Is This Good For America?

[CAA Flagship]

My house was Made in America.

My wife and kids were.

Why did you opt for the white colored ones?

[Ibanez]

All my guitars are made in America
My guitar amplifiers are made in England

Most of my home electronics are U.S. Made
My Stereo System is made in Finland

Both of my bikes were made in California (imagine that)
My Ford F-150 truck was made in Kansas City

My stove is made in Greenwood Mississippi

Even my Kitchen Garbage can is made in the USA (way too fucking expensive)

I go out of my way to buy U.S. made products

My house was Made in America and built immigrants.

FIFY

[BlueHen86]

Produce something? What were/are those trains shipping? And how do households use electricity...are people producing things or using...wait for it...kitchen appliances, TVs, computers, lights (to stay up and watch TV). Yup, right back to consumer goods...that people purchase in stores...as cheaply as they can.

Now, tell me, again, what the previous production and infrastructure is really about?

And why did you purchase a chinese made Ninja blender? Selfish bastard. Walk the talk or you are just another complainer who is part of your complaint.

http://www.stillmadeinusa.com/appliances.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I purchased a blender made in Utah (by hard working Mormon Families)
It's called:
Blendtec™
Quality products made in America for 400% more money ®

I love that damn thing!!!
well worth the 4 x price

That's because it's made for a family with 4 x wives.

[kalm]

I purchased a blender made in Utah (by hard working Mormon Families)
It's called:
Blendtec™
Quality products made in America for 400% more money ®

I love that damn thing!!!
well worth the 4 x price

You are a true (out-of-touch with the masses) American patriot...unlike that communist kalm.

Notice how "kalm" is very similar to "karl m".

Sneaky bastages are trying to infiltrate everywhere.

That's "kalmunist"... to you.

[kalm]

All my guitars are made in America
My guitar amplifiers are made in England

Most of my home electronics are U.S. Made
My Stereo System is made in Finland

Both of my bikes were made in California (imagine that)
My Ford F-150 truck was made in Kansas City

My stove is made in Greenwood Mississippi

Even my Kitchen Garbage can is made in the USA (way too fucking expensive)

I go out of my way to buy U.S. made products

Oh yeah?

Well my vacuum cleaner is German

My dishwasher is Swedish

My camp trailer is American

My flyrods are from Colorado

And almost all of my fruits and vege's are grown organically within 100 miles of Spokane.

Face it Chizzy, most of the things you use in life are still made with sweat labor. You're still a self-loathing liberal...you're not fooling anyone.

[CAA Flagship]

My house was Made in America and built immigrants.

FIFY

Immigrants? No.
I believe it was built by the southern redneck tribe.

[YoUDeeMan]

You are a true (out-of-touch with the masses) American patriot...unlike that communist kalm.

Notice how "kalm" is very similar to "karl m".

Sneaky bastages are trying to infiltrate everywhere.

That's "kalmunist"... to you.

I'll have Vidav type a few select words that will wake you up from sleeper mode. Your cover will be blown, komrade kalm!

[BDKJMU]

We all know: Wal-Mart is the largest importer of Chines goods in America
But did you know: Wal-Mart is the worlds largest importer of Chinese products (period) Worlds Largest

Did you know that in 2005 less that 5% of Wal-Mart non-food products came from America
Did you know that number has gone down every year

Thus:
As an American citizen
We can't simultaneously complain about imported Chinese products and lost jobs - and - defend Wal-Mart
You have to pick one side or the other in that debate
So I choose Wal-Mart and defend that it is who we are and ultimately "what we want"

Link?

[BDKJMU]

I agree with you, but I do think we can applaud Walmart for finding ways to make things affordable while maximizing profits, while at the same time decrying the global system that makes it possible in the way they do it. If the cheap Chinese goods were not available, them there would be someone out there who would still find a way to emulate what Walmart does.

I agree with all of this. I especially like Chizzang's earlier point about it being unethical AND legal.

So to summarize, Walmart provides affordable goods by:

Taking full advantage of globalization
Shitty pay
Using leverage to absorb years of losses in some locations to close down the competition
Applying leverage to control wholesalers

Again all good and legal and shrewd business practices. Walmart, the Goldman-Sachs of retail.

Only unless you call all large retail pay shitty, because Walmart's is at least comparable to other large retailers, and in some cases, better. Yet how come we never hear Target attacked for having pay and bennies at best no better than Walmarts?

WSJ article from 2010: "...By most objective standards, Wal-Mart's compensation is quite similar to its publicly traded retail competitors, and sometimes better. It now offers a more generous health care plan than the retail average; nearly 80% of Wal-Mart's U.S. workers are eligible for health coverage, compared to just 58% for the retail sector as a whole according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Until recently, Target's heath benefits were in some ways worse. It made part-timers wait two years before being eligible for coverage, compared to six months for Wal-Mart. Target now makes part timers eligible after three months.

Target declines to disclose its pay, but workers in Chicago said wages for entry level jobs, such as cashiers and inventory stockers, start at the state's minimum of $8.25 an hour. That is lower than the $8.75 hourly wage that Wal-Mart has pledged to pay to start in the city, according to local politicians......"
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 ... 69962.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Some of this would have to be pre 07' wage data (before the fed minimum wage was increased to $7.25):

"1. Greeter/Floor Sales Representative
Target: $6.77 - $12.06
Walmart: $6.98 - $12.18 per hour

2. Cashier
Target: $7.38 - $10.27 per hour
Walmart: $7.30 - $10.40 per hour

3. Retail Store Assistant Manager
Target: $48,003 per year
Walmart: $42,134 per year

4. Retail Store Manager
Target: $65,960 per year
Walmart: $60,326 per year

5. Retail Pharmacist
Target: $114,492 per year
Walmart: $106,138 per year

6. Department Manager, Retail Store
Target: $48,457 per year
Walmart: $29,211 per year

7. Customer Service Sales Associate
Target: $7.34 - $16.76 per hour
Walmart: $7.79 - $12.75 per hour

8. Laborer, Freight, Stock, Material Mover
Target: $6.93 - $14.08 per hour
Walmart: $7.35 - $14.90 per hour

As for time off, Target starts out by offering slightly more vacation for workers with less than a year’s tenure. Those with one year of experience at the store typically get a week off with pay. At Walmart, it’s the same.

The biggest disparity between Walmart and Target are in employee bonuses. Walmart is much more generous for some positions, offering its assistant store managers $2,948 as opposed to Target’s $2,457. Store managers at Walmart get a whopping $9,958, nearly double Target’s $4,880 for the same job......"

http://blogs.payscale.com/content/2011/ ... lmart.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[kalm]

I agree with all of this. I especially like Chizzang's earlier point about it being unethical AND legal.

So to summarize, Walmart provides affordable goods by:

Taking full advantage of globalization
Shitty pay
Using leverage to absorb years of losses in some locations to close down the competition
Applying leverage to control wholesalers

Again all good and legal and shrewd business practices. Walmart, the Goldman-Sachs of retail.

Only unless you call all large retail pay shitty, because Walmart's is at least comparable to other large retailers, and in some cases, better. Yet how come we never hear Target attacked for having pay and bennies at best no better than Walmarts?

WSJ article from 2010: "...By most objective standards, Wal-Mart's compensation is quite similar to its publicly traded retail competitors, and sometimes better. It now offers a more generous health care plan than the retail average; nearly 80% of Wal-Mart's U.S. workers are eligible for health coverage, compared to just 58% for the retail sector as a whole according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Until recently, Target's heath benefits were in some ways worse. It made part-timers wait two years before being eligible for coverage, compared to six months for Wal-Mart. Target now makes part timers eligible after three months.

Target declines to disclose its pay, but workers in Chicago said wages for entry level jobs, such as cashiers and inventory stockers, start at the state's minimum of $8.25 an hour. That is lower than the $8.75 hourly wage that Wal-Mart has pledged to pay to start in the city, according to local politicians......"
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 ... 69962.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Some of this would have to be pre 07' wage data (before the fed minimum wage was increased to $7.25):

"1. Greeter/Floor Sales Representative
Target: $6.77 - $12.06
Walmart: $6.98 - $12.18 per hour

2. Cashier
Target: $7.38 - $10.27 per hour
Walmart: $7.30 - $10.40 per hour

3. Retail Store Assistant Manager
Target: $48,003 per year
Walmart: $42,134 per year

4. Retail Store Manager
Target: $65,960 per year
Walmart: $60,326 per year

5. Retail Pharmacist
Target: $114,492 per year
Walmart: $106,138 per year

6. Department Manager, Retail Store
Target: $48,457 per year
Walmart: $29,211 per year

7. Customer Service Sales Associate
Target: $7.34 - $16.76 per hour
Walmart: $7.79 - $12.75 per hour

8. Laborer, Freight, Stock, Material Mover
Target: $6.93 - $14.08 per hour
Walmart: $7.35 - $14.90 per hour

As for time off, Target starts out by offering slightly more vacation for workers with less than a year’s tenure. Those with one year of experience at the store typically get a week off with pay. At Walmart, it’s the same.

The biggest disparity between Walmart and Target are in employee bonuses. Walmart is much more generous for some positions, offering its assistant store managers $2,948 as opposed to Target’s $2,457. Store managers at Walmart get a whopping $9,958, nearly double Target’s $4,880 for the same job......"

http://blogs.payscale.com/content/2011/ ... lmart.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Good info and yes, it appears Walmart is getting singled out a little bit. Although I'm suspicious of a few of the numbers like 80% of Walmart workers are eligible for health insurance.

I still stick to my original point that Walmart's position as #3 employer in the world and the fact that 6 people control more wealth than the bottom 42% are not good things for America. Not to mention trading natural resources to China, shipping them half way around the world, to have them turn into cheaply manufactured consumer products, and shipped back halfway around the world so that the bottom 42% can enjoy affordable trinkets.

Oh well, at least the Walmart workers have it better than their Chinese counter parts.

[Ibanez]

I agree with all of this. I especially like Chizzang's earlier point about it being unethical AND legal.

So to summarize, Walmart provides affordable goods by:

Taking full advantage of globalization
Shitty pay
Using leverage to absorb years of losses in some locations to close down the competition
Applying leverage to control wholesalers

Again all good and legal and shrewd business practices. Walmart, the Goldman-Sachs of retail.

Only unless you call all large retail pay shitty, because Walmart's is at least comparable to other large retailers, and in some cases, better. Yet how come we never hear Target attacked for having pay and bennies at best no better than Walmarts?

WSJ article from 2010: "...By most objective standards, Wal-Mart's compensation is quite similar to its publicly traded retail competitors, and sometimes better. It now offers a more generous health care plan than the retail average; nearly 80% of Wal-Mart's U.S. workers are eligible for health coverage, compared to just 58% for the retail sector as a whole according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Until recently, Target's heath benefits were in some ways worse. It made part-timers wait two years before being eligible for coverage, compared to six months for Wal-Mart. Target now makes part timers eligible after three months.

Target declines to disclose its pay, but workers in Chicago said wages for entry level jobs, such as cashiers and inventory stockers, start at the state's minimum of $8.25 an hour. That is lower than the $8.75 hourly wage that Wal-Mart has pledged to pay to start in the city, according to local politicians......"
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 ... 69962.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Some of this would have to be pre 07' wage data (before the fed minimum wage was increased to $7.25):

"1. Greeter/Floor Sales Representative
Target: $6.77 - $12.06
Walmart: $6.98 - $12.18 per hour

2. Cashier
Target: $7.38 - $10.27 per hour
Walmart: $7.30 - $10.40 per hour

3. Retail Store Assistant Manager
Target: $48,003 per year
Walmart: $42,134 per year

4. Retail Store Manager
Target: $65,960 per year
Walmart: $60,326 per year

5. Retail Pharmacist
Target: $114,492 per year
Walmart: $106,138 per year

6. Department Manager, Retail Store
Target: $48,457 per year
Walmart: $29,211 per year

7. Customer Service Sales Associate
Target: $7.34 - $16.76 per hour
Walmart: $7.79 - $12.75 per hour

8. Laborer, Freight, Stock, Material Mover
Target: $6.93 - $14.08 per hour
Walmart: $7.35 - $14.90 per hour

As for time off, Target starts out by offering slightly more vacation for workers with less than a year’s tenure. Those with one year of experience at the store typically get a week off with pay. At Walmart, it’s the same.

The biggest disparity between Walmart and Target are in employee bonuses. Walmart is much more generous for some positions, offering its assistant store managers $2,948 as opposed to Target’s $2,457. Store managers at Walmart get a whopping $9,958, nearly double Target’s $4,880 for the same job......"

http://blogs.payscale.com/content/2011/ ... lmart.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I should've been a Pharmacists.

[Ibanez]

How about Facebook?

In a recent interview, 21-year-old Amine Derkaoui described spending spent three weeks working in Morocco for oDesk, an outsourcing company used by Facebook, to moderate content. Derkaoui’s job, which payed roughly $1 per hour, was to essentially implement Facebook’s strange content standards – ie, he was to delete any pictures of “cameltoes, moose knuckles, insides of skulls” or whatever banned images outlined in oDesk’s “abuse Standards” operations manual. Derkaoui’s short career shed some light upon a seedy facet of the social networking giant, which has been making hundreds of new millionaires.

http://www.webpronews.com/facebook-mode ... hr-2012-03" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[ASUG8]

I should've been a Pharmacists.

You are, you just don't get paid for it.

[Ibanez]

I should've been a Pharmacists.

You are, you just don't get paid for it.

FML.

[Chizzang]

All my guitars are made in America
My guitar amplifiers are made in England

Most of my home electronics are U.S. Made
My Stereo System is made in Finland

Both of my bikes were made in California (imagine that)
My Ford F-150 truck was made in Kansas City

My stove is made in Greenwood Mississippi

Even my Kitchen Garbage can is made in the USA (way too fucking expensive)

I go out of my way to buy U.S. made products

Oh yeah?

Well my vacuum cleaner is German

My dishwasher is Swedish

My camp trailer is American

My flyrods are from Colorado

And almost all of my fruits and vege's are grown organically within 100 miles of Spokane.

Face it Chizzy, most of the things you use in life are still made with sweat labor. You're still a self-loathing liberal...you're not fooling anyone.

My brother and I (long ago) agreed to take the time to figure out what was quality U.S. Made and support those brands - it takes some time to figure it out... and it always costs more. When we can't get a quality U.S. made "thing" in the category we're shopping in we move to High Paid European...

We will not buy Chinese Malaysian Korean
unless that's all there is - but it's rarely the case



Again I repeat:
I have no issues with Wal-Mart it'll come in handy during the zombie apocalypse
but until then I chose otherwise for myself

[YoUDeeMan]

Good info and yes, it appears Walmart is getting singled out a little bit. Although I'm suspicious of a few of the numbers like 80% of Walmart workers are eligible for health insurance.

I still stick to my original point that Walmart's position as #3 employer in the world and the fact that 6 people control more wealth than the bottom 42% are not good things for America. Not to mention trading natural resources to China, shipping them half way around the world, to have them turn into cheaply manufactured consumer products, and shipped back halfway around the world so that the bottom 42% can enjoy affordable trinkets.

Oh well, at least the Walmart workers have it better than their Chinese counter parts.

Not everything is a "trinket"...the groceries and other "necessities" such as toilet paper, lightbulbs, and genral jhousehold goods allow most people to eat like kings as compared to generations ago. And our big box retailers such as Home Depot, with free DIY seminars, allow people to upgrade or repair their homes at much lower costs compared to hiring a professional (while also shutting down local hardware stores). So what is better/worse...people paying a lot more for simple things while enriching their neighborhood businessmen or people paying less for a lot more and being able to afford the things they want?

I pointed out several months ago that most employed people in the US are actually the 1%ers of the world....at $34,000/year. Our poor and middle class are wealthy beyond most of the world's immagination.

The only problem is that everyone compares themselves to their neighbors and gets jealous.

Here's a good article that puts things into perspective...I didn't quote the beginning part, but it's humorous and worth a read:

http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2 ... he-1-.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

"Attention, Protestors: You're Probably Part of the 1%

In short, most of those protesting in the Occupy Wall Street movement would be considered wealthy -- perhaps extraordinarily wealthy -- by much of the world. Many of those protesting the 1% are, ironically, the 1%.

This isn't to disparage the occupiers' message. Protestors are, I think, upset because so many of America's top 1% are perceived to have earned their income unjustifiably -- think bankers and bailouts. Most are not against inequality of wealth; they're against inequality of opportunity. As they should be.

But take a step back and put things in perspective. As Milanovic notes, "One's income ... crucially depends on citizenship, which in turn ... means place of birth. All people born in rich countries thus receive a location premium ... all those born in poor countries get a location penalty. It is easy to see that in such a world, most of one's lifetime income will be determined at birth." He continues, "it turns out that place of birth explains more than 60 percent of variability in global incomes." And there are few better places to be born than America -- even if you end up poor by American standards. If there is inequality in opportunity, those born in America are the ones with the unfair advantage.

As author Matt Ridley put it, "Today, of Americans officially designated as 'poor,' 99 percent have electricity, running water, flush toilets, and a refrigerator; 95 percent have a television, 88 percent a telephone, 71 percent a car and 70 percent air conditioning. Cornelius Vanderbilt had none of these." Nor does much of the world.

Food for thought.

[YoUDeeMan]

Hey Chiz, I found that website you created...I mean, you might like.

http://www.newworldorderwar.com/the-mos ... lds-money/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

"The Most Powerful Company on Earth controls 99% of the worlds money

Posted on September 28, 2011 by admin

There is a busy little private company you probably never have heard about, but which you should. Its name is the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation. See their website. Looks pretty boring. Some kind of financial service thing, with a positive slogan and out there to make a little business. You can even get a job there. It turns out that this company holds 23 trillion dollars in assets, and had 917 trillion dollars worth of transactions in 2002 alone. That’s trillions, as in thousands of thousands of millions."

[Chizzang]

Hey Chiz, I found that website you created...I mean, you might like.

http://www.newworldorderwar.com/the-mos ... lds-money/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

"The Most Powerful Company on Earth controls 99% of the worlds money

Posted on September 28, 2011 by admin

There is a busy little private company you probably never have heard about, but which you should. Its name is the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation. See their website. Looks pretty boring. Some kind of financial service thing, with a positive slogan and out there to make a little business. You can even get a job there. It turns out that this company holds 23 trillion dollars in assets, and had 917 trillion dollars worth of transactions in 2002 alone. That’s trillions, as in thousands of thousands of millions."

most of that information from that website can be confirmed pretty easily
Remember: The Federal Reserve System is Good for America