Date: Mon, 4 Nov 2002 08:32:01 -0600
Reply-To: Stan Wilder <wilden1@JUNO.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Stan Wilder <wilden1@JUNO.COM>
Subject: Re: Off topic: Proud (long semi-rant)
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Good rant guys.
Anytime we pass technology, tooling, manufacturing techniques to foreign
nations it turns around to bite us on the butt.
The Arab nations now control several foreign, Swiss, German, Belgian oil
field machinery companies and our Cameron Oil Valve, Otis Engineering,
Brown Oil Tool, Dresser Oil tool are scraping the bottom of the barrel to
keep afloat in the oil industry.
It will go the same way as out steel industry ........... in the crapper.
I see prices quoted from New Zealand, Canada, Great Britain and they
appear to be extremely high but on the other hand they are interested in
having industry in their nation.
We of course don't need any industry, all we need is cheap lawn care,
cheap throwaway products and all our working population can shuffle paper
work to process and inventory all of those cheap products that has made
us into eternal consumers.
My 50 year old Black and Decker drill works great, My 50 year old Ported
Cable router works great and all my Milwaukee tools have stood the test
of time. Not true with the import tools I've had, worn out and thrown
away.
We should all have the choice of Good, Better and Best.
We have the choices of Poor, not as Poor and Good Used US Made / Best New
Expensive US Made.
True many of the choices are cheap and with our strong buying power and
surplus income we just toss them and buy another, but it shouldn't be
that way.
Things should last a reasonable time.
I went to buy stones for an import cylinder hone .............. the damn
thing has no brand name on it and after five stops I can't find stones to
fit it ................ that pisses me off. The Pep Boys store I bought
it from only stocks the complete cylinder hone and not replacement
stones.
Given the options I buy US Made or at least foreign products with brand
names.
Price is important but its not the final call.
German replacement parts for our Vanagons are expensive and we're
fortunate that many are made in Brazil or Mexico .......................
but Boy You Should Price the same part for a Toyota, they're really
sticking it to the American Consumer.
Stan Wilder
On Mon, 4 Nov 2002 08:56:43 -0500 "G.M.Bulley"
<gmbulley@BULLEY-HEWLETT.COM> writes:
> Dave--
>
> You are obviously passionate about this issue, but also deluded.
>
> Everyone thinks globalization is great when allows them to go
> Wal*GD*Mart and save $7 on a blow-dryer, and to blow by Lowe's and
> save
> $19 on an electric drill. (and don't even tell me you "only buy
> American", because there are literally thousands of products that
> flat
> out, are no longer produced in the USA L (United States of
> Astronomical
> Labor)).
>
> But when it comes to aircraft engines, taxpayers have to continue to
> pay
> the high dollar for these so ornery American workers can have their
> $25/hour jobs while Romanians will happily do the same work for $25
> a
> day??? Puh-leeze.
>
> Clue: The transition to a global economy will continue as long as
> the US
> continues to subsidize/protect the global petroleum
> production/distribution system. If the government ever ceases this
> house
> of cards, if the price of oil ever reaches its *actual* cost for
> use:
> (including military actions, financial 'support' to corrupt
> governments,
> toxic clean-ups, lung disease treatment, emergency medical support
> for
> automobile crashes, and hundreds of other hidden, taxpayer-funded
> subsidies for oil usage) you will then see light-bulbs and brooms
> and
> aircraft engines made in the USA. As long as freighter fuel is $.69
> a
> gallon, enjoy the cheap prices at Wal*GD*Mart, but consider
> Romanians
> you competition in the job market.
>
> Bringing your ideas to life,
> G. Matthew Bulley
> Bulley-Hewlett
> www.bulley-hewlett.com
> AIM: IExplain4u
> +1.919.658.1278
> 11111111111111111111.
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM] On
> Behalf
> Of Data Services
> Sent: Monday, November 04, 2002 5:26 AM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Proud (long semi-rant)
>
> Hi All;
> Boy, am I proud of my 1983 Volkswagen Westphalia Camper.
>
> It's 3:30 AM over here in Malden, and I just got off checking the
> supplies at the picket line in front of the GE Lynn Aircraft Engine
> plant Fairchild gate. Local 201 is on Strike! The issues are
> about
> keeping American taxpayer research funded jet engines, including
> the
> F414 military engine - the best d**n tactical engine built today
> (flames
> acoming?:), built right here in the United States as opposed to
> Rumania
> or China or some other "low cost pole"(Mexico is getting too
> expensive).
> And when they raise our health care costs in January and double our
> co-pay cryin' poormouth and the health care crisis (GE board
> members
> also sit on the boards of major pharmaceutical companies. Who is in
> a
> better position to make a difference, them or middle class blue
> collar
> workers? ) while the corporate gluttony that the Jack Welch debacle
> only
> gives us a glimmer of (excuse me, 16.8 BILLION made in the year
> AFTER
> Sept. 11) , We'll put our money where our mouth is and hit them with
> a
> strike Again!! You don't see an American flag waving out in front
> of
> that plant (there is one inside the plant that goes up and down
> according to which countrie's dignitaries are around). There are
> alot of
> Heroes out on that picket line. It's cold out here still, with only
> the
> fire barrels and camaraderie to keep you warm. And the Bus was is
> one
> of those heroes!!
>
> End of rant. For more information see http://local201iuecwa.org
> Thank
> you for your patience.
>
> Anyway, It was a weekend strike and involved setting up two picket
> lines, one a 24/7 and the other for (2) 12 hr. shifts. Being the
> co-chair of the Activities Committee, it fell on my small crew to
> arrange setting up, breaking down and moving the tables, food,
> coffee
> and accoutrements to support the picketers on the line. As there
> were
> many "holes" in our schedule, it took my bus and I and sometimes
> someone
> I would just pull out of the line (usually had never been in a
> Vanagon,
> or any such VW since they had 2 windshields-pretty funny, some or
> 'em),
> to move LOTS of stuff at any hour, in various weather. From cases
> of
> soda and water, some in monster coolers - too wide for mere mortal
> vehicles, such as a Lincoln Town Car (older BIG one) and some
> pickup
> trucks (mine [the Bus] is covered and has lots more space), to
> hundreds
> of sandwiches for the Family Day on Sunday to the extra tables and
> gear
> we needed for the media after they finally noticed us (2 days after
> we
> started on Thursday night, if you're counting ) when Senators
> Kennedy
> and Tierney came down with Shannon O'Brian (running for Governor,
> good
> woman, got my vote) to bags of coffee leaking trash ( only took me a
> day
> to figure out that the bags were leaky and I needed a tarp on the
> floor
> ) to a quick change to elegant people carrier, it was a champ. The
> Tiico engine that went in last year ran flawlessly (shameless plug,
> still looking for that operable later model tach dash pod for short
> money, after all, I'm on strike). Everyone who comes in contact
> with
> that vehicle just cannot believe its versatility, economy of
> operation
> and space, and just how the heck much stuff you can put in it and
> still
> not be cramped!!
>
> Boy, what a vehicle. My daily driver and my family's cabin at/in
> the
> ______(insert desired place).
> I look around me at what's on the road and think, AHAH, after all
> these
> years, I was Right! Can't wait for Ski season when I listen to
> people
> complaining about how crummy their skis get on the ride up on top
> of
> their car or in the back of their truck. And we don't even need to
> go
> into how warm and convenient a place it is to change!
>
> Dave B
> 1983.5 Tiico Westy
> 1983.5 WBX Westy
>
>
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