Rambling thoughts Maybe someone can help me .... How can a family,club,company or country stay in business with a import/export record such as the usa.?Look at Dubai ever wonder were they got the money? If I wanted to prove solventcy to get stimulas money I would ship all manufactoring to foreign soil or void all working agreements union and otherwise.May also look at removing OSHA standars from work place as they also costly.The american worker gets to much wage ,to much heathcare and to much retirement package. Kinda sad thinking isn't it. I do not see how we can compete with others.We need to come up with aplan to protect the middle class job market somehow. Resembles the walmart mantra where they are always looking to have goods made cheaper.Which results in some savings for us.I am not singling them out just makes good business sense.That is until the pendulm swings so far with displaced workers forced to bargain shop our neighbors out of a job.
Well, I probably agree with about 10 percent of what the guy said, but I have to give him credit, as a man who's job it is to look out for the people who elected him, he didn't pass up a chance. As for his comments about how congress behaves with banks vs. the big 3, (well, so far two, remember Ford is trying to go it alone without the handouts), congress is clueless. The big three exec's should have stood up to congress and pointed out that the private jets for example save the company money by letting high paid exec's travel at a schedule that takes away as little time as possible from work, they probably had a team on board and not just the one man that was there to speak to congress, and they don't spend any more on private jet travel than princess Nancy who gets use of a private jet for being speaker of the house.
Nancy Pelosi is above flying in a Learjet sized plane. Nooo, She has to have a 757 sized plane to ride her precious Elite butt around in. She is quick to criticize the Big 3,or was that Big 2? Anyways,she should take a good look at her own values before she does anyone else's.
Obama's new slogan after his visit to Canada yesterday, "Buy American." I didn't say don't buy Canadian but, um,uh, um, well...blah, blah, blah...
The problem is she has no values! She proclaims to be a Catholic yet enthusiastically promotes abortion... at all stages! What a total POS and it seems with the "empty suit" in the white house, she is calling the shots.
Why I Did Not Buy a New GM Last Year We purchased a 2008 Toyota Highlander last March. I told the wife she could have anything she wanted, as long as it was a Toyota or a Honda. Here's why: The last new car we purchased was a 2000 Oldsmobile Silhouette (engine assembled in Mexico) minivan. There were so many things wrong with it that it would take 4 pages of replies to pass on the information. The bottom line was that it was not reliable transportation for my family. I would have traded it in sooner, but have you checked the resale value of a GM product? During that wonderful seven year period of Oldsmobile ownership, I watched GM close I don't know how many plants in the USA. Bunches of 'em. Around here, in Northern KY, Toyota has built a beautiful US headquarters. Toyota has a huge plant just south of here in Georgetown. Honda and Toyota have been building plants around IN and KY just as about as fast as they can. GM and the other big losers couldn't get enough of the labor and markets in China and Mexico. Did I mention Toyota even sponsors Cincinnati's big fireworks display for the city of Cincinnati? GM. Who Dey? Money overseas??? What difference does it make to me if a GM executive buys an Italian yacht or the Japanese executive buys a Hawian condo?
Eventually GM and other domestics will cheapen their products enough to make money as well as have perceived value. Cheaper, lighter components that still do the job. They'll copy the Asian cars....... A while back for instance I had a rear door repainted due to accident in my 98 Regal. I took the door off and brought it to the shop. The shop guy told me that the Regal doors are significantly heavier than any of the Asian cars. But the average person doesn't know or care about that. They just want the most perceived car for the money.
Protectionism isn't going to work. In the 30s it actually prolonged the Depression. What the US needs to do is get itself working again. It has the potential to be the world's largest economy, but it's priced itself out of the world market. The US showed what it could do in WWII; - it geared up to war production inside of six months, and out produced everybody for 30 years. Instead of carefully controling labour costs and export prices of American made goods, it was allowed to get too expensive and soon the jobs were all exported. Now the US is the biggest consumer society, and it produces very little. Most everything comes from where ever labour is cheapest. But the potential for the US economy is still there; - the question is how to get it all going again, and protectionism isn't going to work, the US needs the world, as much as the world needs them. Enough political ranting though; - what do I know, anyway. On to foreign cars: The Germans call BMW "Bayrische Mist Wagen", - which translates to "Bavarian Manure Wagon". I tend to believe that. Try and get one serviced. They are so proprietary now that only a licensed BMW facility has the tooling and the technical know-how to fix those things. Even getting an oil change is a procedure. The rest of the German cars have electrical systems that only the English can beat for complexity and frequency of failure. The English electrical company may be called "Lucas, the Prince of Darkness", but Bosch isn't blundering far behind in the dark either. I tended to like Mercedes-Benz, but they too have had so many quality problems as of late that they aren't worth the tin they're stamped in. I've had a few older ones from the late 50s early 60s, and I learned the hard way that American cars, particularly Buick, were just better designed to hold out and last much better than any of that Euro-trash does. Sure, the European cars outperform the domestics, but at least you can keep a domestic running, and the likelyhood of it failing on a cold winter day is less than that of a comparable import. Besides, the domestics have always had better heaters in them, - an important consideration up here in Canada. American over-engineering has saved many a car from broken A-arms in the spring when the potholes begin to appear, - the imports just can't cut it. Although we don't really have a bailout scheme here in Canada yet, what'll bother me the most is the fact that I'm going to have to pay twice. First when I bought the car, and then to bail them out with my taxes. Then if GM goes into chapter 11, my car will be absolutely worthless to boot. Talk about taking it on the chin...
A guy at work just bought a new BMW and it has no dipstick, no oil capacity in the manual and they say you MUST take the car to the dealer for oil change! My daughter's Audi has no trans dipstick....had a small leak. Dealer said it was a sealed transmission. (non serviceable). I ended up adding fluid thru a sending unit. Great German engineering!ou:
Well not to start a flame war, but after 34yrs and working 50-60 hr weeks( I was management and only got paid for 40 hrs and yes I was union once and I was also non union in other jobs) I got let go because the company downsized otherwise know as a reduction in force. I guess its my fault that I did not work "hard" enough and that is why I was downsized (along with about 800 others) As for ISO, here is a quote , "ISO 9000 can help a company satisfy its customers, meet regulatory requirements and achieve continual improvement. But it’s a first step, many quality professionals will tell you, the base level of a quality system, not a complete guarantee of quality." That info can be found on the internet if you care to look. ISO does not guarantee quality work or a quality work environment, it only means that you are complying to the documentation that is set forth by your company and was agreed upon by the ISO auditor at time of certification for that specific industry. Yes it does cost companies a lot to get that certification but I will tell you, the company that I worked for was a company that was ISO certified and it was a joke. The only time anyone "complied" to the standards was about 1 month before the auditor showed up so that all the records were "documented" to show that compliances and no deviations occured!!!! Companies have their own internal ISO auditors that follow through on this to make sure all is up to speed before the external auditor shows up. Yes I do agree with you on the younger generation. I had people who lived only 4 blocks from where I work and would not make it in on a snow day. I lived 13 miles away. If I was sick I came in, now if weather is bad or if they are sick they want to work from home on the pc's!!! The wouldn't stay late, heaven forbid to have them work on a weekend after all its their time and they deserve to have it offou: o yeah and they are the same folks driving the BMW's etc etc but they lease, they don't own --- what a joke:Smarty: Done ranting
Great post! You are right about the protectionism also. It made the difference between hard economic times and the great depression last time. People forget that the U.S. still depend on exports, a lot! Large import tax leads to a tax war and loss of good will between nations that we need as long term friends. We need to make people understand that a $10,000 korean car is not as nice, well built, or safe as a $20,000 - $30,000 car. You get what you pay for, and the money that you save also ends up coming out of your pocket when jobs go away. I hope for the sake of Canadians that you don't get a bailout plan. You will recover faster, and not have a tax legacy for your kids.
Obviously we have a number of people here that hate unions and people that are union workers. If any of you ever had the opportunity feel what it's like to work at a non-union job,you will quickly find out that company you work for will give you the shaft ASAP. Take it from someone that has worked for non union companies and union companies. I'll take a union company anytime. I will always buy a GM,Ford,or Chrysler car. They are American.:TU:
No trans dipstick on both SRT8 Magnum and SRT8 Challenger either. Made right here in Brampton Ont. Go figure! ou:
Im not sure what an american car classifys as. I hear chrysler was buying engines from nissan and is now trying to strike a deal with Honda. So what makes an american car american? Where the parts are made, where the cars are assembled, or where they are sold to the public.
To blanketly say "protection won't work" and dredge up the Great depression is a bit of a reach. We all know the world's economic model has changed drastically since then, and I really doubt a direct comparison is in any way realistic. Look at it this way: We passed Nafta, Mexico and Canada celebrated, no one in the US did. Jobs have slowly headed over the border for ten years. Now, undo Nafta, bring the jobs back here, that's protectionism that si going to cause a depression? I'm alittle unclear on the link -- seems like we would just get back the jobs we used to have. Same thing with trade with China -- things have gotten way out of hand. Undo some of the changes -- more jobs back here. The one thing that was different in the Depression era is that Irish, French, US, etc. factories competed on a reasonably level footing. I just think the equation has changed in the 21st century -- for reasons I outline before -- i.e., regimes that get away with just about anything, from child and slave labor to environmental ruination -- while trying to make a buck. yeah, moe protectionism might ruin the economies of mexico and indonesia, but I figure it will only help us here. -- Steve
I am sorry to tell you this, but that is pure CRAP. I have worked in both union and non-union places and was treated by FAR better in non-union shops. The only thing union cared about was getting their damn dues and gave a **** less about the people that paid them. Oh but I guess paying them to let you work somehow makes it better? And when they decide they don't feel like sticking up for their DUEs paying members it's ok that you paid for the right for them to screw you? Unions are outdated and are only around to make the Union bosses **** loads of money and not giving a crap about the people.
I'll tell you it is not crap. We can argue till the cows come home but,I spent pure hell for the past 19 years working at a non-union shop and felt to tough it out. Our company finally got union backing and believe me,it is a better way of life. I know that for a fact. Enough said and I do not want to continue this bantering anymore. I don't want to hear it.
I'm glad that you have worked in a non union environment that treated you fairly and I will say that just like ANYTHING else unions have their faults too but you are dead wrong on them being outdated. Years ago I worked in a non union steel plant and I'm here to tell you it was horrible. Dangerous chemicals, deplorable working conditions and safety records. Imagine breathing a combination of iron oxide and phosphoric acid everyday and when OSHA showed up they would turn the acid mist off and OSHA new it was there but didn't care because it wasn't turned on during the inspection. The bosses would threaten us and demand that we work "safely" while they were there but once they were gone it was back to being unsafe again. I couldn't quit and was afraid to speak out because I needed the job to support my young family. If you had been in this position you would have appreciated someone that would stand up for your safety and well being. I'm not saying that all non union companies are ran this way nor am I saying that all unions are on the up and up but you cannot say that they do not serve a purpose.
Sorry,, but you live in America and there are laws and rights that protect you and if you could have legally addressed these issues yourself. There are plenty of lawyers that just LOVE that kinda stuff. You just followed the Union because they did it for you.. Unions are out dated they had there time and place, and the day a Union screws you over after taking your money for years you will understand that.
