Date:         Mon, 4 Nov 2002 16:31:02 -0500
Reply-To:     Laurence Smith <laurence@ALANASMITH.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Laurence Smith <laurence@ALANASMITH.COM>
Subject:      Re: Off topic: Proud (long semi-rant)
In-Reply-To:  <710-22002111418407156@foxinternet.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Speaking of Romania...I have an executive friend in a very, very large
US technology firm.  He has about 600 staff under him in his
department.  He is poised to move most of his programming to Romania
very soon and has longer term plans to move it to South West China
(near Hong Kong).  About 300 of the 600 technology jobs will leave
North America.

He says he needs to move jobs away from US and Canada in order to
reduce labor costs and stay competitive - his North American clients
are forcing him to reduce costs by 10% per year.  He doesn't want to
do it, but has to because technology deliverables are now
commoditized - which means the lowest price wins.

In North America we are in for stormy day ahead.  Manufacturing and
now technology are rapidly moving to lower cost regions.

- Laurence

-------------------------
Laurence Smith
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
90 Westy (fanumbos)
87 GL
-------------------------

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List
> [mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM]On Behalf
> Of zolo
> Sent: Monday, November 04, 2002 1:40 PM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Re: Off topic: Proud (long semi-rant)
>
>
> ---- Original Message ----
> From: gmbulley@BULLEY-HEWLETT.COM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: RE: Off topic: Proud (long semi-rant)
> Date: Mon, 4 Nov 2002 08:56:43 -0500
>
> >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
> >
> Mr. Bulley,
> Thanks for putting a little light on a subject that seems
> to be taboo
> to talk about.  You were close about the wages in Romania, but it is
> far less in the far East where they make about $500 per year.  What
> industrialised nation's citizens prefer to mistakenly believe, the
> level of education is high and higher over there, and more
> importantly the level of enthusiasm to work without a hiss for long
> hours and day and night for practically nothing while they know very
> well how much their "co-workers" collect for the same job in the US
> and Europe, is pretty disturbing, disheartening.  Imaging
> to have one
> guy working next to you for ten percent of what you make
> and than ask
> him how he feels about it.  This world is, as we will learn later in
> history, is in a phase of "distant slavery" that is upheld by US
> military forces and the international business world in an uncanny
> manner.  The Global Economy is what I just described above.  I could
> be wrong or inaccurate but it is slavery of a kind and we call it
> business.  In the meantime I am astounded how low the US standard of
> living is compared to Europe when I look at the whole of the
> population.  The number of people bagging here and living in animal
> shelter like conditions, trailer parks are almost neighboring each
> other, the modern, sophisticated powerty we are withnessing has hit
> this place again and we are not prepared for it as a nation.  Crime
> will go up just to support a family.  Standards will be slowly
> lowered and accepted, just as we got used to driving smaller cars.
> More people are living in apartments now instead of hauses.  More
> will keep their old cars and fix it.  The roads are filled
> with junk.
> People are looking for the old VW, air cooled Vanagons, low
> cost, low
> maintenance vehicles.  The TV will not admit this to avoid panic.
> Whole armies of man and woman are in limbo without work, loosing
> their homes to foreclosure, going into shelters, going back home to
> the Midwest to their parents where it is cheap to live.  Etc, etc.
> So, it is not easy for the US workers to keep their jobs
> because they
> don't own the business.  The more strikes the more jobs go out.  And
> stay out.
> Regards, Zoltan
>