The Economy

[StereoInstaller1]

I find it odd how so many say that Americans are looking to the high-tech sector for jobs, while the average person I play pool with 5 nights a week seem more interested in finding either a trade job (Electrician, construction, automotive work, bookeeping) or manual labor.

While the high tech stuff might appeal to the big city guys, small town America seems to want to keep it simple.

[andyman2487]

I find it odd how so many say that Americans are looking to the high-tech sector for jobs, while the average person I play pool with 5 nights a week seem more interested in finding either a trade job (Electrician, construction, automotive work, bookeeping) or manual labor.

While the high tech stuff might appeal to the big city guys, small town America seems to want to keep it simple.

Well, the blue collar class is disappearing so if you can't handle/afford college, some trade jobs are a pretty good option.

[nando]

It is true that the industrial countries from yesteryears have developped into more knowledge-based or high tech industries/business. Perhaps thinking that our citizens are too good to work in a factory. Problem is that there is a huge non-educated portion of the population (US or Canada) that sees less and less jobs for their skills. Not everyone is a computer network tech, or economy consultant. One other problem is the laziness of many big American industrials to not adapt. The American auto industry has been aiming to a concrete wall for 25 years and hasn't realized that foreign automakers are continuously improving their products. That means that many workers are loosing their job.

yeah, but the UAW has also tied the american automakers hands behind their backs. their pay rates and benefits are so overinflated that the automakers have no choice but to lay off employees - they don't have money to finance R&D to come out with new cars. the only reason GM stayed afloat so long was because of their finance arm, they haven't made a profit on automobiles in decades. hell, half of their cars were designed and built by suzuki, daewoo (I think I remember one from them), or toyota..

[dinanm3atl]

The dollar is very weak so it does not go very far right now.

Futures and Edging are driving the cost up because "we may run out" so they jack up the price. If you eliminated that Oil would be in the teens per barrel more than like. Maybe low 20s.

Worldwide lust for oil, many LARGE countries are where the US was 50 years ago. Everyone is getting cars and wants to DRIVE!

More than likely this is the new America. Gas will be in the high 3 dollar range for some time now. It may even keep rising and to be perfectly honest I hope it does. If going from 3.50 to 4 dollars a gallon is causing you to have major problems I would suggest selling the car and getting a scooter or take public transportation.

This is just like someone on bf.c crying because he could not come to bimmerfest because of gas. He lived IN California and was looking at 100mi commute. The difference in cost from 4 a gallon to 4.20 a gallon means his round trip cost him a whopping 2 dollars more. That assumed he gets 20mpg. Come on man. Even a dollar increase is really nothing in the grand scheme of things.

Everyone is bitching and complaining about this and that... Well toughen up, quit living the "American Lifestyle". If your feeling it at the pump look over your monthly bills. Do you need High Speed Internet? Do you need 4 DVR Boxes and HBO? What is your cable bill? Do you smoke? Drink? How often do you eat out?

I hope it keeps going out. Means maybe finally people will dump their SUVs they don't use and I can get back on my bike and not feel so unsafe. Scooters are becoming a viable option and that is GREAT!

I am happy right now. My e28 gets ~25mpg and the market for a used 2004 Tahoe has DUMPED so we will be upgrad from our 2001 Explorer V8 to a nice Tahoe and I get an upgraded Tow Rig.

[nando]

there's a place in town that sells nothing but scooters and segways - a few years ago, it was pretty small and it seemed like a silly place for a shop like that. but now I see those damn scooters everywhere - I can't ride one because they're too slow for the freeway (not to mention sharing the road with huge semis and SUVs would be scary), but it's kinda odd to see some kid going down the road on a segway. I mean, really - who would actually buy one of those?

oh yeah, if my commute were any longer I'd seriously be looking at a motorcycle.. and I know I'm not the only one!

[dinanm3atl]

Go ride a scooter man. They make them up to 150s and in GA those are freeway legal and have CVT trans.

If you can take backroads to work a 50cc with a jet kit and some minor tweaks will do 50 or 55mph on flat ground.

I loved when I had the ItalJet. It would haul ass!

[nando]

it wouldn't save me enough money to be worth it - even at over $4 a gallon for premium, I can go to work for a week on $15 or less. but I live pretty close and I don't drive alone ;)

[rwh11385]

One thing most seem to forget is that China and India are soon going to demand an equal wage...and then labor/transportation will be cheaper here, or "trendier" or whatever, then the jobs will be back here.

Cyclical, indeed. Good times, bad times are all the same: this too shall pass.

wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! yup. but cost of our shit will go up, and maybe we'll find the next place to seek out lowest wage?

If I were in China, I'd sure as hell use some of my higher wages in factories to get a rushing toiret

[mrsleeve]

One day, people will realize that the $1 saving they did by purchasing an asian-made product will cost $2 to the society. When one person buy a cheaper "foreign" product, he may save a few $$$, but he also sees a neighbour loose his job... Which starts costing the society. Does China buy US-made products? Nop. So why buy China-made ones?

this is How I feel as well

[CorvallisBMW]

Does China buy US-made products? Nop.

Actually, yes they do. Buick's biggest market is China. Boeing sells lots of airplanes there too. China actually buys a lot of stuff we make. Not as much as we buy from them (that's why we have a trade deficit) but they're one of our biggest markets.

[nando]

Actually, yes they do. Buick's biggest market is China. Boeing sells lots of airplanes there too. China actually buys a lot of stuff we make. Not as much as we buy from them (that's why we have a trade deficit) but they're one of our biggest markets.

I also suspect made-in-USA goods are popular with the "rich" in china. one of the reasons buicks sell there - they are big and expensive to get, so they're seen as an exclusive product, even if they're no big deal here. remember how the Japanese used to buy old Levi's jeans like crazy? same idea..

[trashcop 80s 80s]

Do any of you guys honestly want to work in a sock factory, high paying or not? I don't think so. There's a reason why US industry has been moving more towards services, and it's not just because we're "losing" jobs to overseas markets - it's because fat fucking slob americans like you and me don't want to do manual labor any more, at any price. So we buy them cheap from China and sell things like finance and engineering instead, which are a better use of our talents than standing in a factory line for 12 hours a day stamping boxes.

We have almost 2 million people in prison in America. Maybe a percentage of them would not be there if they had more opportunity to work factory jobs making $10hr, instead of turning to drugs, crime. It may sound optomistic, but if there were more opportunity for uneducated laborers, which America has millions, we could reduce overall dependence on social programs, reduce crime, give some people a chance to provide for themselves. Not everyone is capable of providing high tech services or professional consulting type of work.

[nando]

or we could spend more on education instead of using 60% of our budget for entitlements. talk about screwing over the next generation! ;)

you raise a good point though - but I don't think lack of jobs is the only reason whe have such a high prison population. some of those people would be criminals if they had a job or not. It seems to make sense to put some of them to work though, rather than paying to have them get free shelter, food and cable TV (although that's not really true, it sure seems that way). The problem is, chinese labor is still cheaper.

[StereoInstaller1]

rushing toiret

[trashcop 80s 80s]

or we could spend more on education instead of using 60% of our budget for entitlements. talk about screwing over the next generation! ;)

We don't need too many people with degrees. A bachelor's degree is almost worthless as it is.

I meant only a percentage would not be in prison. Of couse plenty of them would still be fuckups, but by providing working opportunities, not entitlements, would help to put some people to use. Keep them from resorting to crime and becoming societal leeches.