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Income Inequality

What should be done to battle income inequality in the USA?

  • Do not intervene

    Votes: 39 53.4%
  • Yes, do intervene

    Votes: 34 46.6%

  • Total voters
    73
China has a huge role, but we are the actual cause. People in this country want cheap Chinese crap, which has put many of our manufacturing jobs out on the curb. If Americans were willing to pay what it costs, for Americans to make our stuff, we'd have a much more true and accurate picture of economic viability.

I've looked at this thread before and couldn't decide my feelings on the topic.

I'll just reply to you Liz because there does seem to be a trend towards buying American made products and paying the higher associated costs. And then bragging to all of your friends that it's "Made in the USA". It really will have to come in the form of a populist movement.

Back in the '60s, we wouldn't buy anything that said "Made in Japan" on it. We laughed and joked about it being so cheap. Of course Japan went on to dazzle us with some of the best made products anywhere. They now have them assembled in China. They're in our same boat.

What we are discovering is that there is no quality control in China. The risk that your new box will not hold all of the contents required is pretty high. And the small appliances are not quality kitchen machines like your Grandparents bought. You're lucky to a few moths out of one. That's after you've returned 3 of them that didn't work at all.

So I'm down with that. I am going to use my money to buy the best one I can find and make sure it's USA made.





I hope this catches on.
 
I messed up. Turn 80 into 800 in business.

So, a very small restaurant.

Much like the little kiosks selling coffee and sandwiches. Yes, I suppose they could get by without that expensive microwave.

But, I'd hate to see all of the regulation of the food industry go away in order to pave the way for extra small operations. I've seen and experienced first hand what happens when there is no effective regulation of food.
 
Go on the internet right now, and try to order up a rated for food service, 4 burner grill and oven, the most basic thing any kitchen needs. You're gonna find....2, MAYBE 3 brands, in all the US, to choose from, and that's it. Better yet, to give you an even better idea, and an even more basic and essential item for ANY kitchen, try buying a griddle. Thousands of retailers? No, you can't USE the stuff retailers are selling, it's illegal. Those are for home use. ONLY.

I've posted dozens of times that I think the root issue is a lack of competition, so pointing out that there isn't enough competition isn't the killer argument against me that you seem to think it is. But you were talking about regulation. You were claiming that for some unspecified reason, regulation caused there to be only one seller of this stuff in your area. Now you're just saying that there aren't enough companies that make them at all. That may be true, I have no idea, but so?

Regardless, manufacturers and retailers are different things. There are, of course, thousands of retailers for them regardless of how many brands make them.
 
I've posted dozens of times that I think the root issue is a lack of competition, so pointing out that there isn't enough competition isn't the killer argument against me that you seem to think it is. But you were talking about regulation. You were claiming that for some unspecified reason, regulation caused there to be only one seller of this stuff in your area. Now you're just saying that there aren't enough companies that make them at all. That may be true, I have no idea, but so?

Regardless, manufacturers and retailers are different things. There are, of course, thousands of retailers for them regardless of how many brands make them.

Not thousands. 10? Sure. Thousands? Only if you're going to count subsidiaries. And as I've been saying, regulations are the reason why there is very little to no competition in the restaurant supply industry. I can't just go out and start my own little Hobart style oven and pot/pan washer company.


Look, believe me, or not, I no longer care. The truth is, it doesn't matter. I could get you, and every other person on this thing to agree, and to agree that it needs to be changed, but it's not going to be changed, because it's unprofitable for both the companies that have the monopolies, and the politicians those same companies invest millions annually in.



Cart. Before. Horse.
 
So, a very small restaurant.

Much like the little kiosks selling coffee and sandwiches. Yes, I suppose they could get by without that expensive microwave.

But, I'd hate to see all of the regulation of the food industry go away in order to pave the way for extra small operations. I've seen and experienced first hand what happens when there is no effective regulation of food.

That small restaurant is what we used to call "a starter restaurant". In reference to "starter homes". Not many people will be familiar with that term anymore, because it hasn't been used in about 30 years. Why? Because those little shops are dying out, because the profit margin on them is low, but the operating and start up costs are very high.

But I agree. Look, I'm not an anarchist. Hell, I'm not even a conservative. I believe in regulating the market, because it's my belief that money makes us all serial killers. I believe that, baring negative side affects, there are a GREAT many men and women who would do absolutely horrible things...KNOWINGLY...because it's better for their bottom line. Even WITH regulations, laws, rules, etc, people STILL choose to do the wrong thing, STILL choose to break the law, because, short term, it's better for their bottom line.

The company I work for is an example of this. They are violating the law every day they open their doors for business. They have classified their mid managers are executive exempt employers, illegally, in order to avoid paying them any overtime or other compensation for hours worked past 45 per week. Many mid managers are nothing more than day laborers who don't get paid for the entire day. They hire them on for 35K a year, which is the minimum you can pay someone and classify them as an executive, a pay set in the 19 freaking 60s, and hasn't changed, and them have them do grunt work for 10-12 hours per day, 5 days a week.

And then, once a group of those managers have had enough, they sue. BJ's has been getting hit by a class action every 2 years, for the last 10 years, now, give or take. First it was their overnight managers, who are now hourly. Then it was their meat managers, who are now mostly hourly, depending on state. Then it was their Loss Prevention managers, and thelast one I was aware of were their HR managers.


When you HUMAN RESOURCES managers are suing you and winning, you're probably doing something wrong. Just a thought. But BJ's hasn't, and won't, move on the other positions. The bakery managers (HARD day laborers), Customer Service managers, Replinishment managers, merchandise managers, membership aquisition and retention (marm) managers. They are all still salary, and will remain so until someone sues, brings it to light, and they are legally FORCED to....OBEY THE LAW.


I'll wager this same basic principle is alive and well, and active, all over the US. Because it's cheaper to settle a class action than it is to pay your help for the amount of time they work for you.

So yea, I am very much NOT anti regulation. I simply don't like blanket regs, blind folly, and lobbyism more eager to increase profits for a few at the expense of the many.
 
I've looked at this thread before and couldn't decide my feelings on the topic.

I'll just reply to you Liz because there does seem to be a trend towards buying American made products and paying the higher associated costs. And then bragging to all of your friends that it's "Made in the USA". It really will have to come in the form of a populist movement.

Back in the '60s, we wouldn't buy anything that said "Made in Japan" on it. We laughed and joked about it being so cheap. Of course Japan went on to dazzle us with some of the best made products anywhere. They now have them assembled in China. They're in our same boat.

What we are discovering is that there is no quality control in China. The risk that your new box will not hold all of the contents required is pretty high. And the small appliances are not quality kitchen machines like your Grandparents bought. You're lucky to a few moths out of one. That's after you've returned 3 of them that didn't work at all.

So I'm down with that. I am going to use my money to buy the best one I can find and make sure it's USA made.





I hope this catches on.



I drive a car almost made in the USA. The transmission and the steering column were both made in europe.


And there's the rub. Things aren't really made entirely in the USA anymore. Sure, we might ASSEMBLE things here. But we don't make from scratch. That ended even before the 70s. The only thing we REALLY make in bulk, MOSTLY in house, are munitions, arms, military craft, etc. And even THAT stuff uses a lot of components made in other countries, even China, lol.

On principle, I agree, though.
 
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