Posted on 01/04/2005 6:55:42 AM PST by 1rudeboy
NEW YORK -- The nation's industrial sector ended 2004 on a high note, with manufacturing activity expanding in December for the 19th consecutive month, a research group reported. But the government said construction spending dropped in November as builders reined in projects in anticipation of higher interest rates.
The Institute for Supply Management said its main index of industrial activity rose to 58.6 in December from 57.8 in November. The December performance was slightly more robust than analysts had anticipated.
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
Can you?
They are relentless. [chuckle]
I am sure the lower dollar is helping US factories selling products overseas...
Well the manufacturing numbers are really high because the dollars is plunging, forcing Americans to buy more inferior American produced products, oh yeah, and with record defecits, it defecits the manufacturers into making more things because Zo The Magnificent said so!
We don' build nuthin', nowheres, no how.
Or my personal favorite, "Well, tell it to my Uncle Stosh, who lost his job at the dipstick factory."
I thought America didn't manufacture anything anymore.
BTW, in similar news, U.S. railroads reported that they carried more freight in December than at any time in history. That's another indicator that good things are happening out there. But this is bad too, and probably portends impending doom. I'm just not sure why. Prolly something to do with Alan Greenspan. |
I don't think there's a single industry in U.S. history where this hasn't been the case.
Of course we don't. We only export raw materials like most of the Third World.
Fair enough. But increased worker productivity generally indicates a higher standard of living. So this "race to the bottom" thing only applies to the unemployed. Talk about stating the obvious.
Exactly.
"I thought America didn't manufacture anything anymore."
Me too. I thought the Japanese took all our jobs in the '80...or was that the Mexicans in the '90s? No, no....it's India, that's right it's India this decade.
Technology has eliminated more jobs than "outsourcing" ever will.
That is correct. We should not stop progress so we could save a few jobs..
As we speak, Alan Tonelson, Paul Craig Roberts, and Paul Krugman are desperately seeking guidance from their collectivist brethren on how to proceed in the face of this terrible news. And the usual suspects here breathlessly await.
I'm sure Willie can tell us why we are still doomed :)
On the way out of the airport for the ride into Manhattan, he noticed a large crew of men shoveling snow off one of the runways.
"Why are all those men shoveling snow like that?" he asked, "instead of using snow plows like we do in Moscow?"
"There are so many men out of work here," a New York City official pointed out, "that we keep the snow plows parked and hire crews of men instead. That way we can keep several hundred men employed who might otherwise be out of work."
After a reflective pause, the Soviet official said:
"Why don't you use spoons instead of shovels? That way you could keep several thousand men working all day long."
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I'm sure there is some reason that this is bad, and that it portends impending doom. I can't imagine what that reason is, but I'm certain we'll hear all about it in the coming notes.