offices or something. The bulk are just numb to it trying to make it through the next car/mortgage payment and have just given up and buy whatever is cheapest hence the stats that there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish in a generation or two.

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