Learning From The Coronavirus Situation

The #1 community for Gun Owners of the Northeast

Member Benefits:

  • No ad networks!
  • Discuss all aspects of firearm ownership
  • Discuss anti-gun legislation
  • Buy, sell, and trade in the classified section
  • Chat with Local gun shops, ranges, trainers & other businesses
  • Discover free outdoor shooting areas
  • View up to date on firearm-related events
  • Share photos & video with other members
  • ...and so much more!
  • ToolAA

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Jun 17, 2016
    10,500
    God's Country
    NEVER underestimate what the swamp and globalists/one world order will do for unconstrained access to cheap labor


    The swamp and globalist are less to blame than corporate america. At a previous career 1997-2004 I sat in plenty of meetings with board members of our $16B company.

    They were drinking the cool-aid that if your business group didn’t have a plan to move a substantial number of workers from the US to China (or Mexico) your job was on the line. Just saying you were thinking about closing a US operation and moving it to China got nods of approval from the top brass and from Wall Street investors. It was NOT swamp driven.

    Not all plant moves to China were bad decisions. We had one division that made the little cell phone and portable electronic wall chargers you see everywhere. The plant in China employed 20,000 people and made probably 10% of all of the wall chargers in the world. It was a non-strategic, low tech and low cost item. It made sense to do it there.

    However too many companies blindly followed with every product imaginable. The Chinese manufacturers got better and started training more and more engineers so eventually US companies not only outsourced the low skill work they were outsourcing the product design, mechanical, electrical, software the industrial engineering along with the low skilled work.

    I worked with Chinese and Mexican engineers and realized that they were very highly skilled and working for the equivalent of $10-15k vs $60-$100k in the US. It was at that time I became worried and it was one of the reasons I left a 6 figure US manufacturing job. My days were numbered.

    This is how US companies really shot themselves in the foot. Once we began outsourcing the higher skilled jobs we really went downhill fast. Furthermore supply chain disruptions or technical knowledge atrophy were never part of those early plans. Anyone in the boardroom who stood up and tried to keep factories in the US saw their careers die.

    So you can totally blame Wall Street for being shortsighted and blindly following each other to China like lemmings over a cliff.

    The good thing is that Wall Street now realizes that there are opportunities to keep more manufacturing in the US and be profitable.
     

    Blacksmith101

    Grumpy Old Man
    Jun 22, 2012
    22,156
    We taught the Chinese how to manufacture. Anyone who has been buying from Harbor Freight long term has seen the quality and finish improve over the years.

    We did the same thing for Japan after the war. Once "Made In Japan" meant junk but they learned so well they came back and taught US car makers the meaning of quality.

    We go over seas for cheap labor and teach manufacturing so we can get what we want. Then they out compete us on the world market.
     

    ToolAA

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Jun 17, 2016
    10,500
    God's Country
    We taught the Chinese how to manufacture. Anyone who has been buying from Harbor Freight long term has seen the quality and finish improve over the years.

    We did the same thing for Japan after the war. Once "Made In Japan" meant junk but they learned so well they came back and taught US car makers the meaning of quality.

    We go over seas for cheap labor and teach manufacturing so we can get what we want. Then they out compete us on the world market.


    I don’t blame Amazon and Harbor Freight.

    My point was that companies feel pressure from investors to seek short term growth in profits and China was the ultimate short term cash grab. Investors wouldn’t tolerate companies who tried to keep jobs in America. Everyone with a 401k is partially to blame when the whine to their advisors why their fund didn’t grow as much as the guy in the cubicle next to them. That pressure is real and it drives corporations to chase the quick buck too.
     

    jrumann59

    DILLIGAF
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 17, 2011
    14,024
    Americans are a disposable society. Most people will buy a $50 drill 4 times in their life before buying a $200 drill once. Don't get me wrong I buy from harbor freight but I also buy knowing tools especially power tools will have shelf life. Other things I know the quality will not be top shelf but it will do what I need. Their Pelican knock-offs are a fine product it does not have the fit and finish of a pelican but it also is not horrible. A pelican is not twice the quality so i wont pay that premium.
     

    Reptile

    Ultimate Member
    Sep 29, 2014
    7,282
    Columbia MD
    As I watch the daily updates on what legal and regulatory restraints are being eased or eliminated to get us through this crisis, I find my self hoping the lesson learned is that far too many of these restraints are unnecessary and counterproductive in our everyday lives. Then I remember that rice bowls are often more important than having rice to put in them.
     

    outrider58

    Eats Bacon Raw
    MDS Supporter
    Jul 29, 2014
    49,818
    I've learned who my real friends are and who they aren't.

    Crunch times are huge eye openers.
     

    6-Pack

    NRA Life Member
    MDS Supporter
    Jan 17, 2013
    5,647
    Carroll Co.
    Amen brother. Amen.


    ..Twas predictable. No?

    Make that +3

    Unrelated:

    I learned today that I did not keep up my emergency seeds. They are a few years old, but I planted them anyways on Monday. Cold weather crops I planted are spinach, lettuce, kale, carrots, and peas. I've reordered more seeds to ensure I'm covered for this early season, as well as my main season. I have an uncle that works at Burpee (they are outside of Philly) and he said they are swamped with the most orders he's ever seen.
     

    PJS

    Heavy
    Feb 4, 2014
    167
    Baltimore
    My wife and I were just talking about this today, and we're each making a list of things that made us uncomfortable either not having or not knowing. We have virtually no concern with respect to food, water, and shelter. Good on ammo.

    We did find that we wanted cash on hand, and between the two of us, had less than $200. The past few days I've been hitting an ATM to build that ups, and today, took a walk to the bank and pulled a chunk out of my business savings account. We also decided we should have guns she's comfortable using. She's never fired my handguns or rifle, so once things settle down we're going to get her to the range (and if she doesn't like the guns we have, we'll get her one(s) she does like.) We also live a block from a gas station (and we are within 10 blocks of several) - today the close gas station was out of gas. Normally we'll run cars down to a 50 mile range, but I think we're going to fill up more frequently now.

    We also hit CVS and picked up a little extra cold medicine, Mucinex, nyquil, stuff like that, in case there's a run on it if/when people catch the virus.
     

    cobra

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 26, 2009
    2,058
    White Marsh
    Found out I don’t keep enough bottled water in stock to eat many of the foods,mre I stocked up on. Romance noodles not that good dry lol.
    Also learned I need to buy another large chest freezer to keep meats in.
    Simple things like rotating supplies,using older stash and replacing with new needs to be on a schedule. Yep we stock up on stuff but forget to rotate it.
    Sure my should have done stuff list will grow as we drill down on it.

    Side note I have always for past few years ordered 1,000 rounds of assorted ammo a month once obama got out of office and prices went down.
    Lord hopes this does’nt come down to having to use ammo to protect food☹️
     

    outrider58

    Eats Bacon Raw
    MDS Supporter
    Jul 29, 2014
    49,818
    Daughter had a weeks worth of food stolen from her apartment pacage room. One of those special diet deals. The company reimbursed her but she's still out a weeks worth of food.
     

    Alea Jacta Est

    Extinguished member
    MDS Supporter
    Daughter had a weeks worth of food stolen from her apartment pacage room. One of those special diet deals. The company reimbursed her but she's still out a weeks worth of food.
    Sorry for her big fella. That sucks.

    This is what we have looking forward. At least into the near future.

    People stealing stuff is only gonna ramp up.

    I use the local pawn shop where I’ve been able to develop relationships as a key source of intel/info in this part of the world. They are pure gold wrt leading and lagging indicators of local crime.
     

    Adolph Oliver Bush

    Ultimate Member
    Patriot Picket
    Dec 13, 2015
    1,940
    I worked with Chinese and Mexican engineers and realized that they were very highly skilled and working for the equivalent of $10-15k vs $60-$100k in the US. It was at that time I became worried and it was one of the reasons I left a 6 figure US manufacturing job.

    And started a service/construction business that is essentially impossible to be replicated off-shore. Love it!
     

    ToolAA

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Jun 17, 2016
    10,500
    God's Country
    And started a service/construction business that is essentially impossible to be replicated off-shore. Love it!


    It’s true and one of the reasons I went into this business opportunity. Even in the USA the products we made were closely tied to electronics industry where prices if new products typically fell by 40-50% within the first year of release as offshore knock off products entered the market.
     

    lazarus

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 23, 2015
    13,678
    I also learned how ridiculously easy it is to totally destroy an otherwise healthy and robust economy.

    Yup. I knew it was fragile in the right circumstances, but I think we are all about the learn just HOW fragile.
     

    Users who are viewing this thread

    Latest posts

    Forum statistics

    Threads
    274,926
    Messages
    7,259,325
    Members
    33,349
    Latest member
    christian04

    Latest threads

    Top Bottom