MikeT

GE's Immelt Turns Dem

I agree with Notsosmart. Why is there an obligation for a company to pay retiree's medical costs? Maybe if the amount was frozen at the level when they retired? But no one could have foreseen the increases that have decimated the ability of companies to keep paying. It is time everyone stops looking for a free lunch and starts to save their own money. The troubles with Social Security and Medicare are not because they are bad programs but because they are under funded. And they are under funded because the politicians are afraid to raise the FICA tax. Or their other option is to reduce the benefits. But they want to increase the benefits without increasing the revenue. The only way we might get honest representation in DC is if we insist on term limits. Get the career people out. They will continue to screw us as they have in the past in hopes of keeping their job. If you tell any politician that is soliciting money that you won't donate until they endorse term limits, they will change. If they don't they won't get any money. And we all know how badly they want that.

Ten Reasons Why the Kindle Is Toast

I think the Kindle is fantastic. It is simple to use, has plenty of titles and no more paperbacks need to be bought at the airport for a 50% premium. It is small and easy to use when traveling and you cfan read several books at the same time without carrying them all.
A phone goes in a pocket, a laptop on a desk and a Kindle on the night stand. I don't want another device that tries to do all things with a small screen no matter what the resolution is.
The author is typical of someone that thinks more complicated is better and more functions is an enhancement. Not always true.

Housing Numbers Provide Another Basis for False Recovery

90% of the people are still working, still getting paid, saving more and paying down debt. And we are all still wearing out our car, our refrigerator, our lawn rakes, etc.
Spending may be deferred but it has to come. It won't be easy for those that have lost their jobs or who never really had one but then it never is easy for that segment.
Another version of the "When buyers want to buy..."is that "things are so bad that even the buyers who don't intend to pay, aren't buying.

Wall Street Breakfast: Must-Know News

Term limits need to be implemented to get the employees out. Put them on Social security and give them a 401k and watch the decisions change. Some Congressman from Michigan criticized the dumping of Wagoner. Do you think he really thought Wagoner was doing a good job or was the problem that he was not going to be on Wagoner's payroll any more? If Congressmen in MI really cared about their constituents they would have been kicking the doors down at GM, Ford and Chrysler years ago.
But it is the politicians that need to go and they won't do it voluntarily. Life is too good for them and they don't want to give up the power and perks. Two terms and out!

U.S. Needs to Return to Its Manufacturing Base

The reason China makes things is because we buy things. Stop at your local wal mart or Best Buy or Target and get a grip on reality. We stopped buying Zenith and started to buy Sony. Why? Was it better quality? Better design? Smarter advertising? maybe all of the above?


On Feb 08 05:46 PM jjc7477 wrote:

> To: Cico,
>
> You have been brainwashed by what you've been reading in the papers
> my friend. Why do you think nations such as China and India have
> been able to grow at a double digit annualized rate? It's due to
> the fact they make things. If you believe for one minute your son
> will be part of a high value industry, take a look at where most
> of the high tech growth is taking place right now. India, Taiwan,
> China, Thailand, Vietnam and on and on. I happen to work in the manufacturing
> sector in one of the most basic of industries: steel. I have had
> an excellent career and my first job was as a bander of steel coils
> making $3.50 an hour in 1977. Most positions in factories are not
> sweat shop jobs and for each of these, there are two which require
> talented individuals to manage, build dies, design and promote (sales).
> The problem as I see it, and believe me it is a gigantic one, is
> when we stop making anything, what is left for our people to do.
> Do you truly believe for one second the rest of the world is going
> to sit still while we tell them what to do?

U.S. Needs to Return to Its Manufacturing Base

This is typical garbage from someone who has probably never left his home state.
The Yuan has gone from north of 8:1 down to 6.83:1 in the past 16 months. That isn't exactly a favorable manipulation. And they have instituted minimum wage laws and worker protection laws that have also driven up their costs.
If someone wanted to really protest the China connection they would start at Wal Mart. I believe they account for as much as 15% of our china imports. Or, possible, that is Wal mart and Target combined. Either way it is a big number. Where is this guys outrage at that? he probably is a Wal Mart shopper or share holder and therefore is hands off. Japan built their cars in japan, Germany's BMWs in Germany, mercedes in germany, etc. Now they build much of what we buy in the US. maybe not all the componenets are made here but the cars are assembled here.
And maybe the port workers and railroad employees like the wages they make moving containers of product from coast to coast? And China does not "consistently" import unsafe items. Dog food and painted toys happened this year. Of the billions of dollars of products that they made, several million got all the press. Has he compared them to US recalls for tainted food? I don't think it is close, the US wins that one.
Subsidies are another great point. What country subsidizes their industries more than the US? From agriculture to oil we have as much or more corporate welfare than any country. And China has cut back on much of that sort of thing.
If he read a history book he might realize that the US was the China in the teens and twenties. Europe cried foul and unfair for two decades as manufacturing moved to the US. It might be called the evolving economies of the world.
Where do guys like Riddix get credibility to have such a mindless article published? The editors should be ashamed of crap like this.
He might be right that a manufacturing base is a good thing but his overly simplistic solutions and irresponsible generalizations are ridiculous.

Ethanol Industry: Down but Not Out

If the alt. energy guys find a way to use garbage or corn cobs or ???, then there will soon be a commodity exchange for that feed stock.
It won't simply remain as "free" stuff.
Ethanol is a stupid waste of government (our tax) dollars. Subsidies like this should be eleiminated after a period of time when the market determines if a process/product is in demand or not.
Or the governments should offer huge tax rebates to buyers of alt fuel vehicles. Drive demand so that there are sufficient vehicles on the road to meet the break even/profit levels of consumption required.

Obama Begins Jawboning Campaign with Chinese President Hu

You are absolutely right about the US issues and subsidies. Politicians are so linked to the lobbyists for auto companies, farm issues, roads and highways, teacher's unions. etc. that they can't begin to see the protectionist policies they have created.The US "stole" the world's industries in the 1920s and now someone else has the ball. Amazingly, England and France haven't folded their tents and we won't either.
If anyone really wants to protest China importations, stop going to Wal mart. I have read that they alone represent 15% of our China imports.
No countries protectionist policies are going to be changed voluntarily. It takes direct negotiations and tit-for-tat trades to get it done.

On Feb 02 11:54 AM jyung wrote:

> So I guess it is alright for US protectionism for the Automobile
> industry by only bailing out the big three when other brand such
> as Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Benz, BMW and other which are also incorporated
> in the US and hires hundred of thousands of American Auto workers
> and gives business to hundreds of American Auto parts workers; for
> the Agricultural industry by subsidizing so much to a point that
> no other country can export to the US; for the Pharmaceutical industry
> by using the FAA to make it impossible for other country to penetrate
> the US market and yet sell their product at such a huge mark up that
> millions in the 3rd world countries are dying.
>
> When will American auto industry will admit that no one in the world
> are interested in buying American cars that are design for the American
> market. When Japan finally lower tariffs for auto import to a point
> that foreign imports are cheaper than Japanese cars, the Japanese
> only import European cars. In UK Lamborghini out sells Cadillacs.
> Yet when the US car company design and manufacture for the local
> market they are successful, Ford in Europe, Buick in China, Ford
> in Australia, etc. The point is that if they are not design for the
> local market, most likely the car will not succeed. What is consider
> good in the US does not mean it is consider good in other countries.
> The foreign brands develop cars specifically for the US market.<br/>
>
> When China is not importing items like aircraft from Boeing they
> are buying from Airbus, China only just test flighted their own first
> passenger plane which is still years from actual productions. All
> those mining equipments, high tech equipments and manufacturing tools
> are brought from Germany because they are consider better engineered.
> But they do buy a lot from Caterpillar. Another big problem is that
> US is not willing to sell a lot of things to China, yet these products
> seems to be sold to terrorist sponsoring countries and to dictators.
>
>
> "United States, which advocates democracy and freedom", haha, our
> country talks about it but at the same time support all these dictators
> that steal from their own countries.
>
> "Chinese currency manipulations that keep American products expensive
> and Chinese products inexpensive" The RMB will have to probably be
> traded more than USD1 to RMB1 to true, beside most of what China
> export did not cause US manufacturing jobs, most was lost to Japan,
> Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan and the Philippines decades ago. China is
> really taking the manufacturing jobs from these countries. Also people
> must realize that while China has a huge surplus against the US,
> China runs a deficit with almost all its trading partners except
> for Western Europe and US and the actual total trade surplus globally
> in total is much lower. It is just that the finish goods are manufacture
> in China because of its vast infrastructure and assembly capability.
> China does not even come close to India in causing American job loss
> in the area of high-tech and call center business. Beside most of
> the imports to China are made by Taiwanese, Japanese, Korean and
> (yes) American factories in China. Chinese own companies is only
> just getting started.
>
> Us companies also has to realize that they can not be selling products
> in China at the same retail prices in China because majority of its
> people can not afford it. Only less than one percent of Chinese people
> can really afford foreign goods.
>
> China has its problems but so does the United States. US has to realize
> that the two economy are very much tied together and are inter-dependent
> on each other. Each has their own strengths and weaknesses. They
> have to work together to maintain a stable world economy. US can
> not just keep blaming their problems on other countries and not recognize
> their own problems. Starting a trade war would be the worst thing
> for both countries but probably will affect US more as the rest of
> the world will take the opportunity to take US market shares away.
> US has to treat China as an equal partner because both economic and
> military threats against China is useless. US also has to forget
> about the "Communist government" label, communism is dead. While
> China is getting more and more capitalistic, US is becoming more
> and more socialist.