Comments on: AP Poll: To Fix Economy, Get Out Of Iraq
Most Believe U.S. Is In Recession, And Quitting Iraq Would Be More Helpful Than Rebate Checks
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- Ubrew, I am not impressed with Chinese nor Indian engineers.
They are cheap and can do grunt engineering work.
Posted by donbl1
Bingo!!!! That is why more and more companies are approaching engineering from a reusable "building blocks" perspective instead of engineering a new and better product. - Reply to this comment
- what difference does it make whether it''''s specifically spent on stuff or bills. It''''s still going to be spent.
Posted by standlee5 at 10:57 PM : Feb 10, 2008
Bush was hoping it was sent to retailers , so they would expand and start hiring people, if people pay on their debt, it does nothing for the economy. To Bush and the GOP''s mind, the deficit/debt load is not bothering them--so why should each of our personal debt loads bother us?
If people pay a bill, it will NOT change the fact that retailers and entertainment industries, etc are suffering, We need to buy lots of stuff--though what Bush thinks 300 to 1200 will buy (for those of you who get the rebate) when the inflation is sooo high is beyond me. Keep in mind, you all WILL be paying that money back--it''s borrowed you know.... - Reply to this comment
- I knew a co-worker who boasted his newly acquitioned house ($225,000). I approached him, and declared I exactly you net worth without looking at your bank statments or financial documents. He said, what is my net worth? I said, zero.
- Reply to this comment
- Good night, all. Thanks for the good cordial discussion.
Nice when we can get through the evening without calling names.
See you tomorrow. - Reply to this comment
- For example, semiconductor fab lines newer than two generations behind can not be shipped overseas.
Posted by donbl1 at 10:55 PM : Feb 10, 2008
Much of our computer and microchip industry has relocated to India and the Phillipines. Dell was the last American company to be solely based in the US and that changed in 2006. Now, most systems support is done overseas and where companies are still based in America they are largely peopled by visa''d applicants from India who not only can interface better with their compatriots in India, but due to not being citizens, help lower the companies'' present bottom line.
The fact is--don''t know where you get these gov regulations or why after all our gov does, you have sooo much faith in them adhering to or following them--but "we be fvcked". I just had a girlfriend relocate from Silicon valley--the house prices are through the roof, the salaries for starting engineers are at an all time low (starting as low as 24K in California) and many can''t get work there, due to the high influx of visa''d Indians. In addition, cronyism and ethnic favoritism is rampant and many people are not doing a reverse immigrant thing: with 2 or more American families pooling their resources and all moving into 3 to 5 bedroom houses in order to afford the rent or mortgage. Ironic, isn''t it?
The sad thing about this comeuppance to the avg American is that they do not deserve it--our Congress and WH sellouts deserve this fate. - Reply to this comment
- "American wealth is hundreds of trillions of dollars. Pretty hard to buy all of America."
- Posted by donbl1 at 11:01 PM : Feb 10, 2008
The Chinese could buy America on credit and then auction us off on Ebay to the highest bidder. - Reply to this comment
- American wealth is hundreds of trillions of dollars. Pretty hard to buy all of America.
Posted by donbl1
What wealth?? How can anyone have wealth with 10 trillion debt??? And, the majority of wealth/ assets own by 1% of U.S. population. - Reply to this comment
- Ubrew, I am not impressed with Chinese nor Indian engineers.
They are cheap and can do grunt engineering work.
Those who come here have often not even had computers to work with before. They must be trained and it takes years for them to progress beyond entry level.
There are exceptions to that (ITT for example) but they are a small portion of the whole. - Reply to this comment
- Ubrew, in 1989 I distinctly remember the cover on BW saying the Japanese were buying all of America.
They bought a lot and have now sold much of it for a loss.
What happened? Japanese costs eventually reached parity with US costs or even exceeded them. In addition, US industry implemented ISO and others to improve quality and compete. Toyota is #2 in sales in the US but they have a lot of plants here and employ a lot of Americans. Japanese learned the currency fluctuation could not be absorbed so they built plants.
American wealth is hundreds of trillions of dollars. Pretty hard to buy all of America. - Reply to this comment
- donbl1 said: "China also has some well publicized quality problems which have cost money to fix. "
If you''re relying on U.S. technological superiority to sustain a competitive advantage in the future, I think you''re dreaming. Companies like GE already maintain ''brain-trusts'' in cities like Shanghai and Bangalore. Future technology will come from everywhere and GE already knows it. - Reply to this comment
- "will China ever think it is a good idea to go to war with us?"
- Posted by b-easy63 at 10:53 PM : Feb 10, 2008
Anything is possible, but what reason would they have ?
It would be bad for business. As another poster said, the Chinese are masters of business administration.
They are a long way from us geographically. We share no common borders.
The Chinese are not radical Muslims. Theirs is a Confucian culture -- even their brand of Communism shows that pragmatic influence. Confucian ideals are closer to the way many Americans think.
We fought them once, in Korea, but that never escalated to general war.
Nixon and Kissinger visiting Beijing at the height of the Vietnam War was very revealing.
And besides, a billion people seldom speak with one voice -- even the Chinese. - Reply to this comment
- In the Philippines, 70% of the wealth is owned by just 3% of the population, and they aren''''t filipino, they are all ethnic Chinese. To say this causes ethnic friction is the understatement of the year. Just a warning to those ready to ''''open'''' America up to Chinese globalized business interests.
Posted by ubrew12
I can verify that . . . and its changing there culture and religion. Once a prodominant Cathlotic population (Spanish Conquestors) is slowing turning to Budda. Budda statues are everywhere. - Reply to this comment
- omega, technology has not in most cases moved overseas as there are some pretty strict government rules about it.
For example, semiconductor fab lines newer than two generations behind can not be shipped overseas.
Posted by donbl1
Oh yeah, Intel is in the process of building a 2 Billion dollar Fab over there. Lucent and Nokia both have huge R&D facilities over there. - Reply to this comment
- However, just 19 percent of the people surveyed said they planned to go out and spend the money; 45 percent said they''d use it to pay bills.
what difference does it make whether it''s specifically spent on stuff or bills. It''s still going to be spent. - Reply to this comment
- I know that in South and SE Asia, Chinese have done business for decades, with the result that much of the wealth in these countries is owned by people of Chinese ethnicity. In the Philippines, 70% of the wealth is owned by just 3% of the population, and they aren''t filipino, they are all ethnic Chinese. To say this causes ethnic friction is the understatement of the year. Just a warning to those ready to ''open'' America up to Chinese globalized business interests.
- Reply to this comment
- omega, technology has not in most cases moved overseas as there are some pretty strict government rules about it.
For example, semiconductor fab lines newer than two generations behind can not be shipped overseas. The US is the major provider of that technology.
Much of the China manufacturing is very low tech and labor intensive. The way the formula works, the higher the labor content the more it makes sense to look to move it IF THE TECHNOLOGY at the supplier is available to meet your needs. And, it often does not.
China also has some well publicized quality problems which have cost money to fix. In some industries, these can not be tolerated. - Reply to this comment
- We''''re all in this together, now. With a rising yuan and falling dollar, expect a wave of Chinese investment in U.S. properties in the next 10 years. Chinese are masters at business, they rarely give up property once bought. America for sale?
Posted by ubrew12
I was watching the history channel once, and narratives were interviewing various famous prophets. I recall one women soothsayer who visioned an image of Chinese soldiers landing on the shore of America . . . that was all in the vision. - Reply to this comment
- We are not going to war with China.
There are pretty good reasons not to.
Lets see... They have 1.2 billion people, the world"s largest army and nuclear weapons. They are about to put a man on the moon.
They have one of the world"s fastest growing economies.
They are an enormous bulwark against the expansion of Islam.
They loan us money when we need it.etc. etc...
Posted by Iceman_1960 at 10:39 PM : Feb 10, 2008
Gee... that says why WE won''t start a war--but there is another possibility isn''t there?
Something is missing here. Perhaps it is the assumption that "going to war with China" will be our personal choice. The question is not if we think it is ever a good idea to go to war with China (as if we war at our own option like we did in Iraq and Afghanistan) the question is--will China ever think it is a good idea to go to war with us?
Maybe they will look at us, (like we did SAddam) and think we are too big of a world threat...
maybe they''ll do us like we did Iraq--invade on a whim and say they did us a favor. - Reply to this comment
- donbl1 said: "a recession in America could have serious political repercussions inside China and cause revolution." True. Maybe that''s not a bad thing...
We''re all in this together, now. With a rising yuan and falling dollar, expect a wave of Chinese investment in U.S. properties in the next 10 years. Chinese are masters at business, they rarely give up property once bought. America for sale? - Reply to this comment
- We don''t have a pure capitalist market, its pure monopoly and graft. That is why the globe economic system must collapse.
- Reply to this comment
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