Posted on 08/25/2015 6:33:42 AM PDT by conservativejoy
Funny I was taught in economics that mercantilism only benefits a few big industry leaders at the expense of the average worker. With that sad, we have a trade agreement with China that has all the benefits accrue to them and none to us.
Made up figures to support fairly tales of the mind. Do some research, manufacturing labor is a small component of total cost.
The worm tongue of the Free Traitor™ is a disgusting thing. Just last week I had a Free Republic Free Traitor™ explain why Nabisco Oreos would not be cheaper if made in Mexico. The price would be stay the same just the bottom line would improve and Nabisco only had to please their stock holders. So which is it? Do we benefit from cheap third world labor or not?
You Free Traitors™ need to have a private meeting and get some things straight....
So Doodle you are a Free Traitor™ too. Which position do you have that isn’t Anti American?
About 20 years ago, 80% of memory chip frabrication was in the US. The South Korean government then gave Samsung and others billions in cheap loans to build fabrication facilities in South Korea and undercut the prices of American producers and drive them out of the memory chip market. Now South Korea controls about 80% of memory chip fabrication, which means all those factories are within artillery range of North Korea. Great business and strategic planning on our part, eh?
We don't even have really free trade with Europe-- if US-made autos suddenly became more competitive in Germany, as soon as imports rose past a certain point the German government would raise false safety and quality issues to hold up delivery to try to stop losses at German firms.
To talk about the benefits of "free trade" under current conditions is lunacy.
So the consumer does not get the benefit of "free trade". The manufacturer does, and defrauds you by selling a cheaply made product with an American brand name at the same or almost the same price as former, well-made American product.
After old Sam died, the heirs elbowed his brother into a ceremonial position and cranked the screws on the money machine.
AS (after Sam) the company had a sea change in its employee relations as well.
The new management that was brought in changed from Sam’s friendly “we’re doing this together” atmosphere to a purely top down, do as you’re told philosophy.
Before I retired, I saw management have all warehouse employees doing a Japanese style chanting/stretching thing before the start of the shift.
One warehouse worker told me if you didn’t join in enthusiastically, you were gone pretty quick.
That was several years ago, don’t know if it’s still the case.
I do know they do something like it in the stores. Something about prices or whatever.
Again, lack of enthusiasm means lack of employment.
The 'bottom liners' do not think that goods imported to the USA should be or are expected to be cheaper to the US consumer. They think the goal is to improve the bottom line for the stock holder. You know the stock holders from ALL OVER THE WORLD that give two sh!ts about the average American.
Then there are the 'cheap consumer product' Free Traitors™. This laughable lot seems to think if a toaster is made made in the USA it will cost $300,000 per toaster. There are studies that show that the price advantage overall for products made in China as opposed to products made in the USA is 4%. That is if the quality is the same which we all know it isn't.
Walmart forces American suppliers out of business or forces them to produce overseas, while we have enormous consolidation and price-fixing in telecoms, ISP's, cable, airlines, etc.
I'm all for free trade and vigorous competition within the United States, but I don't understand why we tolerate such predatory and monopoly practices by American and foreign firms.
When were you taught?
Fortunately, Trump says he’s a free trader, though you need smart leadership for it to work—and he believes himself to be smart leadership.
This tariff stuff is too reminiscent of the trigger to the Great Depression.
When you do find a well made product from the US or Germany you can feel the difference. You actually take pride in owning it and you know it is going to last you a long time. I seldom find such things anymore but do have a few of them.
One example is a Surefire Flashlight. Designed and built right here. Every single day my son carries one I bought for him 10 years ago. No other flashlight will stand up to the high G loads of the work he does. Streamlights don’t last more than a couple of months. Another example used to be the original Gerber multi tool or Leatherman before they started making them in China. We have the old ones and I’ve carried mine ever day for almost 15 years and used it hard.
Our Solaire grill is bullet proof.
http://www.stillmadeinusa.com/
There are a few marketers online that sell nothing but Made in America stuf. The Canadians also make some pretty good stuff.
The last truly effective anti trust, IMO, was when Ma Bell was broken up.
But about ten years ago they started letting the mini Bells Re-consolidate.
We have gotten back to the old Morgan, Carnegie robber Baron days.
But at least JP Morgan and his contemporaries actually built something.
They laid the foundation for the American industrial age.
The Wall Street Barons just skim the cream from the top and get out before the bubble bursts.
Oh, another thing.
Joe Blow doesn’t think about the economy as long as he can get cheap stuff at WalMart, or wherever.
You can see it in their eyes when you try to talk about job loss and made in China crap.
They figure, “as long as I still have a job, so what”.
It’s really sad to see.
I have a sister in law who started with WalMart at its beginning. She retired with a very nice retirement.
She was around long enough to lament the changes made after Mr. Sam died.
I’m glad she could retire in time.
So many couldn’t.
It’s a pure shame to see a man’s vision and lifes work turned into something he would abhor.
Did she ever get to meet Sam?
I bet he had some stories to tell.
Yes, she did meet Mr. Sam. She talked about what a down to earth, kind man he was. We lived in Arkansas and Mr. Sam was a legend. He was often seen driving his old pickup truck and never wanted to be fussed over when he visited his stores.
They do not: look at Japan and Germany, where locally produced goods command quite a premium, even when the real quality is the same or even worse. To me "German engineering" means something overly complicated that works very close to its maximum tolerances and so requires constant maintenance and operation within a closely bound set of parameters (temperature, pressure, etc.) otherwise it breaks down.
The only way to guarantee that US firms aren't getting the shaft from unfair trade practices is to have the government watch and restrict the imports.
I bought some cheap Chinese glass casserole and accidently turned an electric burner on underneath. When I moved it to a cool burner, it exploded-- as in glass shards shot all over the kitchen. I'm very lucky I had my back turned and wasn't standing over the stove or I may have been blinded.
To see that kind of crap stamped "Pyrex" is just plain dangerous fraud.
Links, please.
Links, please.
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