Posted on 05/13/2017 9:10:35 PM PDT by grey_whiskers
What do flat-earthers and economists have in common?
They both mistake their models for reality. They confuse what ought to be with what is.
And that’s why economists are often wrong—even when they all agree, like when it comes to global free trade.
Ask 10 economists about global free trade, and 10 will say it’s good. Always good.
(Excerpt) Read more at nationaleconomicseditorial.com ...
How can we make these things with less head count?
How can we shave a few more pennies off the cost of every part?
The mistake made by many on this thread is to assume that this trend is reversible.
Yep, Maytag made quality washers for years and like most manufacturers went down the road of cost takeout that cheapened the product to the point of making them junk.
Maytag is now just a label owned by Whirlpool.
Labels mean nothing anymore.
“You would get 25% better gas mileage if you ran real gas, not that gasahol junk. And, your equipment would last longer.”
Most people run 10% ethanol. You lose about 3% for your mileage.
Cars to hundreds of thousands of miles on 10% alcohol. My lawnmower is on year ten.
Yes, in the 2000’s GE started sourcing product from other manufacturers and sticking their name on it, most of them giving us a black eye.
The free standing ice machines from Whirlpool were a particular pain in the butt.
GE would buy the parts from the source and mark them up 100% and it made repairs astronomical.
A recirculation pump was $350 for the part, repair total was over $550.
They were a cash cow for me as a repair tech, because replacement units cost $2000.
But back on topic, remember the cars of the late '60's-mid 70's, when the big three did not have to worry about serious foreign competition?
Those were the days when you did not want to buy a car built on a Monday or Friday, or on any day when the shop steward turned a blind eye to the six packs smuggled into the break room.
I don't miss those days one little bit.
That’s exactly why I took the opportunity to get out.
I couldn’t take standing in people’s kitchens trying to explain that new products were not going to perform like what they had.
My advice to anyone is keep what you have until you can’t get parts for it anymore.
I stockpiled parts for mine to keep them running.
I’m using a 20+ year old washer & dryer set. The advice I get is to keep using until they fail because the new ones are governed by wash/dry cycles set by enviro lawyers & politicians so that cleaning what I want, how I want is damn near impossible.
That was a few select models and I never saw one start a fire, despite having down reworks on literally thousands of them.
And yes, they actually did dry the dishes.
We used to have a larger element in the bottom that would literally bake the dishes dry, but because of federal energy regulations that had to be reduced.
Dishwashers today do not dry dishes.
Best advice is a Bosch or an Asko.
Fisher Paykel...made in New Zealand..best we’ve owned by far
The enviro group also redid toilets so there’s no water in them.
So you have to flush them 2 or 3 times to get your crap and toilet paper out to sea - in separate flushes.
Morons running the government. Need a purge of the toilet rules folks.
Correct, Refrigs should not be plugged into surge protectors.
The microwaves have a capacitor that if not discharged will discharge into you. Simply shorting across the poles after unplugging discharges it (with insulated tool)
Years ago Fridgedaire was part of GM, yes, General Motors.
Like most brands today it is just a label owned by somebody else that means nothing.
Yep. Today you can buy a 18 cu ft Frigidaire with no ice maker and no water dispenser (just like we had in 1976) for well under $500. Same with microwaves, dishwashers, all appliances, really.
The entire thesis of this article is incorrect. A more accurate measurement is how many hours does the average middle class man need to work to afford these items. In 1968, a color TV might have been 3 months salary. It was also expected to last for 15-20 years.
Today, a 65" 4K TV might cost 2 weeks salary and when it breaks in 5 years, it is already outdated and cheaper to buy a new one than fix it.
DING DING DING!!!!!
I won't buy anything with an EnergyStar label. Small motors, overtorqued that fail easily, negating the energy savings when I have to buy a new one.
Furthermore,
THESE ARE EXACTLY the types of regulations that our MAGA President and GOP congress need to be working overtime to strike from law.
Whole house surge protection is good for voltage spikes. Might be handy in a lightning prone area. But it is a simple “crowbar” protector, so named because a 300 volts it shorts out like placing a croar across the line. It is designed to adsorb the surge long enough for the main to trip.
However the smaller power strips are more suitable for tvs and other electronic devices. They often contain inductors in addition to magneticly resist small spikes that would be cost prohibited from being used in whole house systems. These small spikes can “slip through “ whole house units as the crowbar effect is somewhat slow whereas the magnetics resist more the faster the spike.
The third type is for fridges who are sensitive to brownouts. At 90 volts or less they shut off to prevent the compressor from stalling and frying.
All three are necessary.
Whole house is the last to go in. It’s for the physical wiring and if you are in a lightning area that needs it you should also add a lightning rod to the house.
As a side note, if you have the three types of protectors installed your house is virtually EMP proof.
A third type is the protector
Have a Maytag microwave I bought in Dec of 1988. Still works just fine.
I do bookkeeping on a 1991 computer—DOS system with Dac Easy accounting software. Uses a tractor feed Panasonic printer. Have had as many as 19 clients on it at one time. Have a Panasonic Fax about 1990 vintage. Use it all the time. I still prepare W-2’s & 1099’s on a MANUAL Royal typewriter that I got in about 1970.
Have a 1965 Westinghouse ref/freezer. Have a matching pair==General Electric ref/freezer & upright freezer. All work very well. Newest item is a 2008 Whirlpool upright freezer I bought the day after Obama was elected. No computer—all manual settings.
Have a Western Holly gas stove—larger than today’s stoves, with an oven, a pan storage alongside the oven, a tray inside the pan storage for pan lids. It has 4 burners & a griddle in the middle. Chrome top & white elsewhere. Paid $65 for it used in May of 1966. Dormant now, but am selling this property & taking it with me to install in new property. These are getting bought out of estate sales & being rehabbed with ‘retro look’& RESOLD for as high as $10,000.
Drive a 1979 Buick station wagon with a 403 Oldsmobile engine (it came that way) that I have owned almost 36 years. Daily driver. Has over 211,000 miles.
Own a 1976 Chevy Dually pick up truck with 454 gas engine. It has over 345,000 miles on it & I still haul my 4 horse trailer with it. Bought it used 31 years ago with 90,000 miles on it.
As you can see, I don’t like the new stuff. Will continue to epair what I have as long as I possibly can.
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