Posted on 05/13/2017 9:10:35 PM PDT by grey_whiskers
What do flat-earthers and economists have in common?
They both mistake their models for reality. They confuse what ought to be with what is.
And that’s why economists are often wrong—even when they all agree, like when it comes to global free trade.
Ask 10 economists about global free trade, and 10 will say it’s good. Always good.
(Excerpt) Read more at nationaleconomicseditorial.com ...
I have a 12 year old Whirlpool refrigerator. It still works fine. Replaced the condenser fan recently because it was getting a little noisy and replaced the ice maker about 3 years ago. If I remember correctly, I think I paid about $400 for a plain Jane type fridge in the 1980’s and it was a piece of junk. Appliances today are considerably better for the most part.
Still have a GE microwave ca. 1980. The only control on it is a manual timer dial. Just one heat setting. I use it almost every day.
My fridge, a Gibson, is over 40.
I know it. It’s everywhere. It’s effing criminal. The few things that are still made in America tend to still be very well made though as in, I expect them to outlive me.
My GE microwave refuses to die. Can’t recall how old it is, along with a number of other kitchen appliances.
And my Sears washer and dryer, both seem indestructible.
Where I live, we have several power outages during the winter. I have lost a TV, dishwasher, range and freezer after one of those power outages. The reason is there are IC chips running these devices and they fail if there is a strong power surge. I wonder if there is surge protection circuits in these appliances?
Also consider the impact of government regulations on appliances. For example government energy mandates could mean less robust motors built for efficiency not longevity. Federal water use restrictions have long meant that washers have more problems. Rugged top loading washers were almost eliminated for problematic front loaders as a result.
BUT,, the freezer part of the refrigerator was inly 12 X 12. And you could only defrost it after LOTS of trouble.
Now i can get endless ice THROUGH THE DOOR without filling ice trays. And there are No ice trays!!! The water fills without having to do a thing.
I could go on and n .... yes, they did last forever but we added lots of features and made it a two door with separate freezer and NO FROST .... it never freezes over!!!
1983 Space Saver Microwave Price: $579.99
We paid less than $579 for our GE Profile a few years about.
Using his referenced calculator, that 1983 $579 would be over $1700 today!
The answer is no, there is not surge protection built in.
Now now, don’t go pointing that out.
You will hurt the Freeper Free Traitor’s little feelings.
Then they will need a safe space.
You meant.
I have 2, one is a 1985 and one is a 1986, back when we actually made them here. Later they came from Korea and were pretty good, newer ones are from Malaysia and China and are not.
Do you remember those GE dishwashers from the 1980’s? The tub had a rubbery type coating that was easily scratched. Then moisture would get underneath the coating and it would rust out in short order. Talk about bad design. And there was the dishwasher with the heated dry switch in the door that would short-out and burn down your house.
When I was a kid, our freezers had an ‘auto’ defrost mode.
My mother would call me and tell me that I auto defrost them.
Cars are the same way. The more features you add, the more things you have to break. As the government adds more and more regulations to the industry, they become more and more complicated and more and more inclined to breakage. I am certain that our automobile manufacturers could produce a car that would never need replaced in an average users lifetime if A.) they were allowed to and B.) they wanted to.
Now, the “control panel” is all computer panels. They have to be completely replaced.
You can put a surge protector on your breaker box for the whole house.
You got me beat! Just ended my relationship of 37 years with a basic upright Kenmore. Could have repaired it for about $275 dollars. I might yet regret not doing it. No repairs ever until the “cow horn” defroster gizmo in the freezer packed it in.
aah, how times have changed...remember when gas cost 39 cents a gallon? those good old days were sure nice times...
That will probably last forever. Mechanical controls don’t fail like electronics.
I always advised customers to buy the most basic, least electronic product they could find. Switches and timers last far longer than boards.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.