It’s official: America is now No. 2

[dlundblad]

Originally Posted By: johnachak

You are correct (If it is me you are referring to). All new vehicles must state where they are made and the percentage of parts and C.O.O. I simply chose American made ones that are American Brands. I also know that many American brands have off brands and factories in many countries to produce cars for those markets. I just don't buy those either. That is my personal taste.


I am not sure whats going on with the quote function. User error on my behalf I'm sure. My comments weren't directed at you. Its good you look at the percentage of parts and their country of origin, but its sad when they have to say things like "Made in USA with foreign and domestic parts." My Trek bike being on of them.

My comment was directed more towards the high horsemen saying China is bad while they drive a foreign car assembled in a foreign country made with foreign parts.

 

[johnachak]

Dollar for dollar, I prefer the American made vehicles. You can't compare a $20,000 Chevy to a $45,000 lexus as many like to do.

 

[johnachak]

I hear u and you are correct, the quote button appears to be broken.

 

[spasm3]

Originally Posted By: johnachak
Dollar for dollar, I prefer the American made vehicles. You can't compare a $20,000 Chevy to a $45,000 lexus as many like to do.


I used to only buy american. But i will no longer fund the political machine those groups have become. I will buy any american make car that is not union built. Part of the reason i bought a Hyundai. I'm not the only one that feels that way. Buyers have been pushed away from american makes by behaviors.

 

[johnachak]

We are now back on the upswing. Many American manufacturers are now starting to produce here again. I would guess the quality control problems / returns / exchanges were getting too costly. Again, that is my guess. Even Wal mart has said they want to carry as many Made in USA products as they can.

 

[uc50ic4more]

Originally Posted By: Trav
Which first world country is communist, has slave labor and is hades bent of ruining the US economy?


Communism has no wage labour at all, as all of the means of production are owned commonly and therefore there could not exist an "owner" of invisible capital tossing peanuts to someone without capital who has to bargain with their labour... Slave labour is a uniquely capitalist phenomenon (capitalism regarding humans themselves, as well as the labour this human capital provides, as a commodity); which suits China perfectly, being a state-dominated capitalism .

The self-absorbed, who care only of themselves and their little pile of accumulated treasure, buying foreign goods to save themselves more more more more more are ruining the U.S. economy. You are doing this to yourselves, out of greed and self-centredness; and no amount of blaming anyone else by whining will ever change that.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: aa1986

As I see it, either we all go and work in manufacturing for Chinese wages or we start buying non Chinese goods and make do with the less that we can buy as a result.

No thanks. You're all free to buy non Chinese made goods and reduce the money available to you in retirement, and others are free not to care about.


If you buy quality stuff you don't need to buy it ten times. It often actually ends up being cheaper. Half my toolbox is from the 30's, 40's and 50's, vintage Snap-On stuff I inherited from my grandfather, all made in Canada. A Miele microwave or oven is going to last a lot longer than the China special from Walmart. It may in fact be the last microwave or oven you buy.

And if buying Chinese trinkets is cutting into one's retirement fund I would say they need to re-evaluate their priorities. Consumer whoreism is a real problem in North America. The "gotta shop!" mentality. Always having to have the newest gizmo or gadget. There is nothing wrong with buying less, regardless of the cultural push to the contrary.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: johnachak
I certainly wouldn't buy a German car either, no matter where it's made. American car with at least 70% USA parts and assembly are my minimum requirements. I certainly wouldn't have wanted my job outsourced so I take great pains not to do it to our younger people.


That said, nobody is going to outsource your job to Germany or Japan where the cost of living and manufacturing is as high or higher. First world nations are relatively comparable on this front.

 

[eljefino]

Originally Posted By: javacontour
We had a good run after WW2 when we were the only major manufacturer still standing. Europe and Asia manufacturing was largely smoking piles of rubble.

We had pent up consumer demand while the other players in the war were rebuilding. Two generations later, those nations have rebuilt and are full blown competition in the marketplace.

We cannot coast along any more. There are others who are not willing to accept their status quo, while many here in the US think that a market where there is no real competition is some sort of devine right.

It's not.

One can complain about how "unfair" it is. How fair was it when we were the only game on the planet? These things go in cycles, and it seems we are currently on a downhill section of the cycle.

Since you have little or no control over what others do, what is your plan to take advantage of the situation? That's all you control, your response to circumstances.


+1000

US didn't win in industry/ consumerism because dollars were convertible to silver (until 1965), because we could vote in free elections, we didn't have environmental standards until 1970, etc. We have, and had, every sort of natural resource under our feet: coal, oil, steel, fertile soil, wind, water, solar, land, a decent mix of educated people, doctors, machinists, scientists, the goal of putting someone on the moon. We stared down the Russkies. This worked out well for "the greatest generation".

Now we're sated with a $400 handheld touchscreen gizmo. There aren't enough hungry inventors to capture what disposable income there is.

 

[Win]

Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Originally Posted By: johnachak
I certainly wouldn't buy a German car either, no matter where it's made. American car with at least 70% USA parts and assembly are my minimum requirements. I certainly wouldn't have wanted my job outsourced so I take great pains not to do it to our younger people.


That said, nobody is going to outsource your job to Germany or Japan where the cost of living and manufacturing is as high or higher. First world nations are relatively comparable on this front.


Maybe not now, but that's where it all started.

Cheap imported goods from Japan, Great Britain, and western Europe.

We did nothing to stop it, still don't, and never will.

There is a lot of idle manufacturing capacity in this country. Until people get the will to put their money into these things and to work in rebuilding our economy, instead of whining about it and sending money off to a 401(k) or Wall Street, it won't get any better.

 

[johnachak]

Buying the more expensive USA made goods contributes to our tax base and our retirements. That is one of the reasons our goods are more money.

 

[johnachak]

The reason I would not buy a German car is not quality. It is sending that much money out of our economy. The Germans (To my knowledge) look down their noses at us Americans.

 

[dlundblad]

Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Originally Posted By: aa1986

As I see it, either we all go and work in manufacturing for Chinese wages or we start buying non Chinese goods and make do with the less that we can buy as a result.

No thanks. You're all free to buy non Chinese made goods and reduce the money available to you in retirement, and others are free not to care about.


If you buy quality stuff you don't need to buy it ten times. It often actually ends up being cheaper. Half my toolbox is from the 30's, 40's and 50's, vintage Snap-On stuff I inherited from my grandfather, all made in Canada. A Miele microwave or oven is going to last a lot longer than the China special from Walmart. It may in fact be the last microwave or oven you buy.

And if buying Chinese trinkets is cutting into one's retirement fund I would say they need to re-evaluate their priorities. Consumer whoreism is a real problem in North America. The "gotta shop!" mentality. Always having to have the newest gizmo or gadget. There is nothing wrong with buying less, regardless of the cultural push to the contrary.


This is why I like garage sales, craigslist and estate auctions. Lots of old stuff to be had for a fraction of what new would be. Plus it's built better and will last longer.

 

[Trav]

Originally Posted By: johnachak
The reason I would not buy a German car is not quality. It is sending that much money out of our economy. The Germans (To my knowledge) look down their noses at us Americans.

Then you don't know much of anything!

 

[Blaze]

Originally Posted By: dlundblad


Compare GM wages to say Toyota for assembly workers and you'll see what I mean.

a big difference?

 

[johnachak]

Do you always want to have the least paid people doing work for you?

 

[johnachak]

Originally Posted By: Trav
Originally Posted By: johnachak
The reason I would not buy a German car is not quality. It is sending that much money out of our economy. The Germans (To my knowledge) look down their noses at us Americans.

Then you don't know much of anything!



See?

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: johnachak
Buying the more expensive USA made goods contributes to our tax base and our retirements. That is one of the reasons our goods are more money.


That's what amazes me about what people don't get. We have what, 350M people here? The number of illegals is IMO way under estimated. We may have 400M in the USA. Roughly 50% are below average, and will need some kind of help. If we outsource too many menial tasks to the third world, those people don't just go away. They don't just go to poor houses or concentration camps. So we are still paying for them.

I'm no fan of making billionaires rich, U.S. ones or Chinese ones or ones from anywhere else. But I am a fan of keeping what manufacturing we can, here in the USA when we can. And it's the small everyday things that so often area hat gets offshored. We're still good at making turbine engines and high end precision stuff. But for the masses to be employed and not be a total parasite on those of us that are the significant tax paying base (like the few percent of us who actually pay for the bulk of the governments operations and payouts), we have to make stuff that can be used and sold here, and elsewhere. Of course it doesn't profit the money changers so they do all they can to offshore it. That's why some of the stink about the top 1% or 0.1% or whatever having some validity. Problem is the money changers turn it into such class warfare, and the idiots that don't have a pot and never will make arguments for them.

I don't get it.

 

[javacontour]

As long as the gravy train continues to run for both ends of the economic spectrum, few will complain.

Let it run out for either end and there will be heck to pay.

 

[hattaresguy]

Forget about the global economy for a second, the last paragraph in that article nailed it. Do you really want to see a world ruled by governmental system like China? The other system that's getting built is collective Muslim state, based on oil and terrorism.

That's really food for thought.

The West is in trouble from several fronts, and we better stop fighting about some pointless land in Eastern Europe and get our collective acts together.