Some intresting Facts and Ideas

[cdog]

Remember when Walmart proudly displayed the "Made in America" label in their ads, and only bought offshore if there was no domestic alternative? Wall Street pressure killed that idealism........
I don't shop at wallfart anymore....

[cdog]

You could always pick up a weapon and defend your country in it's military, that's what a lot of us did.
In fact I used to have a summer job as a lifegaurd at Mach Airforce Base in riverside.. I had a civilian Id and watched over all the little millitary brats.
I did have to save only one person in the 3 years I had that job and he was a big 6'2 black marine who thought he was tough shit. He jumped in the pool and got a leg cram in the deep end and screamed like a bitch. I saved him. Actually I had to sock him in the face to calm him down but I saved his cocky ass. I did my little part. Most people in the military have'nt had the opprotunity to save someones life. While I am proud of what they do, I know that it's not for me.

[Ultrafied]

You could always pick up a weapon and defend your country in it's military, that's what a lot of us did.
WOW .... as someone who has done it himself as well, Bob, I really don't wish that on anybody unless they have to. Especially to prove an economical point!

[ptboat]

cdog,
It is just that the rich American boys pack up their business and move it out of the country so they could make more money for their bitches. They left poor American like us here to take care of ourself while they are out having fun with all the young bitch. So, you might be screaming at the wrong group of people there little buddy.

[Seadog]

Its hard to blame Wal-Mart when one-by-one, their suppliers switched to cheap asian made items. When I bought my Zenith TV about twenty years ago, they were the only electronics manufacturer left in the U.S. None now. Clothing has pretty much moved overseas. If Wal-Mart had kept with that goal, they would have very little to sell.

[unleashed]

This is America and its all about the bottom line. If you are a company doing business in order to survive you have to be able to compete...this includes sometimes shutting Mfg. down here and going elsewhere for cheap labor. Our great country is the machine that keeps the world economy going and vice versa. We are still the world leader and I dont see it changing anytime soon. As far as buying Japenese or German products I dont see any problem in it. World War 2 is a thing of the past that I will not forget but it did make the world a better place and made old enemies become friends...I dont see any problem with that. Oh yeah and the word Jap is demeaning I dont care how common it was in World War 2.
Deano
Unleashedclothing (http://www.unleashedclothing.com) :devil:

[Dave C]

Both Ford and GM sell the shiat out of their products overseas but we still do have a trade deficit. But the trade deficit is mostly with China.
America will still have a comparative advantage in some things, just not in cheap labor intensive manufacturing.
BTW if you thinks it bad now, I would be afraid of the WTO. They have the power to force us to lower our tariffs or face fines. So if china wants to dump their cheap crap here unfairly, we have no recourse.
I mostly buy American cars but I hate to say it the Jap cars are better.
Speaking of history, it was our fault for rebuilding Japan's econcomy after the WWII to a point that their heavy industry, at least steel, was better and more modern than ours by the 1950's and 1960's.

[mickeyfinn]

China may be the biggest deficit but looks like we don't export more than we import from but two places singapore and the netherlands
http://www.marktaw.com/culture_and_m...rtsImports.gif

[Dave C]

but look at the absolute #'s
China ... say its $125 billion.
Thats more than #2 Japan and #3 Canada COMBINED (and maybe even COMBINED with #4 hecho in mexico).
also note that chart is for goods only. I wonder what it would be with services included, considering services make up a large % of our economy.

[Dribble]

The one thing that does stand
out though, and like I compared in the other post, is american cars simply
are not as reliable as jap cars......... even european cars aren't as good.
--Sherpa
Yeah right, except that Toyota can't build a pickup that doesn't blow headgaskets. The transmission in my dads Avalon shit after 7,000 miles. The trans in his Mazda 929 went out at 60,000. THe IAC motor was $795.00 when it took a crap. One for a Chevy is about $75.00. Nissan and Honda won't cover a repair that's 100 miles out of warranty. GM covered a manifold gasket on my pickup a year and a half and 15,000 miles past the warranty. Mitsubishi builds one fine TV and one pile of crap of a car. I wouldn't let Cdog's dog ride in one of those buckets. And how about that plastic and vinyl in a Nissan. Lasts about five minutes in the sun before it cracks.
Oh and when is the last time you saw a 30' boat being towed by a Toyota Tacoma.