Why america's economy fell off the cliff

[RobinB]

John Smith started the day early having set his alarm clock
(MADE IN JAPAN)
for 6 am. While his coffeepot
(MADE IN CHINA)
was perking, he shaved with his electric razor
(MADE IN HONG KONG)
He put on a dress shirt
(MADE IN SRI LANKA),
designer jeans
(MADE IN SINGAPORE)
and tennis shoes
(MADE IN KOREA)
After cooking his breakfast in his new electric skillet
(MADE IN INDIA)
he sat down with his calculator
(MADE IN MEXICO)
to see how much he could spend today. After setting his watch
(MADE IN TAIWAN)
to the radio
(MADE IN INDIA)
he got in his car
(MADE IN GERMANY)
filled it with GAS (from Saudi Arabia) and continued his search for a good paying AMERICAN JOB. At the end of yet another discouraging and fruitless day checking his Computer
(made in MALAYSIA),
John decided to relax for a while. He put on his sandals
(MADE IN BRAZIL),
poured himself a glass of wine
(MADE IN FRANCE)
and turned on his TV
(MADE IN INDONESIA),
and then wondered why he can't find a good paying job in AMERICA AND NOW HE'S HOPING HE CAN GET HELP FROM A PRESIDENT MADE IN KENYA

[JordanD]

why he can't find a good paying job in AMERICA AND NOW HE'S HOPING HE CAN GET HELP FROM A PRESIDENT MADE IN KENYA

Yeah I wanna hear political commentary on my own country from a South African...

[mzk49o1]

Yeah I wanna hear political commentary on my own country from a South African...

Oh the irony...


I was under the assumption that most of those factories were US owned anyway. Just based in a different country.

[ptbodale]

Oh the irony...


I was under the assumption that most of those factories were US owned anyway. Just based in a different country.

I thought that was only in Canada lol.

[mzk49o1]

I thought that was only in Canada lol.

Naw, we just buy it all from abroad, package it here, and put a nice "Product of Canada" label on it. =D

[Bok269]

and then wondered why he can't find a good paying job in AMERICA AND NOW HE'S HOPING HE CAN GET HELP FROM A PRESIDENT MADE IN KENYA

Obama was made in Hawaii. If he had been made in Kenya, he wouldn't be eligible to be President.

[rohank4284]

Yeah I wanna hear political commentary on my own country from a South African...

Exactly my thoughts. South Africa has its share of political/economical problems, maybe we should discuss those, as well. Thankfully, this discussion is being done in the correct forum.

Oh the irony...

I was under the assumption that most of those factories were US owned anyway. Just based in a different country.

I thought that was only in Canada lol.

Very funny.

Bok269 is absoloutely correct, President Barrack Obama is born in Hawaii (USA), it doesn't matter where his parents were from.

RobinB,

To address your comments about cars and glassware.Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Subaru, etc. make several car parts and cars in America. In fact it has been proven that many Toyota models had way more American made components and manufacturing stages completed in America, than many GM models. GM, Ford, and Chrysler outsourced most of their manufacturing of car parts and simply just assemble the car models in the US. The vast majority of glassware sold in the US are made in America, including many types of wine glasses. The two most popular brands of glassware are Libbey and Anchor, both of which make their products in the US.

Funny post and to some extent it's true, but it's not the whole the reason why the US economy is struggling. The amount of US manufacturing has gone down considerably in the past 20 years, causing the US to become a service based Economy. Service based economies tend to be more unstable than manufacturing economies and generally have a greater income disparity. However, this doesn't mean that service-based economies can't be incredibly successful. Look at the US economic boom from 1992-2000 or even the smaller boom from 2004-mid 2007.

It would be nice to see more things American made. Some days, I find it surprising that my socks are the only US made things I'm wearing! I normally buy American made goods when I can. Generally, the American made products are superior in quality and durability, although there are always exceptions.

However, just because the US doesn't manufacture as much as it used to, isn't the complete reason for the US economic recession. Other factors, like large govt. deficit spending, Americans not saving and amassing huge credit card debt, the sub-prime mortgage crisis, etc., also played a large role.

Remember all economies go through cycles, even good ones. The cycles themselves are difficult to predict. This is due to several factors, for instance, consumer demand will rise and fall. This means that all economies will have boom times and recessions. This US recession, though slightly severe, should be the same way. Remember the 1981 recession was also severe, but the US did eventually recover from it. The US will likely be out of the recession by late 2009, early 2010 and a complete recovery may take 4-5 years. The end of the recession simply means that things will stop getting worse, a full recovery generally takes much longer.

A made in America product generally has the final stages of production done in America and contains at least 75% US made materials. For instance, the Boeing 787 will be made of 75% US content and 25% foreign produced materials and the final manufacturing process(es) will take place in America. Thus, Boeing can correctly say that the Boeing 787 is "made in America." An "assembled in America" or "made in America of foreign and/or domestic materials" product means that most of the materials (anything over 25-30%), sometimes even 100% came from foreign sources, but the final few stages of production took place in America.

Even people in countries like India, Thailand, and Mexico whine about how foreign made goods hurt their economies. The irony, these are countries where many outsourced jobs go to. Outsourcing and foreign made manufacturing are a part of the global economy. Whether this is a good thing or not, you can decide. RobinB, look around, you will likely find quite a few things not made in South Africa in your home.


Regards,

Rohan

[avro_arrow_25206]

Why are you people so up tight? Is it because of the absence of Chasen?
If you read any of the previous OT threads started by RobinB, anyone should figure out he is not to be taken seriously at all!

On the other hand, next time try harder, Rob. I remember that from a really old email chain, save for the Obama references.

[ptbodale]

.

[Alessandro]

Do US still import wine from France, thought they stopped during the "freedom fries" period under GWB.

[shakermaker]

Robin, keep them coming!

Looking forward to the next Friday Funny!

[HalcyonDays]

Do US still import wine from France, thought they stopped during the "freedom fries" period under GWB.

They never stopped importing French wine. You can get almost any wine you want from anywhere in the US, if you know where to look.

[RobinB]

Ha, ha - and it's Friday afternoon and I'm contemplating packing up and going home - time to remove my tongue from my cheek and call it a week (hey, that rhymes, what ? and if a certain section of the JP population was around that conversation could end up in a mess - "tongues in cheeks" ).

YES, of course it's an "oldie" and it's fun to see who takes what seriously. Hey, tomorrow we have our NEW PRESIDENT being sworn in - I can spend HOURS slagging off JayZee (aka JZ, Zuma, Bra Jake etc etc) I mean all we need is sawdust and we have a full on 3 ring circus. Anyway, aviation related JayZee will witness a flypast by SAA - 3 x A340-s (1 x 300 and 2 x 600's) flying in Vic formation at 500 feet above the Union Buildings along with choppers and jets from SAAF et al.

Next Saturday is SAAF historic flying day - better go and shoot some birds there. OK JP team, have a GR8 weekend lots of Super 14 Rugby (Union, of course) and Spanish GP to couch potatoe on.

HEY are any of you following the Henshaw Challenge currently underway - "Go Chalkie"

Cheers all

[RobinB]

Oh yes, parting shot I work for "Big Blue" aka IBM - "Hi Mr President"

What do we make in SA ? Aww gee, that could go on for a long time and that's boring anyway.

BBQ's - we call them "braai's" - standard operating procedure at home on a REGULAR basis, at the cricket and rugby stadiums or anywhere for that matter - goes well with Castle Lager.

RUGBY (Union) Teams - 2 hits on the Webb Ellis Cup, what ! GO Bokke !!!!!!
CRICKET (the VERY civilised game) - GO Biff
SOCCER (football or what ever you want to call it) - need some work here BUT FIFA 2101 W/Cup is just around the corner.
JODY SCHECKTER - how many other Canadian F1 World Champs can you count ?
J BAY - all the surfer dudes will know this very well
WINE - rest my case
AIR JAWS - how many "flying Great White Sharks" sites can you all boast about ?
WILD LIFE - Kruger, Timbervati, Londolosi, Pilansberg, and the list goes on and on
JOHANNESBURG - the WORLD's LARGEST man made jungle - "trees for Africa" and the best weather anywhere
SHARKS - best Super 14 side - who's "jolled" at Kingspark after a match - beat that !!!!
DURBAN POISON - Shooo wah, best "boom" in the world, so I'm informed by the surfing community.
AVIATION - SAA and SAAF amongst the "very first"
AVIATION PHOTOGRAPHY - when last was I EVER hassled by over zealos "authoritarian blue suits" giving me a hard time when I want to shoot planes with my trusty 350d - HUH ? Hey, I even now have an "official badge" for FALA I can go anywhere, even on the apron with my new shiny reflective jacket without being hassled - BEAT THAT !!!!!
BEAUT WOMAN FOLK - any of you been to Clifton, Camps Bay, Sandy Bay, Wild Coast, South Coast etc etc - not to mention anywhere in SA - check out the average weight of our population against Europe and USA - why do you think I still go to gym ? To ogle chicks of course !!! I also have two GORGEOUS Daughters, Biased I know, but..... well they are - they take after my missus !!!!!!!

So, do I continue - it's time to sod off home and drink BEER (pity England is so far away, a pint o BITTER, can't beat that - mind you Guinness will do and we get that in tins here.

Byeeeee

[brianw999]

It can be hard work sometimes trying to find the US sense of humour button Robin !!

Just one thing though....

JODY SCHECKTER - how many other Canadian F1 World Champs can you count ?

(cough)..Jacques Villeneuve ! (cough) !!

....and Guinness out of a can !

....well, if you must, but it really can't be beaten from the pump....preferably in a Dublin pub by the banks of the river Liffy.

Must say though that you guys really are getting rather good at the wine making these days.