Some good news in manufacturing in America

[Prazak]

Re: Some good news in manufacturing in America

I have never, ever before advocated the banning of anyone from iTulip though I have been on the receiving end of a number of such calls.

I must say, however, that Erixymachus has thus far contributed exactly zero to any discussion involving anything beyond the depths of human negativity.

Yeah, I'm not normally given to grabbing a pitchfork, but in this instance . . .

[metalman]

Re: Some good news in manufacturing in America

I googled the phrase: "Struggle is the father of all things.....". The quote is credited on several sites to Hitler

"the very tension of the soul in unhappiness -...- is what cultivates our strength" Nietzsche from "Beyond Good and Evil".

Got any more original thoughts, Eryx?

You are now the second user on itulip I've placed on "ignore". You should feel special; it's a very select list.

Subtly

Oops! Sorry for the senior moment. That was MM baiting you on the "struggle" quote. But, you could have at least given Nietzsche credit for the quote in post 43.

so sorry to confuse you... these are hitler quotes that mirror our 'teacher's' points. he ran away when he saw they were one & the same.

my favorite...

'Success is the sole earthly judge of right and wrong.'
- Adolph Hitler

hitler wrong by his definition...

[Jeff]

Re: Some good news in manufacturing in America

Jeez, a guy tries to wave the flag a little and offer up some hope and ends up with dueling Yankees, a Hitler impersonating troll and coffee spit up on the desktop. At least it didn't end with the sound of crickets.

[jpatter666]

Re: Some good news in manufacturing in America

Yeah, I'm not normally given to grabbing a pitchfork, but in this instance . . .

Wow....that one makes you want to ask "what brought you to this site -- so we can change it"

[DSpencer]

Re: Some good news in manufacturing in America

Jeez, a guy tries to wave the flag a little and offer up some hope and ends up with dueling Yankees, a Hitler impersonating troll and coffee spit up on the desktop. At least it didn't end with the sound of crickets.

Threads like this make me long for a moderator to split the nonsense into a separate thread.

Your story is very rewarding. I'm one of the people who is probably too negative despite doing well personally. It sometimes seems that everywhere you look there's a reason to be pessimistic. It's great to see that not everyone has given up.

[DSpencer]

Re: Some good news in manufacturing in America

What about sunglasses? There only seems to be two kinds out there, cheap crap that falls apart the first time you drop them, and nice stuff for big $$$ that you kick yourself in the butt when you leave them at the table in a restaurant.
I'm sure the difference in materials and workmanship between a $10.00 pair and something that might last is probably only a few bucks, but the $20.00 high quality item does not exist.

Sorry for ranting, but with the truck loads of cheap crap for sale, there seem like a big hole to fill.
Stuff we depend upon every day with, no middle-ware product.

I thought I was the only one! I just went through this buying sunglasses. There's usually 3 main options: outrageously high priced name brands, cheap knock-offs of name brands, cheap pairs from walmart,walgreens, cvs etc.

In general I have a similar idea for many products. I can't tell if it's viable or a fantasy: Mid to high end products that skimp on silly features and flashiness and make up for it with true high quality.

When I buy things today I almost cringe when I hear all the great "features". Most are marginally useful at best and one extra thing to have break. Some are so complicated that I'll never bother to figure them out.

[lektrode]

Re: Some good news in manufacturing in America

....seems that everywhere you look there's a reason to be pessimistic. It's great to see that not everyone has given up.

+1
altho we ARE glad that some finally gave up...
and hey, its not just anybody who can wake up the metalman, eh?

and whats the matter with crickets - i mean its better than the 'sound' of gunfire
which is where we were headed with the troll - hell, the pitchforks were already out.

[astonas]

Re: Some good news in manufacturing in America

Your story is very rewarding. I'm one of the people who is probably too negative despite doing well personally. It sometimes seems that everywhere you look there's a reason to be pessimistic. It's great to see that not everyone has given up.

And, I might add, your story also serves as an inspiration for those of us just starting out with a similar ambition. It's great to be reminded once in a while that success still happens.

[Raz]

Re: Some good news in manufacturing in America

I have never, ever before advocated the banning of anyone from iTulip though I have been on the receiving end of a number of such calls.

I must say, however, that Erixymachus has thus far contributed exactly zero to any discussion involving anything beyond the depths of human negativity.

+1.

[goodrich4bk]

Re: Some good news in manufacturing in America

"The average intelligence of the US is declining, while positive eugenics activities in China are arguably causing their population to become smarter."

The so-called average intelligence of a population has little, if anything, to the success of a modern civilization. Rather, complex societies advance primarily through the effort of those with the highest intelligence. The U.S. has plenty of those people and, I suspect, more per capita than either China or Europe. If, as you believe, genetics is destiny, we've got a 300 year start on both of those regions. For most of that period they have been sending us their brightest, greatest risk-takers and continue to do so today. China may be trying belatedly to catch up, but by limiting themselves to one child -- and usually male at that --- they are not likely to gain much ground.

[A Dub]

Re: Some good news in manufacturing in America

Most unique of all to the U.S. is tolerance of failure. We love the come-back and everyone gets another chance. It's a practical matter: someone who has failed is now wiser, and if you invest in someone who has failed you are benefiting from all that they have learned. In some countries, intolerance of failure is codified into law. France, for example, if you lose investor funds in a business failure you are not allowed to raise capital for five years.

France sounds quite tolerant of bankruptcy compared to Ireland. I'm currently reading Boomerang by Michael Lewis. Here is an excerpt from the book about Ireland's bankruptcy laws:

"Irish bankruptcy laws were not designed for spectacular failure, perhaps because the people who wrote them never imagined spectacular success. When a bank forces an Irish person into receivership, it follows up with a letter to his blood relations, informing them of his insolvency - and his shame. A notice of the bankruptcy is published in one national and one local newspaper. For as many as twelve years the Irish bankrupt is not permitted to take out a loan for more than 650 euros, or to own assets amounting to more than 3,100 euros, or to travel abroad without government permission. For twelve years part of what he earns may pass directly to his creditors. 'It's not like the United States, where being bankrupt is almost a badge of honor,' says Patrick White, of the Irish Property Council. ' Here you are effectively disbarred from commercial life.' "

This seems to imply that the moral duty to repay one's debts is very deeply ingrained in the Irish mindset. I wonder whether this cultural norm influenced the Irish government's Sept 2008 decision to guarantee all debts of their banks - to ensure that Ireland as a country, as a culture did not behave as deadbeats on the world stage. That decision, in hindsight, effectively bankrupted Ireland as the banks' losses turned out to be vastly higher than expected - approximately 106 billion euros. Lewis points out that 106 billion euros is approximately 4 years of total Irish tax receipts; his analogy is that this would be equivalent to US taxpayers taking on $10.6 trillion of bank losses. Yet Irish taxpayers are not marching in the streets or revolting.