On 2/22/2009 6:14 AM Van Chocstraw spake thus:
So in the case of my purchase of the replacement toilet fill valve, are you saying that *you* would never have needed to have asked about it, that you have perfect knowledge of all such things that are stocked in the store?
I don't, and besides, I'm not a plumber.
Some people are know-it-alls and some people can figure things out and teach themselves.
It is GOOD that manufacturing jobs move overseas - provided they moved because the foreign producer can create a product that has a higher value/price ratio than the corresponding domestic product. When a foreign supplier can produce something better/cheaper than his domestic counterpart, each nation, in the aggregate, is better off.
Adam Smith settled this controversy in the 18th century with his book, "The Wealth of Nations" (unfortunately, some people don't keep up with the latest economic truths).
No, I haven't read it. From the review, however, it's apparent the author is a loon. His premise seems to be that economic growth, and its consequences, is untenable. We're running out of natural resources, etc.
This concept is not new - the prophecy of economic doom goes back at at least to Malthus, with his book "An Essay on the Principle of Population" in which he postulated "The power of population is indefinitely greater than the power in the earth to produce subsistence for man."
In 1968, Paul Erlich wrote "The Population Bomb," with the prediction that we (or at least most of us on the planet) would die by the end of the
1980's. His doomsday scenario was predicated on the belief that we were running out of the resources necessary to provide for an increased population.One of the critics of Ehrlich's hypothesis, was Julian Simon, an economic theorist. In 1980 Simon proposed, and Ehrlich accepted, a wager. Simon said to Erhlich, "pick any five commodity metals and I'll wager $1,000 that they'll be cheaper in a decade." Erhlich agreed to the wager and picked copper, chrome, nickle, tin, and tungsten. Here are a couple of the prices (adjusted for inflation):
Chrome - from $3.90/lb in 1980 to $3.70 in 1990. Tin - from $8.73/lb in 1980 to $3.88 in 1990.
Simon won the bet big time. (Ehrlich also offered to bet $10,000 the Britain would cease to exist by 1990, but Simon thought that was too silly to fool with.)
This was in spite of the world's population increasing by 800 million in the same decade.
I, for one, am not willing to even ENTERTAIN the idea of the wife washing my shirts by pounding them with a rock on the stream bed.
I agree...Especially since Walmart and Macdonalds are the only ones making any money now..It seems when money is tight some fall off their high horses and buy things where their dollar buys the most..I chuckle seeing all the Volvos , Saabs , Toyota Landrovers and SUV's packing the Walmart parking lot theses days..Speaking of Autos , how many of you Walmart bashers drive AMERICAN autos?? Or does your buy local American made only apply to retail stores and hardware stores ??? I suppose Walmart is to blame for JUNK American cars too and not the union and bad management...I suppose you all also think the unions had nothing to do with pricing themselves out of the market and forcing the companies over seas to compete...You guys crack me up.....LOL....
Another thing that cracks me up is every couple of weeks you guys feel the need to start this thread over again as if to justify yourself and make sure there are still a few left who have the time to miss work and wealty enough to pay extra to shop at the little stores..What's the matter , that warm fuzzy feeling starts to fade and you need a slap on the back and an atta boy from others who still feel the same way....ROFLMAO
Why are you such an ass? I *will* go out of my way to avoid going to HD, because 90% of the time they don't have what I need anyway. Better to go to the real store the first time. Or just order online. I have two HD's within 5 miles of my house and they are both garbage and I wish they'd get bought out by Lowe's at least they'd improve a little then.
nate
Adam Smith knew nothing of mass produced goods, electronics, machines (other than looms?), so whatever the heck he knew about economies and jobs has little to do with 2009. Value/price ratio? We should rather buy a cheap piece of imported junk (with less control of the manufacturing quality) than a more expensive quality item? That isn't economical.
Agreed. Except that the "more expensive quality items" are often hard to find, and require almost as much from the consumer in terms of *time to find the damned widget* as money to buy it.
I'm sure I've wasted years of my life researching potential purchases just so I don't get stuck with some POS that fails as soon as the 90-day warranty is up. (sometimes that happens anyway.)
nate
I don't know either Simon or Ehrlich (although I have heard of them)..the date was wrong, but clean water is a problem in many areas of the US. China and India have horrible problems with air and water pollution. I just saw a headline about California nearing total lack of water for irrigation of farm fields due to drought (can you say "food supply"?). They have an energy crisis every time the weather gets hot. The NW US has a bad drought. N. Atlantic fisheries are badly depleted of certain fish, like cod. The Gulf of Mexico has cut back severely on grouper fishing. From all appearances, we are glad to go to war (pick a reason) to have some control of the oil supply. Clean coal? Guess there will be jobs for those Americans who don't work at WalMart.
clipped
I almost forgot - my '84 Buick runs fine. A tad rusty. Only lemon I ever bought was a brand new Datsun. Owned three Chevy's, one new; all great cars. Agree the unions have priced themselves out of many jobs, and have no sympathy for that - another major problem for manufacturing is the Worker's Comp. system - ought to be trashed, but no pol' will ever have the guts to suggest that. Unless Obama gets universal healthcare, but highly doubtful even then. My grandkids don't work yet, but they will have to pay off our horrendous debts first.
Saturn was a great little car - for a while. What happened with Saturn? Dumped in favor of trucks and SUV's?
I remember the year my children went Christmas shopping for us. They were about $3 short of the purchase price, but the clerk let them take their purchases. We stopped in afterward to settle up. My daughter started working when she was 13. She arranged to buy some custom-made jewelry at a shop in the mall where she worked. The owner gave her credit! She paid it off, as agreed, all without our knowledge.
When the panic was on over Fannie/Freddie, same daughter sold her business to change jobs. Sold her biz. on Craig's list for the asking price to the first comer. Those who can, do........ (Single mom, to boot).
And, THEN you woke up!
Pretty short explanation of why I prefer Ace over Walmart.
No, but I did get waited on by her one time. I said, "I had a dream about you last night, and I just wanted to say, thank you." She blushed, and helped me find whatever I was looking for.
Steve
My wife would insist on an automatic rock.
Nominate her for_ Employee of the Day_.
Is she the *farmer's daughter*?
Horsesh*t. There is no shortage of POTABLE water in virtually ANY place in the US.
Admittedly, one might have to drill a deep well to get it in a few places but, for the VAST majority of Americans, clean water is readily available. Our rivers are clean, our streams are clean and, with rare exception, our ground water is pristine.
California could slide into the Pacific ocean and, within a short time, their lost agricultural output would be replaced by other producing areas of the world. Yeah, we'd have to settle for Florida or Honduras oranges, and, temporarily, for a higher price, but we'd muddle through.
California would not be the agricultural giant it is today were it not for the foresight of the mega builders of the early 20th century. If the regulatory and environmental restrictions of today were in place then, California would be a desert today and drought would be common.
You don't say?
You don't suppose that fact could be due largely to the fact that they haven't upgraded their power grid for the last 20-30 years.
But, not to worry: They're erecting windmills and solar farms. If they're lucky, it'll keep up with the increase in their population.
Then, again, they'll probably just tax their citizens so much that their population stagnates or, better, declines to meet their power generating capacity again.
Global warming.
Climate change.
Hurricane Katrina.
Sounds good to me. We could build solar and wind farms like never before and still be plunged into darkness and cold if the oil stopped.
Oh, yeah! In case you haven't heard: There IS *NO* "alternative" energy. Not yet, anyway. And probably not for a LONG time to come.
Yep. Clean - as in SCRUBBED clean. The same goes for oil.
You forgot nuclear power. StratCom has LOTS of it and the "fine" folks in the Middle East know it - probably not well enough, but I hope they don't make us demonstrate it. We WILL get the oil. Unlike all civilizations of the past, however, we'll pay $$ for our plunder.
Then: We have nothing to fear but FEAR itself.
Now: Be afraid. Be VERY afraid.
Wotta POS.
I would hope she would tell you to wash your own damn shirt.
-- aem sends...
You apparently haven't bought any power tools or kitchen appliances for a long, long time.
The imported replacements of what used to be made here are cheaper, certainly. In every sense of the word, too.
But better? You've got to be kidding. We used to make appliances and tools here that would last a generation. Now we import cheap crap from China that falls apart in eighteen months and winds up in a landfill. How is that an improvement?
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