People on unemployment working? Surely some mistake!

__________________
1985 500SL Euro w/ AMG bits 130k
1984 300SD Turbodiesel 192k
1980 240D Stick China 188k
2001 CLK55 AMG 101k
2007 S600 Biturbo 149k Overheated Project, IT'S ALIVE!!!

I think we are going to find out within a generation.

That works for me.

I can remember during the 1950's when 'Made in Japan' ment junk. A fellow named Demming showed up from the US and preached high quality as a way to reinvent Japan, Inc.

The US automakers had tossed Demming out of their offices. Cars were made to wear out in about 60,000 miles so we all would have to buy new ones. If you wanted quality you went to the Studerbaker dealer and bought a Mercedes.

Today I buy only the highest quality stuff I can find. If the US becomes the quality leader of the world, and it easily could, then I doubt it would solve all our problems but it would be a good start.

One thing I have found is that goods that are still made in the USA are among the highest in qulaity. The name made be from overseas, like Bosch or Michelln, but the products are made here. These products cost more up front but they are the cheapest to buy in the long run.

As Stanly Marcus used to say, "We have no problem with those who sell for less. They know what their producst are worth."

And for what it is worth... recent surveys have shown that the highest quality car brand sold in the US is Buick.

I agree. I went shopping the other day and needed to buy a new tire pressure gauge. Every one they had was made in China. The brand name (I'm not making this up) was Slime. I picked the 94 cent one, since I figured they all had the same lousy chance of being accurate or long-lasting, and I don't want to pay over a buck for Slime. I would gladly have paid ten times as much for a quality U.S. or German made product.

The exact same thing happened a few months ago when I needed to buy a pair of scissors. I ended up with cheap Chinese junk because I couldn't find anything else.

__________________
Whoever said there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes never had a cheap Jaguar.

83 300D Turbo with manual conversion, early W126 vented front rotors and H4 headlights 401,xxx miles
08 Suzuki GSX-R600 M4 Slip-on 26,xxx miles
88 Jaguar XJS V12 94,xxx miles. Work in progress.
99 Mazda Miata 183,xxx miles.

This is the business model that seems to wok so well for Wal Mart.

Cheap, cheap, cheap, is *ALL* that typical Merkins care about in their durable goods; to heck with any notions of build quality or durability.


I reminded a friend's wife, who should know better, and who is a conservative Republican, last year, that by shopping at Walmart, she is basically supporting Chinese commies.


Her response, which shocked me, was: "So what, I don't care".


Multiply that by a million times and there you go.

I have only been there one time in my life, to get a new wristwatch band for an old cheap Timex I was using; the Walmart band only cost $8.00, they put it on in the store, and it still works on the wristwatch.

But, I won't patronize the place because, if possible I don't like cheap goods and I hate the chinese commie government and don't like to do anything to support it. As stated by others though, this is not always practical or even possible, now.

__________________
1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

People will simply refuse, then use the unions to advocate for recall of the persons who suggested that they work for their money.

Didn't you watch the video? it's INGRAINED in the people here who are/were union or paid off by the Detroit bureaucracy.

I have school teacher friends who left when the union warned them about being too innovative and making other teachers look bad.

__________________
Strelnik
Invest in America: Buy a Congressman!

1950 170SD
1951 Citroen 11BN
1953 Citroen 11BNF limo
1953 220a project
1959 180D
1960 190D
1960 Borgward Isabella TS 2dr
1983 240D daily driver
1983 380SL
1990 350SDL daily driver alt
3 x Citroen DS21M, down from 5
3 x Citroen 2CV, down from 6

I was looking at portable USB disk drives at Wal-Mart and found one for $40 that was not made in China. Only 250G, but that's still a good price so I bought it.

It had been used. Yes, the files were deleted, but it had a rather full recycle bin. There was a 2008 1040 in PDF form in there, as well as a whole bunch of family pictures. Several gigs worth. Addresses of home, work, pictures of the family, they're lucky it fell into my hands instead of someone who might actually try to make use of that information.

The disk works great, but I can tell that these people do not share my view of them. Disk drives do not leave my hands. Ever. I don't know what's hiding on there and it could be something that I don't want to leak out. Not emptying the recycle bin is a gross mistake, as the files were still there in readable format. But even overwriting every sector of the disk is not enough, if someone is willing to put time and money into extracting the information.

Sorry for the hijack, but hopefully it's not too far off. "Walking this back" (god, where did that term come from?), I can say that there is at least one Wal-Mart patron who will buy a disk drive for temporary storage, then return it to the store.

If your off this weekend, thank a union member
If you have holidays off, thank a union member
If your company offers insurance and pension, thank a union member
If you had the slightest clue what you were talking all you have to do is look at the working class before unions, circa early 1900's.
Would'nt be much of a middle class would it?
Do you really believe unions hurt Detroit or upper management?
Lot off whiners the don't know anything about unions, never been in one, but because their jealous, now their experts.
I would hate to see this country without union representation
Believe me when I tell you all the stupid stories about sleeping on the job, can't get fired. or slow down, don't do such a good are nonsense.
I have been in a union almost 30 years and only one rules applys, IF THE COMPANY'S NOT MAKING MONEY NEITHER WILL YOU.
And your welcome.

I would never join a union, unless forced to.


Unions were needed at the turn of the last century and served their purpose quite well. Now they are not needed in this country, they are badly needed in developing country's like China though.

Overal union membership is on the decline and I don't see that trend reversing.

__________________
2016 Corvette Stingray 2LT
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

I'm self employed, so I have whatever time off/benefits that I want to pay for; I'm doing just fine without a union, but thanks anyway.

I've spent enough years working with owners of large unionized construction projects to know a little about how unions work (actually don't work) on a day by day basis. I've dealt with enough of their nonsense (sabotage, threats, slowdowns, bogus safety complaints, etc.) and crossed enough silly picket lines while trying to help get jobs completed to have earned an opinion. My opinion is that they have outlived their usefulness and are now hampering the ability of the U.S. to compete.

I do agree that they had a function 100 years ago. Today, it's hard to tell whether the workers are getting screwed more by management or their own unions (probably both). Regardless of my opinion, they are becoming increasingly irrelevant. I'm sure you know that U.S. union membership has declined from about 20% to about 12% over the last 20 years, at this point even the democrats (outside the rust belt) don't listen to them anymore. They will essentially be gone in another 20 years, then you will get to "see this country without union representation."

Regarding Detroit, I think that incompetent management and the UAW can share the blame. Honestly, I don't have a dog in this fight; I'm not moving to Detroit and I'm certainly never going to buy a domestic car.

Its amazing how bad it is on the other side of the state compared to here. Grand Rapids was able to avoid the downfall by having a variety of industries, and now even more so. Our city is doing quite well.....enormously well compared to Detroit....we don't really have any areas that look like all those places in Detroit. The very last of anything old or run down is almost gone, they've been redeveloping and rebuilding areas all over that were in decline.

Something I find ironic is that I found a job in one of the cities with the highest unemployment in the state (Muskegon) and commute there for work daily from GR.....just goes to show its all about having the right skills. There are jobs out there, there's just no educated people to fill a lot of them.

Unions have their purpose, but when their demands and ideas get too out of control, then they become the instrument of death for their host organization(s).

__________________
-diesel is not just a fuel, its a way of life-
'15 GLK250 Bluetec 118k - mine - (OC-123,800)
'17 Metris(VITO!) - 37k - wifes (OC-41k)
'09 Sprinter 3500 Winnebago View - 62k (OC - 67k)
'13 ML350 Bluetec - 95k - dad's (OC-98k)
'01 SL500 - 103k(km) - dad's (OC-110,000km)
'16 E400 4matic Sedan - 148k - Brothers (OC-155k)

Apparently you need more competition from say China.

__________________
MBlovr
'59 180 Dad's original
'59 180 Dad's 2nd one
'67 250SE Dad's last one
'59 220 SE My first one
'62 220SE Coupe second one
'89 190E 2.6 5spd third one
'06 E350 4matic (sold)
'10 E350 4matic

It's illegal too.

__________________
1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

That's not competition, that's a potential customer.