i just found out that the frpp 5.0 cobra intakes are made in china!
the US allows a 5 to 1 ratio of imports to exports respectively.
of our 1 export in the ratio, 85% of that will be ss and the remaining 25 respresent soy/recently cut fiber products.
so in a nutshell
China sends up pc's, plastic bowls, jewlery and trinkets and things.
The US ships out s metal, recycled goods and fibers.
you shop at wal-mart
Get the picture.
Say no to CAFTA
Look before you buy, give it a try.
A consulting agency, The Boston Group, recently met up with wal-mart in the china corp office to discuss actions to be taken on chineese companies couterfiting chineese made goods. (yes i did just say that). The boston group layed out a plan of attack and wal-mart finally agreed that the US rate to secure the lawyers was too expensive for thier f-ing six sigma green belt/black belt kiss a$$ ceo's.
Wal-marts solution,, -they decided it would be best to outsource this task to india and china for a 3:1 dollar savings.
we're done people.
Did you guys know that there was no companies left in the US (mexico or canada obviously) to supply the presidential inoguration (sp) with goodies like coffee cups, buttons, ink pens, jackets, and other free bee's. Yep,made in you know where.
if you go to the us army recruiter,, they will give you free stuff,, made in china.
the uniforms of our soldiers are not made in the us anymore.
People like my parents born in the 20's built what all of us on this board have today,, we just piss it away looking for CHEAP>
I want free trade with my northern and southern neighbor's mexico and Canada. I have to say that the quality of canada far exceeds any other import i know of. However,, canada has the same problems we in the US do.
BTW,, if you see any illegals running around your town,, dont forget to exercise your right to make a citizens arrest. Bring us our poor, and all that is nice but come here legally like i did.
Yeah I heard somewhere that if Wal Mart were a country it would be China's third largest trading partner.
So what's the solution Scott?
see previous post.
btw,, support your NY state DMV,, those folks have thier heads screwed on right! They are setting the example for all of us to follow. i have the Balls to do what they are doing now but im not positioned correctly to do what they have done.
Isn't that what the North American Free Trade Agreement is about? And WTF does catching illegal immigrants have to do with buying chinese made goods? You can't tie those two together. If it wasn't so ed difficult and complicated to come here legally that you needed to hire a lawyer to help you do it then maybe we wouldn't have so many illegal immigrants. Seriously. If Mexico's second biggest source of income wasn't from money that immigrants send back to Mexico from the U.S. every year then maybe their own ed government wouldn't actually give them pointers on how to sneak across the border.
No, it is not our fault that they are coming here illegally. But it's not entirely theirs either. The fault lies with the governments of both countries allowing the situation to escalate to the level that it has.
jkirchman
"Isn't that what the North American Free Trade Agreement is about? "
I never said NAFTA................you did.
but since you brought up a diffferent subject,,
NO, Not completely or proportionally. Its main focal point was india/china with a pissed off mexico left behind with little options.
"And WTF does catching illegal immigrants have to do with buying chinese made goods? "
nothing, just another issue and your right on that whole topic except for....
"The fault lies with the governments of both countries allowing the situation to escalate to the level that it has."
its your and my fault for not commuincating to our leaders. The goverment has you so busy working two jobs and your spouse working two jobs that they pretty much have you trained to stay uniformed thus not being involved like we should. I have spoken to my senator "Byrd" many times (like over a dozen plus emails to him) venting my needs as a social security card carrying tax paying citizen with legal citizenship.
MDJ1281
"What is my DMV doing?"
I dont mean to be a smart a$$ but thats my point exactly,, being out of the know is pretty much in style today.
and last be certainly not least
food for thought anyone????http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/txs/releases/September2004/040930-Remedy.htm
yep, sad fact, very few of the parts that we buy for our cars are actually made in the U.S. The only company that I can think of that is all U.S. made is Edelbrock. There are a couple other, but can't remember which right now. Even the Scat cranks, Eagle rods, and so forth are foreign made, as is all that Wells and GP Sorenson garbage. You want a REAL American car, you've got to go back to the muscle car era. Even then, it was North American made.
American made goods are few and far between these days but i dont see it as a huge problem. Trade and commerce are pillars of capitalism nescessary for the betterment of our and others econimies. I dont care where its made just that its high quality, beside how much do you think that sh#t would cost were it produced in the United States like 500 percent more. I dont give a let some chinaman make my for a dollar fifty an hour he can have that job, im not starving.
and if you think immigrants are stealing your jobs, see maddox ;)
You dont see that as any type of problem at any moment, anywhere anytime,,just plain dont care? :disappoin
to each is own. But if we make nothing at all , where does that leave us?
Maybe when that day comes,, there still wont be any problem. As long as i have my cougar thats all that matters. :giggle:,, yeah right!
Scott: I believe (but not 100% sure) that Canada has a trade surplus (we sell more stuff than we buy). I know the USA has a trade defecit, but I think Canada is still holding on to the surplus for now. We can manage a trade surplus because we have tons and tons of raw materials (lumber, oil, coal, water, energy, steel, etc) that a lot of countries don't have.
That being said, selling a lot of raw materials does not produce a lot of jobs. When we ship steel to puppiesan and have it come back in the form of a car we have essentially shipped car building jobs overseas.
Trade with other countries is necessary, but I believe that our governments could do a lot more to protect jobs over here (and still be fair to trading partners about it). For instance, we (Canada and US) should levy duties on imported products equal to the duties that the originating countries levy on our own goods. In other words, if puppiesan slaps a 50% tarriff onto the price of a new Cadillac we should slap a 50% tarriff on the price of a new Lexus. I bet you'd see a lot more Lexuses being built here, with the jobs going to North Americans. Also, since puppiesan has laws that make it difficult for North American manufacturers to sell their wares there we should match those laws here. We should limit foreign ownership of companies and factories just like puppiesan does.
Laws should also be created that make it illegal to do trade of any sort with companies that do not treat their employees fairly. Anything originating in a sweat shop or coming from countries with poor child labour and worker protection laws should be illegal. If the countries want to do business with us they should have to bring their labour standards up to ours. It could be done, just as it is currently illegal to buy stuff from Cuba (for you guys, anyway - we can buy Cohibas in our corner stores :D). Enacting laws like this would remove the advantage that many overseas companies have because they're getting what is essentially slave labour whiile domestic companies have to treat their emloyees right.
I agree with you Thunder Chicken. Problem is that all these rich guys that own these companies got lobbiest planted in washington pumping money into the White House. That's what gets the attention of the government. Not e-mails and letters. Until we find a way to put regular Joes back into power ie congress, senate and president, changes against people with money is tough.
I think we could start by banning campaign contributions. Each candidate gets a set amount to advertise with and thats it.
Next big thing for me is no elected government official should make more money than the national average income. If it's $32,000 then the president, congress, governors, senators, anybody, makes $32,000.
No health or pension benefits after your terms have been served for anyone who held any office for less than 20 years.
Call me crazy but being in political power should be a totally selfless job. Do it for the good of the country not a buddy or yourself, or some hidden agenda.
I don't know enough about politics to go after everything but I think these items would be a great start. Getting the right people in there would do the most good.
i like that idea. :iagree:
lol. i just think it's kinda ironic that us automakers leave and import automakers come in. a Toyota plant is right down the street from me. Honda, Hyundai, and Mercedez are all big employers in our state. i don't see a prob with some jobs going overseas, but some companies *cough* Wal-Mart *cough* are milking it.
just curious. does anyone check to see if their petro is home brew? XD
I also agree with thunder chicken while the current situation may not bother me i think that those would be great changes especially the traiff thing.
I have one job. And my spouse wasn't able to have a job at all until we paid $1000 in lawyer's fees and $700 in application fees, not to mention all the money spent on hotel rooms and travelling to and from Charlotte where we had to be for our appointments with DHS officials. Now she's able to work and recently received her permanent residence visa but she would never have been able to do so if we had not gotten married. And she's been in the US for five years.
Jim, you and Adrianna (I seriously doubt I spelled that correctly) are great people and I would love to have this country full of people like Adrianna. It does suck that a good productive citizen like Adrianna has to jump through so many hoops to make a life here in the U.S and others sneak in illegally every day. That process which you complain about would be fine if it werent so easy to get in this country illegaly. You can't blame them for wanting a better life and many of them are hard working and good people but at some point you just have to say "Im lucky to be born here, wish everybody could have a country like ours, but at the same time I have to protect it."
jim
btw,, I wish others could follow your lead. I have no idea what you and your wife went through. I do know this, your patience, fortitude and perseverance has inspired me. So few set the example , so few get recognized for doing things as important at this in the manner in which it is to be done. :america:
On my local news two days ago there was a guy hit crossing the street, left his pants and a large chunk of skin on the front of the car. I thinking why the hell did the guy run off? more importantly how? On the news today turns out he was an illegal from mexico. They said no plans to deport him. The sad part is that he was so afraid to go to the hospital for fear of deportation that he went two days with a serious injury and now he may loose his leg due to infection.
bad news for that guy,, sorry to hear such stories.
as for deportation,,,,, its a recent study that most migrant workers do not fear the return home. The fear the "manner" in which they are returned home.
if they return themselves,, they can sneak back in without paying mexican tax's on wages earned, ie-have a ride waiting to cross ect.
if they are "returned" home in an official manner, thier earnings are most likely going to be taxed and then some cause the goverment is standing right there..
That's the problem with the system. It's so difficult to get her legally that, if you lost your job and your family is starving, then you simply cannot wait the years it sometimes takes to get your visa. So you pay a coyote to bring you across the border or you try to sneak across yourself.
Then, once you get here, you're constantly watching your back hoping you don't get pulled over and trying not to attract attention to yourself.
Just so you can FEED YOUR FAMILY. I don't know what you folks think, but I think it's not right and it's not something where you can just say, "Wish everyone could be born here. Tough luck, fella." because we don't have to protect the country from migrant workers. If there weren't any migrant workers our agricultural industry would collapse overnight. The fact is that the vast majority of these people are hard working and are doing jobs that most Americans would not do for the same amount of money.
So we need to make it easier for them to come here and work legally and the government needs to gain their trust so that they take advantage of the new laws. If they are going to come here and work anyway then we may as well have some compassion and help make it easier for them. If I had to do the same thing to provide for my loved ones then I would do it in a heartbeat. Thank God neither I nor anyone else on this board has to worry about ever making such a decision.
Reconquista de Aztlan.
Boy, I hope someone makes excuses for me if I ever do something illegal, the way people bend over backwards to make excuses for *illegal* immigrants.
ok, sorry but i couldnt resist.
i grew up in eastern kentucky , double wide trailer on about 5 acres which a lot of pride went into yard, looks ect. Dad worked 30days on and 30days off with valvoline oil. I would be left with instructions about what he needed. I was apart of something, had responsiblity. Others around me were less or more fortunate and nothings changed for the rest of the nation as for as i know from then till now.
back then which was'nt that long ago...
I bailed hay, picked vegies, milked cattle,picked and sold blackberries for 5bux gallon, cashed aluminum cans from walking the main road, cut fire wood bla bla. These are some of the things the country youth would do when i was growing up.
In towns,, the city youth had the labor advantages as well, cutting grass, shovel snow, deliver stuff, fix stuff paint stuff ect ect. It was not uncommon for the youth to get a hold of cash doing these things
as well as many adults.
THIS has changed somewhere in the very very recent past.
Maybe parents are the problem but not in my house bro. My boys are 10 and 8 and they have cs. They already seek out cs with neighbors for cash. My clock probably runs behind the times here in our little part of the woods but mine will be better in the long haul.
I will be PROUD to cart my boys around to a job so they can earn money and gain the trust and respect of thier peers at such an early age ratherthan sit around playing PS2, getting fat, suckin down a number 2 from mcdonalds then the parents suddenly think they should sue mcdonalds for not providing a balanced diet.!!
I dont agree with you on the above quote at all. No food on the shelves if we dont have migrant workers.
So you say there are jobs out there i dont want eh? Well leme tell you and others something you might not have known.
Things suck here at my house as far as money goes. Ive been laid off since june 03. Ive worked labor jobs since tearing down barns and houses. I worked for a power company as general help rebuilding generators , running parts, and cleaning up work areas and bathrooms.
Im getting ready to go to an interview with the greenbrier resort at the sportsmans club for a job from 11pm to 8am as a janitor. You saying i dont what that job? I say to you ,,,,,,,,i bet you did not know that things are so bad around here that we finally were humbled to investigate food stamps, our income qulifies us. I,, yes i say "I" will take that job and "I" am proud to do it.
Ive made small cash and as much as 35 and hour. Ive worn a few hats from workabee to operations manager. I got a resume that would blow some of your minds and still all in all you never know when hard times will hit and how hard it is to find any of those dirty jobs to tie you over cause migrant workers have them booked up. Now im in deep doo doo with about 1150 bux coming in (unempolyment extention due to TRA - outsourcing) and 2200 that needs to go out. Im not living high on the hog as you can see , 2200 represents about 9 bux hour to break even with no changes allowed. Good thing i dont have cars that need full coverage.
yeah, so bout those migrant workers and food on the shelves,, id do those jobs in a heartbeat.
i almost did'nt post ne more to this but when you said that americans are too good ,, too clean,, to stuck indoors, to lazy,, lack a work ethic, too spoiled,, i say you best take a better look around. We in america will not go hungry, the people will work any job to make it happen.
as for our northern neighbor,, atleast they respect our process and we do the same for them. Mr fox down in mexico needs to understand that.
You, sir, are putting words in my mouth. What I said was, "...people are hard working and are doing jobs that
most Americans would not do..."
And that is the truth. I have done many of the same things you talked about doing when you were a kid and I am only 25 years old. Actually I have done every single one of those things you said you did when you were growing up. My parents have always been hard working. They were finally able to afford to buy their first house after 22 years of marriage. I was not born with a silver spoon in my mouth.
But Scott you represent the minority. If there were Americans that would do a migrant worker's job for the same amount of money don't you think that there would be no jobs for the migrant workers?
yeah, your right, i shouldnt have said it like that. I got carried away and forgot who i was talking to. :sorry:
A lot of the blame has to go to the people that hire the migrant workers as well. Let's not kid ourselves, the people doing the hiring would rather hire an immigrant at $3/per hour under the table than pay a citizen minimum wage with pogey, worker's comp, etc. Yes, a lot of people would not lower themselves to picking beans, but that is largely due to the fact that the bean growers don't want to pay 'em legal wages. I know I wouldn't pick no beans for no $3/hour!
I have a lot of respect for somebody who will drop everything, pick up, and move to a more prosperous economy and do gruelling and often dangerous work in order to feed their family. Doing so takes a lot of courage. Courage that I lack. I don't resent immigrants at all (granted, we don't get many illegals way up here, so maybe the situation is worse than I'm thinking). I resent the people that exploit these immigrants by paying them peanuts instead of paying fair wages that citizens could work for as well.
A field full of illegal immigrants working is no different than a sweat shop in China. Except that people will boycott the sweat shop's products while buying the cheap beans. Nobody bothers the farmer, they shiznit on the immigrants the farmer is exploiting. Nobody shiznits on the chinese children, they bother the company exploiting them. It's a double standard.
There are many who are over here that WILL work hard day in and day out to feed their familes/strive for prosperity. Unfortunately, it is the few who become career crimnals/burdens upon taxpayers and the legal system that overshadow the majority who just want a better life. In my area we just did a joint operation with INS to remove shag Offenders who were here illegally, got convicted of a shag crime in the US, had served their time, and were somehow STILL HERE! They will all be deported back to there homelands. This was all over the news. Looking at it you can see that some will just stereotype all immigrants as deviant monsters which just is not true.
What you did with the INS was a good thing Pauly. We don't need those kinds of people coming here. It's just too bad that we don't have anywhere to send the shag offenders that are citizens of the US.
agreed
america was always an industrial, working class society. the way things are going, their will be almost no industry left.
Jim I don't agree with you that we would have shortage of produce without the migrant workers. They would just have to pay more for labor and or equipment to get the same job done. Of coarse the produce they provide would cost 4 times as much. Supply and demand always rules anyway. Im pretty sure that when slavery was abolished there were many people screaming that there would be no way to do this and that without the free labor. Things were a mess for a while but people adapt. The cool thing about the internet is that we can gain perspectives from different regions that we otherwise would not be able to. I would not know how hard it is to find work in Scott's area were it not for this board. Where I live I have no fear of not having a job whats so ever. Not only could I get a job in multiple places in my field, but I could get hundreds of your run of the mill $8-$10/hr jobs which I would gladly do if things wen't bad around here. I would like to hear from someone living close to the Mexican border or where large numbers of the migrant workers live. Scott, maybe you and your entire family shold pack it up and move up here. Plenty of jobs for you.
I got a question for you Jim. How many immigrants from any nationality would you allow? The last thing I saw were migrant workers fighting eachother over jobs in California. There is a compromise somewhere in the middle though. But there can not be limitless imigration, period.
Im not area dependant and the jobs in my area are here but mostly 6bux / hr. A couple three good companies but thats it.
Ive relocated 5 times,, i know there is no loyalty so i plan on landing work sometime time but ,,,,,relocate for them,, why? so you can be laid if in two or four years. Its becoming a reality that no ones gonna retire anymore with benifits. , period and i accept this. As a recourse, ive been taveling vs making my family move around.
previous companies
Dominion power - temp employee 9/04-12/04 layoff
Marconi Commuincations - field proj mgr national accounts (cleve oh) layoff 2/01-6/03
Commonwealth telephone co -Outside plant and central office construction supv (dallas pa) layoff 5/00-12/00
Alcatel - field installation supv ( dallas tx) layoff 9/95-5/00
Us navy - aviation electronics tech (east coast sea and s) active 9/86-7/95, reserves till 9/01
I actually think my biggest downfall is the lack of a BA degree.
When I said that the agriculture industry would collapse I was talking about if there was a huge crackdown on all of the illegal migrant workers. The industry would not be able to replace so many workers overnight and it would definitely go through a period where it had to either shut down or drastically reduce output until the labor force was replaced.
It's a good thing the U.S. didn't have such a huge complicated immigration policy with so much red tape when our ancestors came to this country, huh? They may never have gotten in.