American Made Junk!

[thirtyater]

Food for thought....

Well said everyone!

Timonator, I just wonder if that was American beef you ate at BK on your American day out???

 

[rocketeer500]

imho........

I too agree that the quality of American products are, let's just say: unsatisfactory. The applicances and cars built 40-70 years ago I think are much better. I still use my 1956 Westinghouse electric stove everyday; I vacuum my floors with a '52 Electrolux and the list goes on. "They don't make'm like they use to" is very true with me.

My father was a Chevrolet guy. His first car was a used '53 Belair that he put 150K miles on, and traded it in (I don't know what the trade-in value there would have been) for a new 1962 Impala SS. When it reached 247K miles, it was my mother that wanted something new.... a Volvo (they had nothing but troubles with that car, but that's another story).

When I was going to college 25 years ago, I was driving a very used '66 Chrysler... but it kept running. Except for the very minimal servicing I could afford, that boat just wouldn't die. When I was in the market for a new car, back in 2004, I first looked at American cars; I thought for sure I'd find one that I would like. For one reason or another I didn't like any of them -- they all felt plastic and cheap quality. I chose a Mazda 6 and I couldn't be happier.

 

[johnb300m]

Nate,
I think you provided a few very interesting theories to my hypothesis.

thanks,

i do not disagree

 

[conate]

thanks!

John --

I'm not disagreeing with you either. I just wonder where a lot of this data is coming from ; my background is mathematics and logic so this makes me want to analyze EVERYTHING.

People AREN'T doing as good as they once did and I think that the issues there are mostly around education: knowing how to use time and money, knowing how not to get suckered into things that aren't good for you, etc. We definitely have a crisis in the USA -- but I don't think it is the crisis that everyone thinks it is.

I remember the 70s and as annoying as the current high prices of everything is -- this isn't bad. Then again, I'm fortunately enough to be employed, and many people aren't and are struggling, so...

 

[Timonator]

LOL American Beef!

I'm not sure on that one...I hope so! Maybe a little mad cow disease to go with it! LOL This Thread is CRAZY LOL Im begining to wonder what the "record" is for responses! BTW my GE is working Great. Things are getting better in Ohio...Just ask Hillary!

 

[conate]

American beef is awesome!

Being a happy beef eater, American beef is awesome! Especially broiled in my US manufactured Kitchenaid Range, eaten on my US manufactured Corelle dishes, which are then washed in my US manufactured Whirlpool dishwasher

(In 1996 I bought an Asko dishwasher as I had an Asko washer. The dishwasher was terrible. When it finally died in 2003 I replaced it with a Whirlpool which worked much better).

Of course, I also wear US made shoes, US made socks, and US made clothes (when I can find them). I drive my US made Ford F150 as well

Nate

 

[andrewinorlando]

I think Nate hit many points right on the head. Personally speaking, I think I have it much better than my parents did. But that's because I made specific choices that helped me get there. Some of these choices involved hard work, serious time commitments, and responsibility. It was all worth it to me. Today, I see more and more people with a sense of entitlement and no staying power. Maybe it's just me, but no one ever told me or taught me that success was easy or that it was going to just be handed to me. No one told me that I should look for handouts to get by, or heaven forbid, live above my means. Yes, stuff happens, and some of it we don't necessarily have control over. But let's face it, we also make choices, and whether we like it or not, we have to live with the consequences of those choices, and so too must other people affected by those choices. And why are people who have made responsible financial decisions always expected to subsidize those who can't, or won't, get their shit together? The current subprime mortgage "crisis" is a good example of this. You bought it but you can't afford it...tough.

 

[johnb300m]

Yes, the sense of entitlement just bewilders me. It goes against everything i believe and how i was raised.
These last UAW union shenanigans really made me realize how profound the sense of entitlement is in the US, especially in the midwest.

Nate, I was not using any hard facts for my assumptions. That's all they were, assumptions based on general "feelings" of things.
One thing's for damn sure. Saving our money will either make or break my generation. We better learn how to do it or we're screwed.

 

[mattl]

HUH??

Exactly what UAW shenanigans are you referring to? What entitlement? A decent paying job? What exactly would you do if you went into work tomorrow and was told your job now payed 1/2 of what it did yesterday -- would you just smile and say "Thank you sir!"?

As things get tighter I don't see a problem with give backs but it needs to be equatable. If you are asking me to cut my wages then you sure as hell better cut the Pres. and VP's compensation too --not give them multi million $$ bonuses.

This country can't survive without a vibrant, growing middle class and it appears there is a concerted effort to eliminate that sector of the economy.