Death of Manufacturing

The American Conservative ^ | 8/23/03 | nonglobalist

[WRhine]

And with the shutdowns, the operators went away, retired, or died. There's nobody left who knows how to make that little part of the Bomb.

Of course, we will never need those things again, right?

Of course not! America can always get those nuclear bomb parts from Russia, China, North Korea el al. The Nuclear Age is just so passe. Plus everyone knows that the future of Energy is in clean burning oil and coal generating plants. The future is the past!

[WRhine]

If you aren't in the industry, you won't know or remember the technology and you won't know how to advance it, because you won't see where the process can be improved or innovated.

Well Said Regulator. Once we lose the critical mass in an industry we not only lose that industry but we lose all the future innovations and associated knowledge, education and skills that the industry supports. This deleterious ripple effect cuts across many industries and skill sets that are integral to America's future manufacturing and technology base. Insanity seems to rule the day in the halls of our government and boardrooms of corporate America.

[ninenot]

The Future is in the Past!!!</>

Which means that you didn't get to firewood--which the Greenies may not allow, either.

[Ronly Bonly Jones]

But the Soviets tumbled because (among other reasons) the USA was able to ECONOMICALLY force their hand. We HAD the military-industrial capability and the tax revenues flowing from manufacturing, necessary to simply out-gun them.

Can we do that again with the ChiComs?>>

We don't have to. China will fall into a bloody civil war of its own making within 20 years, brought to you by the one child policy. (Question: What do you do with 100 million males with internet access and NO chance of finding wives? Answer: You start wars and use them to kill one another.)

[american spirit]

I understand where you're coming from but so many people have had their brains filled with so much fluff, nonsense, swill and falsehoods that they do suffer from severe arrogance laced with a fair amount of ignorance. I'm not sure how and when it happened but we now have a society that is almost incapable of projecting into the future the ramifications of decisions made (or not made) with regards to public and gov't. policies.

For example, I continue to be amazed that anyone with even half their brain tied behind their back cannot see the suicidal approach this country has taken with illegal immigration and the problem is most likely much more severe than we've led to believe. Illegal immigration as now constructed will lead to either a "reconquista" takeover over a significant part of this country.....(wait to see what happens if Bustamante is elected in CA).....or they are being used to provide some of mayhem that WILL occur when this financial house of cards collapses AND IT WILL. Just imagine how millions of people who have no education or skills, cannot speak the language will react when the fedgov $ stop flowing. IMO it will come down to the old saying "people with nothing to lose HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE" and we will see a violent struggle ensue and neither scenario bodes well for this country. Anyway, my point is I think it's necessary to try and whack some folks upside the head as much as possible until the some common sense creeps back into their brain.....it could just save their life someday.

[ninenot]

Civil war, maybe. I think they will finally take India.

Different war, bigger prize, similar results, and plenty of women in India.

Who can start a civil war in China? Who has the armament?

[Ronly Bonly Jones]

Who can start a civil war in China? Who has the armament?>>

Old chinese saying: United the empire must divide; divided the empire must unite.

They're temporarily in the 'unite' phase. However, China is no more homogenous than we are, and they have a LOT longer history of falling into local warlordism beating up on each other before a new Emperor emerges. Murdering 100 million girl babies is a guarantee of civil war. (Hey, if I was Chinese and 100% certain that the ChiComs had murdered my wife in utero, I'd want to overthrow them too!)

[Ronly Bonly Jones]

Thank you, no, I don't think Revelations has anything to say about our present situation. We do not live in the time of the Antichrist. Deal with it.

[GOP_1900AD]

I have witnessed the liquidation of US manufacturing as an insider. I have even, shamefully, driven it directly in a few cases. The following I can say with great assurance. The great challenge of the 1970s and 80s was responding to global competition in terms of the quality Vs. price of our products. During the late 80s and arguably early 90s we made great strides in terms of adopting improved total quality practices, value engineering, demand flow manufacturing, design for manufacturing and automation and other DF(x) disciplines. But we never took any of these to full fruition. When the temptation of offshoring presented itself, we gave up on trying to drive cost out of products and improve quality *by design*, and without resorting to the low hanging fruit of offshoring, which, at best, could attack the 25% of product cost which, at the maxiimum, is due to overhead. We have essentially forgotten about the other 75% and so long as someone can find a new offshoring opportunity no one will be forced to go after it. By then it will be too late because all of the talent who know how to do it will be flippin' burgers. I can well remember the debates I was involved in when offshoring first started to get going in high tech; I initially argued we should make our products better and lower cost without changing site; but was ultimately overruled by people who appeared to be fascinated by (addicted to?) the whole life of expat intrigue in the PRC. You may know some of them; you will find them in the watering holes of Hong Kong and Shanghai, well tanned from their extensive partaking in the cheap green fees and leisure time that comes from being one of the expat kings. I could write a book about this; maybe someday I will!

[GOP_1900AD]

Bump.

[HighRoadToChina]

Very interesying analysis!

[A. Pole]

We do not live in the time of the Antichrist.

How do you know? We live in the times when mankind puts itself in the place of God, the global state is becoming possible and there is a general apostasy.

[Ronly Bonly Jones]

We do not live in the time of the Antichrist.
How do you know? We live in the times when mankind puts itself in the place of God, the global state is becoming possible and there is a general apostasy.>>

Because so many people think it is so. There have been far greater candidates for Antichrist in generations past than anything or anyone on the horizon now; the last one shot himself in the mouth in Berlin in 1945.

The arrogance of Christians who presume to think themselves of the last generation (hoping, of course, to show up their neighbors when they themselves are sucked up into the clouds during the "rapture" and the neighbors are not). Christ preserve us from such as these.

[Destro]

[A. Pole]

There have been far greater candidates for Antichrist in generations past than anything or anyone on the horizon now; the last one shot himself in the mouth in Berlin in 1945.

Did Hitler aspired to be the Messiah, king of the Jews and wanted to be worshipped in the rebuilt Temple?

The arrogance of Christians who presume to think themselves of the last generation (hoping, of course, to show up their neighbors when they themselves are sucked up into the clouds during the "rapture" and the neighbors are not). Christ preserve us from such as these.

Who spoke here about the "rupture"?

"Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God."(2 Thess, 2:3-4)

"Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation." (2Pt:3:3-4)

[RaceBannon]

There are some sobering things here, related to this Chinese overpopulation problem some mentioned here: 200,000,000 males with no brides and no jobs...

Bible students here know this scenario is directly spoken of, practically verbatim!

(Rev 9:13 KJV) And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,

(Rev 9:14 KJV) Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.

(Rev 9:15 KJV) And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.

(Rev 9:16 KJV) And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.

(Rev 16:12 KJV) And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.

The only thing I never thought of, was that one reason for them to march would be to find wives! That is not a too far fetched reason, considering all the plagues and disasters of Revelation, all the billions that die, and no wives to repopulate China?

[ninenot]

Actually, they build the plants here to avoid the tariffs--and to save a lotta shipping costs.

But those plants only ASSEMBLE--parts from overseas, largely.

[ninenot]

Interesting. Nothing like cheap greens fees as a reason to un-employ your uncle, aunt, and countless cousins, eh wot old man?

But your post makes another point: with all the yapflap about "quality labor" and "quality parts" available from China, I've yet to buy a made-in-China computer mouse that lasts 6 months v. the American oldies which are STILL going after 5 years. Same-o with the Chinese CD-onboard-computers machines. Install 1/2 dozen systems, and the CD is shot.

I defy you to find any of the above which are made in the USA.