Comments on: Good News?

By: Bryan

Bryan — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 19:25:15 +0000

Much of the heavy production is assembled in the US from outsourced subassemblies, like Boeing does, rather than from parts built in this country. It’s like all of the TVs that were built in San Diego county – except all the parts were built in Tijuana and shipped to the San Diego facility for assembly on robotic production lines. Sony had a large facility in San Diego that employed almost no one.

“Assembled in the US” has replaced “Made in the US” on almost everything.

WalMart is directly responsible for a lot of the shift.

By: Badtux

Badtux — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 06:03:30 +0000

The U.S. actually manufactures as much today as it manufactured 20 years ago, it's just that the mix has shifted from consumer goods to business and heavy industrial goods and manufacturing efficiencies have improved to the point where it can be made with *much* fewer people. Which is the problem, because if they're not working actually manufacturing stuff, all we have to do with them is put them to work creating dot-coms and selling real estate to each other... and it has become quite clear that neither of those is a sustainable model for organizing an economy. - Badtux the Manufacturing Penguin .-= last blog ..Empty =-.

By: Bryan

Bryan — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 18:46:12 +0000

I remember talking to myself on various forums trying to explain that the “new economy” based-on services wouldn’t work because you have to make things to actually have an economy. Without creating something your economy has no value.

When you move all of the manufacturing out of the country, eliminating all of those jobs, there is nothing to replace them. When the prices drop to the point that it is cheaper to replace things than to repair them, you end up with unemployed repair people and a landfill problem. Mineral extraction and agriculture are the only things left, which makes the US a third world country.

Without manufacturing there is no foundation for the economy.

I have no idea who they think is going to buy all this crap they are importing, even Henry Ford, no friend to the worker, understood that without decent wages there was no one to buy his cars.

As long as the people in power have no connection to the reality of the country, and they don’t, I see no improvement until people start pouring into the streets. Food riots seem to be the only way to convince the “rulers” that there is a problem.

By: Comrade Kevin

Comrade Kevin — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 14:08:41 +0000

What I've found when on the job hunt is a lot of scams or highly unprofessional endeavors in place of actual employment. .-= last blog ..Saturday Video =-.

By: distributrocap

distributrocap — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 10:33:53 +0000

the guys at jp morgan think things are just fine. i wish the idiots in the media (with their nice cushy well paying jobs) would talk up the real unemployment rate – around 17% if you add all the people now selling shoes and burgers part time.

not only are things not getting better – they arent going to get better – we have shipped a huge chunk of jobs overseas so these companies can be more profitableble making the things they sell.

problem is who is going to buy those things – not americans – so they have to sell it overseas as well

we are so screwed

By: Badtux

Badtux — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 07:35:22 +0000

Oh come now, you're talking the economy down. Everybody knows that the real answer to our economic problems is clap louder! Why, if we all close our eyes and wish harder, everything will be all right! - Badtux the Snarky Penguin .-= last blog ..This is crazy =-.