Made In The USA

leaningright

leaningright

Moderate Republican
Staff member
OK, I know I am a Loyalist, as far as I know the definition of the word. I am loyal to the place where I work and work hard to make it successful. I am loyal to my part of the state (looked at as the 'hicks' of the state by those further west) and I am loyal to my state overall. I root for all of my state teams and only root against OSU when they play OU....(yes, my team got waxed last weekend)...and partly because of that loyalty to my my state I think OSU should play LSU in the title game instead of Alabama. [off subject] [back on] I am also loyal to the United States and think we are the greatest country on earth...you know, flag in the yard, supporting soldiers (sending some care packages this week), etc. I also try to buy everything that I use "Made In America" from cars to cell phones to whatever I use. That is why I was happy to see this ABC news piece and decided to share it here. Hopefully most of you can watch it and then....tell me, whatdyathink? I really think we need to look at what is damaging the creation of jobs in this country. There is no reason we can't have factories here and create stuff here....and there is certainly nothing wrong with working at a factory job to support one's family.

http://cdnapi.kaltura.com/index.php/kwidget/wid/0_04vzdsr5/uiconf_id/5590821
 
We still have factory jobs here in The South, because we have the Right To Work. Unions have pretty much destroyed factories up north though.
 
leaningright said:
OK, I know I am a Loyalist, as far as I know the definition of the word. I am loyal to the place where I work and work hard to make it successful. I am loyal to my part of the state (looked at as the 'hicks' of the state by those further west) and I am loyal to my state overall. I root for all of my state teams and only root against OSU when they play OU....(yes, my team got waxed last weekend)...and partly because of that loyalty to my my state I think OSU should play LSU in the title game instead of Alabama. [off subject] [back on] I am also loyal to the United States and think we are the greatest country on earth...you know, flag in the yard, supporting soldiers (sending some care packages this week), etc. I also try to buy everything that I use "Made In America" from cars to cell phones to whatever I use. That is why I was happy to see this ABC news piece and decided to share it here. Hopefully most of you can watch it and then....tell me, whatdyathink? I really think we need to look at what is damaging the creation of jobs in this country. There is no reason we can't have factories here and create stuff here....and there is certainly nothing wrong with working at a factory job to support one's family.

http://cdnapi.kaltura.com/index.php/kwidget/wid/0_04vzdsr5/uiconf_id/5590821
Click to expand...
Keep in mind that a lot of this discussions about the impact of out sourcing to foreign shores is over states. Much of the manufacturing being shipped over seas are lower value added products with low margins and high labor costs. Examples would be OEM's like bicycles, lawn mowers, washing machines, refrigerators or chemical commodities which have fairly low margins.

Technology has had a far greater impact on our job market then outsourcing has. Particularly in basic materials and higher end manufactured products. For example, technology has allowed basic material manufacturers to build state of the art facilities that produce at substantially higher rates at a fraction of the labor cost. For example a primary blast furnace currently operating in East Chicago, Indiana can produce about 25% of the quantity of steel produces in this nation during the height of WWII. Just one plant. Another example is automotive plants used to require a small army of welders and fabricators in the assembly lines to create an automobile. Those jobs have virtually all be replaced by automation and robotics.

So this mythology that American manufacturing is in decay is just not born out by the facts. Substantially more steel is manufactured in this nation now then in 1950 and we currently manufacture around double the number of cars and light trucks per year then we did in 1970.

But to your basic point of supporting our nations industrial base, I pretty much agree. I agree we should but the best way we can do that is to demand products and services for a reasonable price at an acceptable level of quality. I think that buying a second rate product at higher prices to support uncompetative American companies may not really be in my countries best interest. Not that I think that's a problem. I think most people around the world still percieve "Made In The USA" as a stamp of high quality products.
 
While I would agree with you that technology has impacted the job marke a great deal, I have to say that outsourcing still impacts it with real jobs disappearing quickly. For example, in the county seat of my county there was a manufacturing plant...on a small scale mind you and I'm not even sure what they manufactured as I was a kid at the time. In the late 80's the plant moved all operations to Mexico. In a town of about 20,000 people serving a county or perhaps two-county area with jobs, those 600 or so jobs gone pretty much overnight, that was a huge blow to local job availability. Now in Ft. Smith, Whirlpool has been consistently downsizing in recent years, and now are shutting the doors of that factory permanently to move operations overseas...or at least out of the United States. Those couple of thousand jobs are going to greatly impact families in that area. Maybe I am in a position to see outsourcing more. I train kids to get jobs in robotics, programming and such that are often used to automate factories, but not everyone is suited to learn to do those sorts of jobs. There have to be some "ditch-digging" jobs available in this country as well as in Mexico, China or wherever. I suppose that is why everytime I see a factory moved out of the country I just get sick.
 
=Mott the Hoople;915081]Keep in mind that a lot of this discussions about the impact of out sourcing to foreign shores is over states. Much of the manufacturing being shipped over seas are lower value added products with low margins and high labor costs. Examples would be OEM's like bicycles, lawn mowers, washing machines, refrigerators or chemical commodities which have fairly low margins.

Technology has had a far greater impact on our job market then outsourcing has. Particularly in basic materials and higher end manufactured products. For example, technology has allowed basic material manufacturers to build state of the art facilities that produce at substantially higher rates at a fraction of the labor cost. For example a primary blast furnace currently operating in East Chicago, Indiana can produce about 25% of the quantity of steel produces in this nation during the height of WWII. Just one plant. Another example is automotive plants used to require a small army of welders and fabricators in the assembly lines to create an automobile. Those jobs have virtually all be replaced by automation and robotics.

So this mythology that American manufacturing is in decay is just not born out by the facts. Substantially more steel is manufactured in this nation now then in 1950 and we currently manufacture around double the number of cars and light trucks per year then we did in 1970.

But to your basic point of supporting our nations industrial base, I pretty much agree. I agree we should but the best way we can do that is to demand products and services for a reasonable price at an acceptable level of quality. I think that buying a second rate product at higher prices to support uncompetative American companies may not really be in my countries best interest. Not that I think that's a problem. I think most people around the world still percieve "Made In The USA" as a stamp of high quality products.
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I do. A few years ago I bought a snow blower from Sears. They had a few models and the one made in the US had a steel chute. The others had plastic ones. I thought about a piece of ice frozen to -20F hitting that plastic chute. Paid a bit more and bought an Ariens. It purrs like a kitten.

Talking about snow it's the 6th of December and all we've had is one snowfall of 2" that melted the next day. I've never seen this before in my life. Growing up this was the middle of winter with a few feet of snow on the ground. Let's hope I live long enough to plant a palm tree.
 
leaningright said:
OK, I know I am a Loyalist, as far as I know the definition of the word. I am loyal to the place where I work and work hard to make it successful. I am loyal to my part of the state (looked at as the 'hicks' of the state by those further west) and I am loyal to my state overall. I root for all of my state teams and only root against OSU when they play OU....(yes, my team got waxed last weekend)...and partly because of that loyalty to my my state I think OSU should play LSU in the title game instead of Alabama. [off subject] [back on] I am also loyal to the United States and think we are the greatest country on earth...you know, flag in the yard, supporting soldiers (sending some care packages this week), etc. I also try to buy everything that I use "Made In America" from cars to cell phones to whatever I use. That is why I was happy to see this ABC news piece and decided to share it here. Hopefully most of you can watch it and then....tell me, whatdyathink? I really think we need to look at what is damaging the creation of jobs in this country. There is no reason we can't have factories here and create stuff here....and there is certainly nothing wrong with working at a factory job to support one's family.

http://cdnapi.kaltura.com/index.php/kwidget/wid/0_04vzdsr5/uiconf_id/5590821
Click to expand...

What's not to like? I think it's great, I hope it catches on.
 
leaningright said:
OK, I know I am a Loyalist, as far as I know the definition of the word. I am loyal to the place where I work and work hard to make it successful. I am loyal to my part of the state (looked at as the 'hicks' of the state by those further west) and I am loyal to my state overall. I root for all of my state teams and only root against OSU when they play OU....(yes, my team got waxed last weekend)...and partly because of that loyalty to my my state I think OSU should play LSU in the title game instead of Alabama. [off subject] [back on] I am also loyal to the United States and think we are the greatest country on earth...you know, flag in the yard, supporting soldiers (sending some care packages this week), etc. I also try to buy everything that I use "Made In America" from cars to cell phones to whatever I use. That is why I was happy to see this ABC news piece and decided to share it here. Hopefully most of you can watch it and then....tell me, whatdyathink? I really think we need to look at what is damaging the creation of jobs in this country. There is no reason we can't have factories here and create stuff here....and there is certainly nothing wrong with working at a factory job to support one's family.

http://cdnapi.kaltura.com/index.php/kwidget/wid/0_04vzdsr5/uiconf_id/5590821
Click to expand...

Oklahoma State absolutely should have been in the title game against LSU. Only SEC bias and some bullshit voting by Saban and other coaches kept OK State out. If I had a vote in one of the two polls, I would have dropped Bama down to 20th and put OK State at 2. F'in BcS. Seriously... VA Tech got a bowl game over Boise State, Kansas State, Houston and Michigan State? Against Michigan? Neither one deserved a BcS game. But it is all about the money. Who gives a crap about the actual integrity of the game.
 
Darla said:
What's not to like? I think it's great, I hope it catches on.
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If they are correct on the additional costs involved, 1% more to build the home is cheap when you think of the impact it can have on the economy. Interesting campaign. Sometimes it is just making people aware (like the architect).

These kinds of things make sense. If we can find more such endeavors that do not increase the end costs to consumers by much, that can certainly provide a boost.
 
GlobaL trade is a net plus to our economy.
If Big ten champions didn't lose to 3rd place SEC teams by 30 in bowl games OSU might be in.
 
leaningright said:
While I would agree with you that technology has impacted the job marke a great deal, I have to say that outsourcing still impacts it with real jobs disappearing quickly. For example, in the county seat of my county there was a manufacturing plant...on a small scale mind you and I'm not even sure what they manufactured as I was a kid at the time. In the late 80's the plant moved all operations to Mexico. In a town of about 20,000 people serving a county or perhaps two-county area with jobs, those 600 or so jobs gone pretty much overnight, that was a huge blow to local job availability. Now in Ft. Smith, Whirlpool has been consistently downsizing in recent years, and now are shutting the doors of that factory permanently to move operations overseas...or at least out of the United States. Those couple of thousand jobs are going to greatly impact families in that area. Maybe I am in a position to see outsourcing more. I train kids to get jobs in robotics, programming and such that are often used to automate factories, but not everyone is suited to learn to do those sorts of jobs. There have to be some "ditch-digging" jobs available in this country as well as in Mexico, China or wherever. I suppose that is why everytime I see a factory moved out of the country I just get sick.
Click to expand...
Well again your story pretty much corroborates my comments. Out sourcing has mostly hit the low end OEM and commodity manufacturing that employs a lot of people in small town America and generates low margins. Those jobs are probably never comming back and the answer to that is for those who've lost their jobs is to develop and modernize their skills. There's plenty of jobs out there just not enough qualified applicants.
 
DamnYankee said:
We still have factory jobs here in The South, because we have the Right To Work. Unions have pretty much destroyed factories up north though.
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Oh what complete and total nonsense. Do you have to put a right wing nutjob spin on everything? More cars are made in Ohio and Michigan alone then are made in the entire south and it's done predominantly by Union workers who not only produce far more then your souther RTW mouth breathers but earn a higher standard of living in the process too. But that's what you really don't like, is it? Working class people making a decent living, huh?
 
Mott the Hoople said:
Oh what complete and total nonsense. Do you have to put a right wing nutjob spin on everything? More cars are made in Ohio and Michigan alone then are made in the entire south and it's done predominantly by Union workers who not only produce far more then your souther RTW mouth breathers but earn a higher standard of living in the process too. But that's what you really don't like, is it? Working class people making a decent living, huh?
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Yeah I really hate when people earn money Moot. :rolleyes:

But of course, you are wrong, as the average auto worker here make just as much as the union auto workers in the north. But what must burn you is that the really good ones can negotiate to make even more. :D
 
DamnYankee said:
But what must burn you is that the really good ones can negotiate to make even more. :D
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I have never understood those who (on the one hand) champion the rights to assemble and associate and negotiate if these rights are exercised separately, but who (on the other hand) excoriate those who exercise these same rights simultaneously -- that is, when citizens bargain collectively with their employers.
 
leaningright said:
OK, I know I am a Loyalist, as far as I know the definition of the word. I am loyal to the place where I work and work hard to make it successful. I am loyal to my part of the state (looked at as the 'hicks' of the state by those further west) and I am loyal to my state overall. I root for all of my state teams and only root against OSU when they play OU....(yes, my team got waxed last weekend)...and partly because of that loyalty to my my state I think OSU should play LSU in the title game instead of Alabama. [off subject] [back on] I am also loyal to the United States and think we are the greatest country on earth...you know, flag in the yard, supporting soldiers (sending some care packages this week), etc. I also try to buy everything that I use "Made In America" from cars to cell phones to whatever I use. That is why I was happy to see this ABC news piece and decided to share it here. Hopefully most of you can watch it and then....tell me, whatdyathink? I really think we need to look at what is damaging the creation of jobs in this country. There is no reason we can't have factories here and create stuff here....and there is certainly nothing wrong with working at a factory job to support one's family.

http://cdnapi.kaltura.com/index.php/kwidget/wid/0_04vzdsr5/uiconf_id/5590821
Click to expand...


it is amazing just how difficult it is to buy american, but i try

ps i drive an american car (my brothers!) :) but his wife drives a prius...
 
Schadenfreude said:
it is amazing just how difficult it is to buy american, but i try

ps i drive an american car (my brothers!) :) but his wife drives a prius...
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Prius are made here. Quite a few 'American' cars are made in Mexico or Canada.

Anyways, I buy based on performance. If a Japanese power tool (Ryobi) is better than anything else, I'll buy that. The CNC machine I'm looking at though is American (Haas). Mostly because I can't afford a Swiss or Swedish one, but Haas is fine. Where it comes from is irrelevant when my money is on the table.
 
sedan said:
I have never understood those who (on the one hand) champion the rights to assemble and associate and negotiate if these rights are exercised separately, but who (on the other hand) excoriate those who exercise these same rights simultaneously -- that is, when citizens bargain collectively with their employers.
Click to expand...

I have never understood Damn Yankee on any level, but then I am a humanist, and he is a misanthropist.
 
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Emperor Septimius Severus said:
Prius are made here. Quite a few 'American' cars are made in Mexico or Canada.

Anyways, I buy based on performance. If a Japanese power tool (Ryobi) is better than anything else, I'll buy that. The CNC machine I'm looking at though is American (Haas). Mostly because I can't afford a Swiss or Swedish one, but Haas is fine. Where it comes from is irrelevant when my money is on the table.
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Ryobi is crap. Mikita has some good tools. For metalworking you want Metabo or Fein. Dewalt sucks too. Milwaulkee tools last well and are a good value but Metabo outlasts Milwaukee 3 or 4 to one and only costs twice as much. For air, Dynabrade is king. For welders go red, fuck blue, homeowner garbage. Going high tech, go Thermal Dynamics.

My CNC is a Bridgeport Series II but I have heard good things about Haas.
 
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