WE MUST ADJUST THAT FOR INFLATION SO I TURNED TO "DOLLAR TIMES" AND FOUND THIS :
<<$1.00 in 1945 had the same buying power as $13.09 in 2014.>>
I ALSO FOUND
<<The consumer price index (CPI) measures the average price for a group of goods and services you and other consumers buy routinely. Energy prices make up about a tenth of the CPI; food prices make up about one-fifth of the index. >>
IT GALLS ME THAT THE SAME SET OF TIRES TODAY IS PERHAPS 20 TIMES THAT AMOUNT...BUT NOT IF WE BUY "MADE IN CHINA". IT'S LESS THEN.
THEN I ASKED MYSELF, FOR THE BILLIONTH TIME, WHY HAVE WE HAD THIS THING CALLED INFLATION AND WHAT ABOUT PROGRESS? SHOULDN'T PROGRESS MAKE THINGS CHEAPER?
DOLLAR TIMES' CALCULATOR TOLD ME THAT ONE MAJOR THING THAT AFFECTED BUYING POWER WAS THAT DAMNABLE INFLATION BECAUSE...
<<Annual inflation over this period (1945) was 3.80%.>>
AND THE INFLATION RATE RIGHT NOW IS ABOUT 1.50%, AS OF THE END OF 2013.
WHAT?
INFLATION IN 1945 WAS TWICE THEN WHAT IT IS TODAY?
THAT DOES NOT 'COMPUTE'!
SHOULDN'T HAVE PRICES BEEN HIGHER AT SUCH A HIGH INFLATION RATE AND LOWER NOW?
WE'LL LOOK INTO THAT SOME MORE IN THIS POST.
MEANWHILE, PLEASE BE AWARE THAT AS OF FEBRUARY 2013, CHINA'S INFLATION RATE WAS HIGHER THAN OURS, AND STOOD AT ABOUT 2% , AND IT HAD DROPPED FROM THE YEAR BEFORE!
EXPLAIN THAT!
THEIR INFLATION RATE IS HIGHER THAN OURS!
THEY SELL THINGS CHEAPER STILL!
BUT WAIT...SHOULDN'T "HIGH TECHNOLOGY" AND ALL THAT HAVE REDUCED BOTH MANUFACTURING COSTS AND THE WAY WE GET AT AND USE RAW MATERIALS?
WASN'T IT HARDER IN 1945 TO LOCATE THOSE RAW MATERIALS, TRANSPORT THEM ACROSS OCEANS AND CONTINENTS, AND PUT THEM TOGETHER WITHOUT ROBOTICS TO MAKE THINGS WE USE, THINGS WE BUY?
HOW CAN CHINA AFFORD TO OFFER A PRODUCT FOR 1/10th OF WHAT AMERICAN BUSINESSES OFFER THE SAME THING TO US FOR?
HOW CAN INDIA?
HOW CAN JAPAN?
AFTER ALL, IT IS ONLY QUITE RECENTLY THAT CHINA HAS BEGUN TO TURN TO ROBOTS FOR MANUFACTURING. THEIR TECHNOLOGY WAS NOT AS "HIGH" AS OURS, YET CHINA'S PRODUCTION ABILITY HAS ALWAYS BOGGLED THE MIND!
CHINA CERTAINLY HAS ACCESS TO "CHEAP LABOR" AND PLENTY OF IT, AND THOSE LABORERS ARE ALSO ITS INITIAL AND MOST STABLE MARKET...ITS MOST DEPENDABLE CONSUMERS. WHILE "EXPERTS" LIKE FORBES' WRITERS (I LIKE TO CALL THEM 'GUESSERS') SAY CHINA DOESN'T HAVE THE COHESIVENESS IN BUSINESS THAT ALMOST ALL CAPITALIST NATIONS ACHIEVE, AND SO CAN NEVER, NEVER RISE TO THE TOP AND OVERTAKE AMERICA IN THE GLOBAL MARKETPLACE,
THAT'S JUST BULL.
PEOPLE MAKING MONEY ON A SHOESTRING BUDGET STILL MAKE MONEY.
MILLIONS OF SUCH SHOESTRING BUSINESSES MAKING MONEY IN CHINA EVERY DAY WILL BE EQUIVALENT TO ONE OR 2 MEGA-BUSINESSES HERE MAKING A MILLION A DAY.
THAT'S JUST THE 1 PLUS 1 EQUALS 2 SIMPLICITY OF THE WHOLE THING IN CHINA.
.
AND WHERE IS IT WRITTEN THAT THE GIANT BUSINESS IS THAT RAVING A SUCCESS? HUGE CONGLOMERATES FAIL EVERY DAY.
MEGA-COMPANIES GO BROKE, FADE FROM SIGHT.
FORBES HELD FORTH IN AN ARTICLE BACK IN 2013 THAT
"'China’s domestic market [is] a collection of separate local markets rather than a single integrated market.'"
BULL COOKIES! BIG IS NOT ALWAYS BETTER AND SMALL IS BLOODY WELL WORKING, IF THAT'S THE CASE IN CHINA.
1 MILLION MAKING ONE DOLLAR IS THE SAME AS ONE MAKING $1 MILLION IN THE SAME AMOUNT OF TIME.
A MILLION IS A MILLION NO MATTER HOW YOU SLICE IT.
CHINA IS MAKING PLENTY $$$.
FORBES ALSO EXPOUNDED
"'At the same time, the government is present in the state–owned enterprises and town-village enterprises as owner, entrepreneur, and manager, producing goods as varied as steel, laundry powder, and aluminum. The government is present in “privatized” enterprises and owns sufficient shares to control their management. The government is also present in the banking industry, controlling almost every major bank rationing credit by political fiat rather than by market forces.'"
HELLO, FORBES! SO IS THE FEDERAL RESERVE'S AFFAIR WITH WALL STREET BANKERS ANY DIFFERENT? IS CONGRESS' ABJECT FEAR OF THE FED ANY DDIFFERENT FROM A FEAR OF A COMMUNIST GOVERNMENT?
IF GOVERNMENT INVOLVEMENT IN CHINESE BUSINESS IS A REASON THAT CHINA CANNOT CLAIM TOP DOG STATUS IN THE WORLD MARKET, THEN SURELY, BECAUSE OF THE FED/WALL STREET LOVE AFFAIR AMERICA IS DOOMED TO FAILURE, RIGHT? SAME DIFFERENCE...NONE.
THAT THE AMERICAN ECONOMY IS COMPLETELY DICTATED BY A HANDFUL OF "FAMILY NAMES" ALL OF WHOM BREAST-FEED THE FEDERAL RESERVE AND DRIVE WALL STREET WHICHEVER WAY THEY WISH TO GO, SURELY THIS MAY POINT TO THE REASON FOR AMERICA'S DECLINE?
TSK, TSK...EXPERTS!
FORBES CONCLUDES ITS LOFTY SUMMATION WITH A FEW SENTENCES THAT MADE ME HOWL WITH LAUGHTER, AND REPEAT THE WORD "HYPOCRISY!" OVER AND OVER...
"'Finally, China requires a new business mind-set that places the consumer rather than the government bureaucrat at the center of the economic universe; lets entrepreneurs make choices as to how economic resources will be deployed; and allows professional managers to implement these choices.
The bottom line: A large population, a large labor force, and a dose of markets may be the necessary condition for leading the global economy. The sufficient condition is an open market frontier, genuine entrepreneurship, the right cocktail of markets and government, and a new business mindset — all of which China seems to lack at this point.'"
REALLY? SERIOUSLY?
WHAT PURE CRAP!
DO AMERICAN BUSINESSES PLACE CONSUMERS OVER GREED, OVER THEIR DRIVE TO MAKE MORE BUCKS (AND SHODDIER PRODUCTS TO CUT COSTS), OVER RISING TO THE TOP OVER ON WALL STREET? HELL NO!
WHILE WE MAY SAY ( NOT COMPLETELY HONESTLY) THAT OUR GOVERNMENT BUREAUCRATS ARE NOT AT THE CENTER OF OUR "ECONOMIC UNIVERSE", THE ELITISTS WHO FUND THE CAMPAIGNS OF OUR GOVERNMENT BUREAUCRATS ARE BLOODY SURELY AT THE CENTER OF THE AMERICAN ECONOMIC UNIVERSE!
THEY PIPE THE TUNES THAT ALL OF CONGRESS AND THE WHITE HOUSE DANCE TO, AND THEY OWN THE FEDERAL RESERVE, LOCK, STOCK AND OILY LITTLE BARREL.
AMERICAN ENTREPRENEURS MAKE THEIR OWN CHOICES?
WHEN DID THAT START?
I THOUGHT THE BANKERS WERE STILL CALLING THOSE SHOTS AS WELL.
DID SOME BREAK FREE FROM THEIR CHAINS THAT BIND THEM TO THE LENDERS?
"PROFESSIONAL MANAGERS"?
OHHHH, THOSE GUYS WHO SKIM OFF THE TOP OF THE CREAM IN EVERY BIGGER BUSINESS AND SUFFOCATE FREE-THINKERS WHO OFTEN BETTER IDEAS THAN THEIR OWN "PROFESSIONAL MANAGEMENT" ONES, AND STAB EVERYONE THEY CAN IN THE BACK TO STAY ON TOP, IN CONTROL...SORT OF LIKE "CEOs" AND THE LIKE?
THEM?
THEY'RE A GOOD THING, BETTER THAN COMMON SENSE AND DILIGENT STUDY OF THE MARKET BY THE ACTUAL OWNERS, THOSE WHO STARTED THE "SMALL BUSINESS" THAT MAY OR MAY NOT AT ALL WANT TO GO LARGE?
WHO THE HELL MADE THAT DECISION, THAT "PROFESSIONAL MANGERS" ARE THE ONLY WAY TO FLY?
I MIGHT BUY IT IF WE'RE TALKING THE FACT THAT MANY COLLEGE GRADUATES IN AMERICA CAN'T EVEN BALANCE A CHECKBOOK, BUT I'D LEAVE IT THERE.
NOT HENRY FORD, ANDREW CARNEGIE, NOR WALT DISNEY HAD COLLEGE DEGREES AND KNEW NEITHER JACK NOR SQUAT ABOUT "PROFESSIONAL MANAGEMENT" OTHER THAN WHAT THEY DEVISED ON THEIR OWN, WITH GOODLY DOSES OF COMMON SENSE AND DETERMINATION...AND VISIONS OF WHAT MIGHT BE WITHOUT THAT WORD "IMPOSSIBLE".
BABBLE, JOURNALISTIC, UNPROVEN BABBLE, THAT LAST SENTENCE.
GOOD GRIEF, WHY BOTHER TYPING THAT?
WHAT DOES INFLATION HAVE TO DO WITH THE WORLD MARKET?
I RECALLED A FAIR ARTICLE ON INFLATION AND WENT BACK TO IT.
I LAUGHED WHEN I SAW IT CAME FROM THE SAN FRANCISCO FEDERAL RESERVE...THE JOKE IS ON ME.
How does inflation affect economies?
<<Central banks around the world view stable and low inflation as a very important goal. Below are some concrete examples (italics added for emphasis):
U.S. Federal Reserve System: “Monetary policy has two basic goals: to promote “maximum” sustainable output and employment and to promote ‘stable’ prices. These goals are prescribed in a 1977 amendment to the Federal Reserve Act.“
NOTE: On January 25, 2012, the Federal Open Market Committee issued a “Statement of Longer-Term Goals and Policy Strategy.” One of important announced in the statement was a 2 percent numerical inflation target for the overall personal consumption expenditures price index. Key points from the statement are:
- A commitment to the Fed’s “statutory mandate from the Congress of promoting maximum employment, stable prices, and moderate long-term interest rates.”
- A numerical longer-run goal for the personal consumption expenditure price index of 2 percent.
- An estimate of the longer-run normal rate of unemployment in the 5.2 to 6.0 percent range.
European Central Bank: “To maintain price stability is the primary objective of the Eurosystem and of the single monetary policy for which it is responsible. This is laid down in the Treaty establishing the European Community, Article 105 (1).”
Bank of England: “The Bank sets interest rates to keep inflation low, issues banknotes and works to maintain a stable financial system.”
Bank of Canada: “The goal of Canadian monetary policy is to contribute to rising living standards for all Canadians through low and stable inflation.”
Central Bank of Chile: “The main purpose of the Central Bank of Chile’s monetary policy is to keep inflation low and stable, defined as a range of 2% to 4% per annum, centered on 3%.”
LET'S REMEMBER THAT CHINA HAS A HIGHER INFLATION THAN AMERICA DOES.
I ALSO WOULD LIKE FOR THE "WORLD BANKS" TO COME CLEAN AND SAY WHAT THEY REALLY MEAN ABOUT THAT "KEEP PRICES STABLE" "BS"...
LET'S JUST ADMIT THE BANKS KEEP PRICES GOING UP, AND THAT THEY DO SO BECAUSE THEY ARE SO DEPENDENT ON THE TEATS OF THOSE WHO OWN THE BIG BUSINESSES, THE INDUSTRY, THE MARKETPLACE.
OH, THEY STABILIZE PRICES, SURE, RIGHT, AFTER THEY FIRST MAKE SURE THEY'RE RAISED YET AGAIN!
NO, HERE'S WHY CHINA HAS RISEN SO FAST ON THE WORLD MARKET AND THREATENS AMERICA'S POSITION...THEY DO MORE THINGS WITH LESS MONEY THAN AMERICA DOES AND THEY DO IT MORE QUICKLY.
AND THEIR MINDSET IS NOT SO MUCH ABOUT "EQUALITY" AS OURS APPEARS TO BE (UNDERLINE APPEARS).
THE CHINESE PEOPLE WILL SIT STILL FOR LOW WAGES, LONG HOURS, HORRIBLE WORKING CONDITIONS, CHILD LABOR, HARSH DISCIPLINE BY THOSE WHO RUN THE BUSINESSES, AND THEY DON'T SEE THINGS FROM OUR "DEMOCRATIC" VIEWPOINT. THEY ARE FINE WITH COMMUNISM THERE, THANK YOU.
IT'S RATHER LIKE THE BORG COLLECTIVE FROM STAR TREK, OR LIKE BEES IN A HIVE, ALL TOGETHER FOR THE "COMMON GOOD" AND DISCOMFORT AND (PERHAPS, FOR THE MOST PART) NOT BEING BETTER THAN THE "JONESES", NOT BEING DRIVEN TO AMASS INCREDIBLE, UNIMAGINABLE WEALTH, ALL THAT APPEARS TO 'MOTIVATE' AMERICAN WORKERS BE HANGED. IN OTHER NATIONS OF EARTH, AND LIKELY CHINA IS THE SAME, WORKERS SAY, "LET US HAVE ENOUGH TO AFFORD THE BASICS! "
NEED TRUMPS WANT!
NECESSITY TRIUMPHS OVER DESIRE...UNLESS YOU DEAL WITH MANIACS OR, SOMETIMES, PEOPLE "IN LOVE".
GREED DOES NOT YIELD THE REWARDS THERE THAT WE SEEM TO PROVIDE TO OUR OWN MONEYMAKERS HERE.
YES, WE DO REWARD GREED HERE IN AMERICA AND WE ALL KNOW THAT.
SUSTAINING LIFE AND FAMILY IN CHINA AND OTHER SUCH NATIONS BEATS OUT BEING ON THE LIST OF INVITED GUESTS AT THE NEXT FUNDRAISER FOR THE ELITISTS' DARLINGS ON THE HILL.
THAT MEANS THEY (CHINA) WILL ALWAYS DO THINGS MORE CHEAPLY, CAN AFFORD TO OFFER SOMETHING TO THE WORLD FOR 1/10th WHAT THE WORLD HAS ALREADY SHOWN THEY ARE WILLING TO PAY FOR IT, SELL 10 TIMES AS MUCH AT THOSE CHEAPER PRICES AND LAUGH ALL THE WAY TO THE TOP OF THE ECONOMIC HEAP.
WORKERS CAN BUY RICE AND STAPLES, BUT ALSO KNOW THERE ARE 100 OTHERS WILLING AND ABLE TO REPLACE THEM AT THE DROP OF A HAT.
LABOR LAWS DO NOT THREATEN THE CHINESE BUSINESSMAN IN PURE ACTUALITY. NOR DO UNIONS SUCH AS WE HAVE HERE, NOR THE ACLU, ETC.
CHINA HAS SEEN ABOUT A 15% RISE IN WAGES FOR THE PAST 8 YEARS AND THAT MUST BE ENCOURAGING TO SOME WORKERS.
MEDICAL CARE AND ALMOST EVERYTHING ELSE IS CHEAPER IN CHINA FOR ITS WORKERS.
<<a worker who loses a finger in China might get $500 while a worker who loses a finger in the United States might get $50,000.>>
THAT STATEMENT IS ENLIGHTENING.
ALSO ENLIGHTENING IS A CHART I CAME ACROSS THAT SOWS CHINA'S DOMINANCE IN MANUFACTURING. IT IS VERY EYE-OPENING SO PLEASE GO HAVE A LOOK HERE.
FOR EXAMPLE, IN 2011 CHINA PRODUCED OVER 90% OF ALL, YES, ALL COMPUTERS PURCHASED ON THIS PLANET. CHINA ALSO PRODUCED MORE THAN 80% OF ALL AIR CONDITIONERS THAT YEAR, ALMOST 71% OF ALL CELLPHONES THAT WERE ON THE MARKET, AND 63% OF ALL THE SHOES WORN BY THE RESIDENTS OF EARTH.
IMPRESSIVE, ISN'T IT?
BACK TO AMERICAN INFLATION....
THE CHART BELOW VERIFIES WHAT I READ ON DOLLAR TIMES, THAT
"' In 2007, the inflation rate was 4.08%. This was higher than any year since 1990. In 2008, the inflation rate was 0.09%, the lowest rate since 1954.'"
JUST ACCEPT IT, 'PUBLICANS ET AL...THINGS IN THE INFLATION CIRCLE DID GET BETTER AFTER BUSH 2's ECONOMIC BUBBLE BURST AND HE WENT OFF TO TEXAS-LAND.
THE STATISTICS MAKE ME "CRAZY"...I MEAN, LOOK AT THIS!
$1.00 in 1965 had the same buying power as $7.47 in 2014.
Annual inflation over this period was 4.19%.
$1.00 in 2000 had the same buying power as $1.38 in 2014.
Annual inflation over this period was 2.35%.
$1.00 in 2007 had the same buying power as $1.15 in 2014.
Annual inflation over this period was 2.08%.
$1.00 in 2010 had the same buying power as $1.08 in 2014.
Annual inflation over this period was 1.92%.
I ADMIT, MY FIELDS OF MOST STUDY WERE MEDICINE, THE BIOLOGICAL 'SCIENCES', WORLD RELIGIONS AND LANGUAGES, NOT ECONOMICS. I AM NOT IN ANY WAY AN ECONOMIC "EXPERT" BUT IT MAKES NO SENSE TO ME AT ALL HOW THE INFLATION RATE GOES DOWN AT THE SAME TIME THAT TECHNOLOGY BECOMES INSANELY BETTER (OR IS IT?) AND AMERICA EXPANDS ITS REACH INTO THE NATIONS WITH RAW MATERIALS TO PRODUCE GOODS, CAN GET THOSE RAW MATERIALS HERE FASTER, MORE OFTEN, AND STILL AMERICAN PRICES ARE 10 OR MORE TIMES HIGHER THAN IN CHINA.
OKAY, HERE IS WHY I KEEP HARPING ON THAT 10 TIMES HIGHER IN AMERICA THING...
RECENTLY, TO COMPLETE A PROJECT, I NEEDED CERTAIN FEATHERS.
FEATHERS, FOR PETE'S SAKE! SIMPLE, NON-MANUFACTURED BY HUMAN HANDS FEATHERS!
I DILIGENTLY SEARCHED FOR NEARBY SOURCES, FOR DAYS.
I WAS SHOCKED TO SEE THAT THE VERY SAME FEATHERS I COULD ONCE GET FOR A FEW CENTS EACH HERE WERE NOW ABOUT $1.00 EACH!
TURNING TO OLD EBAY, AFTER I LOCATED THOSE FEATHERS THERE, I FOUND 50, YES, 50 FEATHERS FOR THE SAME PRICE FROM CHINA THAT I WOULD HAVE PAID FOR 5 OF THE EXACT SAME FEATHERS FROM ANY U.S. SELLER, AND FREE SHIPPING! FREE! FREE SHIPPING AND 1/10th THE COST!
I ASKED THE CHINESE SELLER WHERE THOSE FEATHERS ORIGINATED FROM....GUESS WHERE THEY GOT THEM FROM!!! GUESS!
FROM THE UNITED STATES!
THEY BOUGHT IMPORTED "AMERICAN" FEATHERS AND WERE ABLE TO SELL THEM AT A PROFIT TO ME FOR 1/10th OF WHAT ANY AMERICAN SELLER WAS WILLING TO LET ME HAVE THEM FOR!
IT DID NOT END THERE....I WOULD HAVE TO WAIT FOR ABOUT 3 WEEKS TO GET THOSE FEATHERS, I WAS WARNED, BECAUSE AMERICAN CUSTOMS (PROBABLY IN CHICAGO, I WAS TOLD), WOULD HOLD THEM FOR ABOUT 7-14 DAYS!
THE SAME FEATHERS THAT HAD ALREADY CLEARED CUSTOMS ON THEIR WAY TO CHINA WOULD THEN HAVE TO BE CLEARED ONCE AGAIN COMING BACK "HOME" BEFORE THEY WOULD BE ALLOWED TO REACH AN AMERICAN CITIZEN LIVING IN THE REAL "NATION OF ORIGIN" OF THOSE POOR MUCH-TRAVELED FEATHERS!
LUDICROUS!
INSANE!
IMPOSSIBLE TO FATHOM!
THIS, THEN, IS THE AMERICAN WAY OF BUSINESS?
THIS IS HOW WE PLAY IT?
IF THE AMERICAN SELLER WHO SOLD THOSE LOVELY FEATHERS TO A CHINESE BUYER COULD SELL THEM FOR A FEW CENTS AND MAKE A PROFIT, AND IF THAT CHINESE BUYER COULD THEN SELL THOSE AMERICAN FEATHERS TO ANOTHER SELLER AND ALSO MAKE A PROFIT, A SELLER WHO WAS WILLING TO SELL TO ME FOR 10 CENTS PER FEATHER AND ADMITTED SHE'D MAKE A PROFIT, WHY THE HELL ARE MY AMERICAN SELLERS CHARGING ME $1.00 EACH FOR THOSE 10-CENTS FEATHERS?
SOMEONE EXPLAIN THIS, ANYONE???
IS THERE ANY LOGICAL, VIABLE EXPLANATION FOR THIS?
WELL, I APPRECIATE "JAPANESE LANTERNS", I DON'T KNOW WHY I LIKE THEM, SO I LOOKED INTO THAT...SAME RESULTS...THE LANTERNS WERE THE ONLY THING I COULD THINK OF QUICKLY TO COMPARE PRICES, HONESTLY.
I LOOKED FOR PLAIN, ROUND, 12", SINGLE-COLORED LANTERNS.
THE COMPARISON BETWEEN AMERICAN vs CHINESE SELLERS WAS A BIT WORSE THAN THE FEATHERS THING, WITH A SINGLE "AMERICAN" LANTERN GOING FOR ABOUT $1.89 ON OLD EBAY COMPARED TO A DOZEN OF THE EXACT SAME TYPE FOR THAT PRICE IF ONE WON A BIDDING WAR THAT WAS ONGOING ON EBAY AT THAT TIME.
[ YES, SOMEONE DID GET 12 LANTERNS FOR $1.89 AND AGAIN, FREE SHIPPING FROM CHINA, AS OPPOSED TO ALMOST $3.00 PER LANTERN FROM AMERICAN DEALERS, BUT SHIPPING REDUCED IF ONE BOUGHT MORE THAN ONE FROM AMERICAN SELLERS. CAPTURE THAT "MAGIC" ANY WAY YOU CAN. IT IS INCREDIBLE, NO?
WHICH SELLER WOULD ANY LOGICAL PERSON CHOOSE, ANY CONSUMER LOOKING FOR THOSE PRODUCTS?
WELL, I HAVE ISSUES WITH THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT ON MANY POINTS, AND WITH SOME OF THE PRACTICES OF THE CULTURE IN GENERAL, SO WOULD I COMPROMISE MYSELF AND BUY THOSE CHEAP FEATHERS FROM A "COMMUNIST NATION" THAT ALLOWS FOR (IN SOME WAYS, NOT THAT I'M SAYING THEY ABSOLUTELY CONDONE IT OR EVEN INSIST UPON IT) CERTAIN INFANT HOMICIDES, AND ALLOWS CHILD LABOR?
I WRESTLE WITH KNOWING THAT THE FEATHERS WERE NOT MANUFACTURED ANYWHERE BUT ON THE BODY OF A BIRD, PLUCKED BY AMERICAN HANDS, SHIPPED OUT TO CHINA BY AMERICANS, AND MERELY PURCHASED BY A CERTAIN CHINESE EBAY SELLER WHO IS PROBABLY JUST TRYING TO SUSTAIN LIFE AND FEED HERSELF AND HER FAMILY.
HELLO, CHINA, I HAVE NOTHING PERSONAL AGAINST THE CHINESE PEOPLE, JUST YOUR GOVERNMENT AND SOME OF YOUR WIDELY-HELD PHILOSOPHY (FOR LACK OF A BETTER WORD). i AM SURE YOU HAVE THE SAME RESERVATIONS AND FEELINGS ABOUT AMERICA, OUR CULTURE, AND SOME CITIZENS HERE WHO SEEM A BIT OR A LOT STRANGE TO YOU. I AM "OKAY"WITH OUR DIFFERENCES AND HAVE NO DESIRE TO CRAM ANYTHING AMERICAN OR WHATEVER DOWN YOUR THROATS.
YOU DO YOUR THING, I DO MINE.
P.S., PLEASE SEND FEATHERS?
AND ANY LANTERNS YOU MAY BE IMPORTING FROM AMERICA AT DIRT-CHEAP PRICES, LIKE THE FEATHERS?
DOES EVERYONE SEE THE DILEMMA?
AND THE SAME DILEMMA IS PLAYED OUT EACH SHOPPING TRIP, IN PERSON OR ONLINE, BY EVERY CONSUMER IN AMERICA.
I AM "ELDERLY" (NEVER SAY THAT TO MY FACE!) AND ON A FIXED INCOME. I LIVE IN A VERY, VERY RURAL AREA, FAR FROM A MAJOR TOWN.
AND, BECAUSE I HAVE A CERTAIN KNACK FOR CREATING EXCUSES FOR THINGS (TO STAY A STEP AHEAD OF PAST PATIENTS WHO MADE THEM UP AT WARP SPEED) I COULD LIST MAYBE 100 "REASONS" (EXCUSES) WHY I SHOULD JUST GO AHEAD AND BUY THE FEATHERS FROM THE VERY SWEET CHINESE LADY ON EBAY.
TRUTH IS, I WANT TO SAVE MONEY, DO 5 PROJECTS INSTEAD OF ONE, MAKE MY OWN BIT OF PROFIT, AND BUY MORE FEATHERS...ETC.
YOU SEE WHAT WE FACE, WHAT OUR CHOICES ARE.
WE CAN "BUY AMERICAN", AS I ALWAYS TRY TO DO, AND TRY QUITE HARD, OR WE CAN CHOOSE TO HELP OURSELVES BY SAVING MONEY, TIME, AND SHIPPING, IN THIS INSTANCE.
WHAT WILL I CHOOSE TO DO?
I WILL BE NOTHING ELSE BUT HONEST AT ALL TIMES...
BECAUSE NO CHINESE LABORER WORKED TO MAKE THESE FEATHERS, OR EVEN PLUCK THEM, AND BECAUSE I HAVE DEVELOPED A FONDNESS FOR THIS PARTICULAR CHINESE LADY SELLER FOR HER HONESTY, PATIENCE, AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP, I AM GOING TO BUY FEATHERS FROM HER UNTIL MY MONEY IS GONE, AND I AM GOING TO COMMUNICATE THAT, AS WELL AS THE PRICES, TO EVERY AMERICAN DEALER IN FEATHERS THAT I KNOW OR CAN FIND AN EMAIL ADDRESS FOR.
I WILL STILL AVOID, MORESO EACH DAY, THE PURCHASE OF GOODS MANUFACTURED WITHIN CHINA BY CHINESE WORKERS. IT'S THE ONLY WAY I CAN SHOW (ONLY TO MYSELF, PERHAPS) THAT I AM MORE FOR THE PEOPLE OF ANY NATION THAN EVER WILL I BE FOR THE NATION AS A NATION.
I DON'T LIKE THE IDEA OF CHILDREN WORKING, NOR OF ANYONE WORKING FOR PENNIES A DAY IN BAD CONDITIONS, WORKING UNTIL THEY DROP FROM IT.
YES, I WILL ADD TO THE CHINESE ECONOMY.
YES, I WILL BE AIDING AND ABETTING THE RISE OF CHINA TO BE KING OF THE WORLD MARKET.
YES, I WILL LIKELY REGRET IT, BUT THOSE ARE BEAUTIFUL FEATHERS AND I CAN GET THEM FOR A SONG!
SO, TAKE THAT, AMERICAN BUSINESS!
TAKE THAT, GREEDY SELLERS!
TAKE THAT, WALL STREET AND THE FED!
I SALUTE YOU ALL WITH THE SAME FINGER THAT I WILL USE TO HIT THAT "BUY IT NOW" BUTTON ON EBAY.
AND I WILL SEND MY SELLER A HEARTFELT "THANK YOU, I WISH YOU ALL THE BEST. MAY YOUR BLESSINGS FALL LIKE RAIN."
AND I WILL SINCERELY MEAN IT.
CHINA HAS MADE IT TO THE TOP BY SACRIFICE...OF ITS WORK FORCE, OF ITS PEOPLE MAINLY, BUT ALSO BY ITS WILLINGNESS TO BE THAT COMPETITIVE, BY ITS UNDETERRED DRIVE TO BEAT OUT THE COMPETITION.
ITS MOTIVES ARE IN NO WAY NOBLE, BUT THE WORLD MARKET IS A PLACE OF WAR, BATTLES, STRATEGY, ONE-UPMANSHIP THAT ELEVATES THE RECENTLY ARRIVED ABOVE THE OLD HANDS.
WHY DO YOU THINK THE WEE BOOK "SUN TZU'S ART OF WAR" HAS BEEN REQUIRED READING FOR BUSINESS PROFESSIONALS IN AMERICA FOR PERHAPS CENTURIES?
THE WESTERN MIND IS JUST DIFFERENT FROM THE ORIENTAL ONE. WE DON'T TEACH OUR STUDENTS TO THINK AS WELL, TO REASON, TO TAKE TIME TO LOOK AT THE LONG ROAD, NOT FOR SOME SHORTCUT. WE HAVEN'T THE PATIENCE OF THE GREAT ORIENTAL STRATEGISTS, NOR THE SENSE OF DUTY TO SELF, TO ANCIENT VALUES.
I FOUND A RATHER COMPELLING ARTICLE ON HOW CHINA CAN PRODUCE SUCH CHEAP GOODS.
<<At Bajaj Auto, our manufacturing operations are characterised by a mix of high volume products from relatively simpler but older facilities and smaller volume products from complex new facilities, thus demanding very high workforce versatility. It is like living in two worlds.
Furthermore, ever-increasing quality and cost pressures challenge individual skills and collective effort continuously. In this context we found TPM's cross-functional, bottom up, empowering, detail oriented, fact based, analytical, and investment light approach to be extremely simple and sharply result oriented.
TPM provokes awkward introspection. For example, previously certain processes continuously yielded 2% defective components.
Professor Yamaguchi embarrassed us by observing that extraordinary skills were required to ensure such a precise failure rate. It should be much simpler to achieve 100% OK.
Needless to say, this was quickly achieved through data stratification, phenomenon identification, root cause analysis and implementation of not only appropriate counter-measures for immediate correction, but also preventive action for long term sustenance.
TPM focuses effort on improvement in PQCDSM (Production, Quality, Cost, Delivery, Safety and Morale) through the elimination of sixteen losses.
Far from being superficial, it is a scientific, step-by-step methodology.
The absence of IPR (Intellectual Property Rights) means that products are quickly and easily copied. They don't spend on understanding the customer. >>
WELL, READ IT AND WEEP, OR DON'T...YES, THE ARTICLE CARRIES PROPAGANDA (ALSO CALLED 'PUBLIC RELATIONS' HERE IN AMERICA), BUT IT'S ALSO VERY TELLING.
ALSO, LET US REMEMBER THIS
<<China has held more than $1 trillion in U.S. debt for the last three years. That's when the Treasury Department changed how it measures the debt. Before July 2010, Treasury reports show China held $843 billion in debt. This makes it difficult to do long-term comparisons. Owning U.S. Treasury notes helps China's economy grow by keeping its currency weaker than the dollar. This keeps products exported from China cheaper than U.S. products
China's position as America's largest banker gives it some political leverage. Every now and then, China threatens to sell part of its debt holdings. It knows that, if it did so, U.S. interest rates would rise, which would slow U.S economic growth>>
INDEED...THAT IS ANOTHER FACTOR, BUT IT'S STILL STRATEGY.
THE "BEST MAN" WINS OUT, RIGHT?
WHETHER BY RIGHT OR BY MIGHT SOME NATION WILL CLAW ITS WAY OVER AMERICA AND STAND AS "KING OF THE HILL".
MY MONEY IS ON CHINA...TYPED AS I GO TO BUY THOSE MANY, MANY FEATHERS.
No comments:
Post a Comment