Old Nick wrote:

In article . com,
says...


The quality of the stuff made in Ch**a looks like it's really going up.
A lot of tools don't have that goofy made in the garage look.
Electronics are really improving fast, I can't tell by looking at the
PC boards any more, used to be obvious.

Made in the US stuff seems to be getting scarcer. The logical
conclusion of this trend doesn't seem to bother too many people who run
the show.




How come the **** _nobody_ has expressed concern about the fact the
poelpe are talking about war with CHINA (let's not be coy here) on the
****ing INTERNET?

For God's bloody sake!


My real fear isn't the war issue, it's the fact that a service economy
is far more prone to ups and downs as markets vary than a goods based
economy. Sure there are goods that people drop purchasing when
economies are on the fritz but there are also lots that still need to be
purchased like clothing, food, housing parts (toilets), maintenance
parts, etc. Service, as we saw in the last couple of years, is easy to
just fire surplus people and adjust to reduced markets.

Encouraging overseas movement (as bush said, it's good for US consumers
if our producers move overseas) means that when we get hit with economic
turndowns, we'll get hit HARD. I forsee big, fast swings instead of
smaller, slower swings. Many US producers are working with after tax
margins in the low single digits. When there is no equalization for US
requirements for pollution controls, unemployment insurance costs,
social security costs, and a host of other things, you just can't
compete. Equalizing those things would instantly about double
competitiveness of US producers. When it only takes a couple of percent
on the bottom line to double your margin, little things make a big
difference.

A service economy is like almost everyone working in a "temp" position.
Today may be good but tomorrow, the rug can be pulled out in an instant.

Koz