Hope & Change With New Congress

[jcb986]

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

^Our industry has seen their U.S. workers increase their productivity 2% a year every year for the last decade, while their company's share prices soared to DOW 14,000 (highest ever), revenues were up accross the Fortune 500 board and not until the markets crashed in 2008 did profits plummett. This meant that union participation fell by almost 2/3's (as did benefits and 401K matches) from the 90's, in other words these corporations had FIXED labor costs for perhaps the longest period on record. So much for the unions getting in the way. Despite these fixed, low wages for Americans they still sent jobs to Asia and India by the fistfull. How else does China go from $1 trillion to $6 trillion in a decade? It took the U.S. from the Civil War to World War I to get even half that much growth.
In the run up to these 'good times' for big business worker wages fell, job growth faded to nothing and household net worth went into the negative. Even now during the weak recovery the stock market is back to its pre-bubble normal, particularly the NASDAQ which has seen tech stocks have their best days in nearly two years, Fortune 500 profits are up again and Wall Street is planning its biggest bonus season on record after holding back for PR reasons last year.

That's a long way of saying that unions or no unions, U.S. corporations didn't skip a beat in the 20 years. It's the U.S. worker that has taken it on the chin. But Wall Street likes companies that hire Chinese workers at 1/10 the cost of $14 an hour U.S. factory worker. By the way $14 an hour doesn't even get you to the U.S. Median income.

I agree to some extent, but the high cost of doing business has underlying problem do the regulations. I remember Stanley Tools starting to outsource some and maybe all to China so it could sell it's product competitively. Now $16 bucks an hour is a minimum requirement for an worker to make if he is getting normal benefits. Now at that rate can we compete with China. ???????

[Perfectlap]

^Not for low cost goods mass production.

Perhaps if like the Germans, we only concentrated on the very high end of manufacturing we might of had a shot at holding onto 5% unemployment.
But that German model requires a very different level of investment in education. They also have a mixture of public and private options when it comes to healthcare, a big advantage that allows more money to be poured into the quality of the product. German factories pay their workers well north of $14 an hour but guess what? Their employers aren't completely footing the bill for their healthacare. Now they're one of the few surpluss nations in trade. Turns out a highly skilled, highly educated and healthy workforce can deal with $2 an hour Chinese labor pretty well since they are selling to two completely different customers. You'll never beat the Chinese selling $4 ipods (that retail for $300), $5 hammers and $10 sneakers.

p.s.
I see you guys voted out Rep. Alan Grayson in Orlando. While being perhaps the biggest jerk in the House he's also BY FAR the smartest elected official in the state of Florida. A Bronx public school kid who graduated Phi Beta Kappa with three Harvard degrees, including clerking for the D.C. court of appeals no less and became a self-made millionaire 30 times over who moved for an first ever audit of the Fed. And in his place is an incoming 30 year career politician churned out by the state political machine?

Here's a great clip of Grayson calling out Bernanke on his bull****************.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0NYBTkE1yQ&feature=youtu.be

[tonycarreon]

i am not ashamed to say that i will miss alan grayson. but then again, i'm a progressive.

[jcb986]

Originally Posted by tonycarreon

i am not ashamed to say that i will miss alan grayson. but then again, i'm a progressive.

Well, if Alan was like the Governor of New Jersey and could stand and deliver in incredible manner as he does...then he might have made it. But, we are tired of the dirt throwing politicians who are incapable of being in such a position that demands honesty and integrity. Me, I want Chris for President.

[Perfectlap]

Originally Posted by tonycarreon

i am not ashamed to say that i will miss alan grayson. but then again, i'm a progressive.

There isn't a Libertarian Fed-hating American that won't miss that character.

p.s.
Chris Christie honest? That guy is the epitome of skewing the facts. Last week he made a speech to a GOP audience where he claimed that right before his innauguration he had been "tipped off" to a "secret wire transfer" by our hapless ex-governor to "his buddies" and had one of his aids stop it the minute he swore the oath. When I read this my head nearly exploded. First of all ANYONE with access to a newspaper knew that this money had been approved IN ADVANCE because the budget approval to NJ cities was printed in the newspaper! Also, he recently fired his education chief after Christie himself was so out of the loop on the Race To the Top funding ($400 million) that he didn't find out that the application was INCOMPLETE until his delegation had come back from D.C. !! Christie promplty tossed that education official (a well known NJ Republican) right under the bus. Schundler has since quoted the Governor as saying "the money is not worth it if it looks like I'm working with the teachers union". Although I like the idea of having a Republican Governor with a Dem state legislature, I take EVERYTHING Chris Chrisite says with a grain of salt and 10 minutes on Google.

[Brucelee]

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

There isn't a Libertarian Fed-hating American that won't miss that character.

p.s.
Chris Christie honest? That guy is the epitome of skewing the facts. Last week he made a speech to a GOP audience where he claimed that right before his innauguration he had been "tipped off" to a "secret wire transfer" by our hapless ex-governor to "his buddies" and had one of his aids stop it the minute he swore the oath. When I read this my head nearly exploded. First of all ANYONE with access to a newspaper knew that this money had been approved IN ADVANCE because the budget approval to NJ cities was printed in the newspaper! Also, he recently fired his education chief after Christie himself was so out of the loop on the Race To the Top funding ($400 million) that he didn't find out that the application was INCOMPLETE until his delegation had come back from D.C. !! Christie promplty tossed that education official (a well known NJ Republican) right under the bus. Schundler has since quoted the Governor as saying "the money is not worth it if it looks like I'm working with the teachers union". Although I like the idea of having a Republican Governor with a Dem state legislature, I take EVERYTHING Chris Chrisite says with a grain of salt and 10 minutes on Google.

Wrong as usual PL.

[Brucelee]

Originally Posted by tonycarreon

i am not ashamed to say that i will miss alan grayson. but then again, i'm a progressive.

Really, no kidding?

[Brucelee]

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

^Not for low cost goods mass production.

Perhaps if like the Germans, we only concentrated on the very high end of manufacturing we might of had a shot at holding onto 5% unemployment.
But that German model requires a very different level of investment in education. They also have a mixture of public and private options when it comes to healthcare, a big advantage that allows more money to be poured into the quality of the product. German factories pay their workers well north of $14 an hour but guess what? Their employers aren't completely footing the bill for their healthacare. Now they're one of the few surpluss nations in trade. Turns out a highly skilled, highly educated and healthy workforce can deal with $2 an hour Chinese labor pretty well since they are selling to two completely different customers. You'll never beat the Chinese selling $4 ipods (that retail for $300), $5 hammers and $10 sneakers.

p.s.
I see you guys voted out Rep. Alan Grayson in Orlando. While being perhaps the biggest jerk in the House he's also BY FAR the smartest elected official in the state of Florida. A Bronx public school kid who graduated Phi Beta Kappa with three Harvard degrees, including clerking for the D.C. court of appeals no less and became a self-made millionaire 30 times over who moved for an first ever audit of the Fed. And in his place is an incoming 30 year career politician churned out by the state political machine?

Here's a great clip of Grayson calling out Bernanke on his bull****************.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0NYBTkE1yQ&feature=youtu.be

Indeed, having three Harvard degrees means that you are smart!


When GWB was in the WH, apparently that MBA from Harvard meant nothing.

[Brucelee]

BTWW- I used to guest lecture at the Harvard School of Pubic Health. Believe me, that is NO guarantee that one is "smart."

[Brucelee]

That's a long way of saying that unions or no unions, U.S. corporations didn't skip a beat in the 20 years. It's the U.S. worker that has taken it on the chin. But Wall Street likes companies that hire Chinese workers at 1/10 the cost of $14 an hour U.S. factory worker. By the way $14 an hour doesn't even get you to the U.S. Median income.

No offence but YOU are Wall Street. Where do you think all that capital comes from?
Are YOU driving an American car? Can YOU find an American washing machine?

Folks love low prices and high value.

How puzzling is that?