Gavin Allan
Well-Known Member
I saw this facinating short video last week at a meeting:
Facinating Short Video
- Thread starter Gavin Allan
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EddieS'04
In Memoriam 1950-2022
Amazing....
Johnny O
Well-Known Member
Interesting....
mookie
Well-Known Member
Watch this one, after the one above, for a laugh.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nft_zlu3YTw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nft_zlu3YTw
Thomas Rogers
Well-Known Member
Nice vid, Gavin.
Grammar question to you all regarding:
Does that sound awkward to anyone else?
Does "25% of the population in China..." sound better?
TJR
Grammar question to you all regarding:
Does that sound awkward to anyone else?
Does "25% of the population in China..." sound better?
TJR
Thomas Rogers
Well-Known Member
Regarding the video, this should be a good wakeup call to everyone that complacency and wishing things wouldn't change and trying to keep them from changing through protectionism is ultimately a losing battle.
If America wants to compete in the global economy then it has to lead in technology and innovation. Right now, it is losing that fight. I think the primary reason it is losing that fight it because it is too slow in changing, and too arrogant to change.
Case-in-point, a worker by age 38 have 10 to 14 jobs (or whatever the stat was), I am sure there are many people here saying "WTF!...That's AWFUL!" Well, no, it really isn't. It's reality and the best way to deal with reality is to optimize it (or as I like to say: "make reality your b!tch!").
Let's make ours a country that EMBRACES trends like this, runs with them, and puts them to our advantage.
TJR
If America wants to compete in the global economy then it has to lead in technology and innovation. Right now, it is losing that fight. I think the primary reason it is losing that fight it because it is too slow in changing, and too arrogant to change.
Case-in-point, a worker by age 38 have 10 to 14 jobs (or whatever the stat was), I am sure there are many people here saying "WTF!...That's AWFUL!" Well, no, it really isn't. It's reality and the best way to deal with reality is to optimize it (or as I like to say: "make reality your b!tch!").
Let's make ours a country that EMBRACES trends like this, runs with them, and puts them to our advantage.
TJR
KentheREALone Z
Well-Known Member
I've seen this video before, and you're darn right, if you haven't already, you better wake up. Like it or not, we're in a global economy, like it or not, we will not be the manufacturing powerhouse we were in the 20th century. But do like the fact that we're in the information age, we're on the forefront, and we are resilient, because we are AmerICANs.
TomT
Well-Known Member
Interesting video. Offers a rather bleak outlook for corporate America. I'm afraid Americans are not going to change. Hell, we can't even change our driving habits even though we know gas and oil is just going to keep going up and keep getting more scarce.
I agree.
The only way we will be able to compete in a global economy is if we lower our wages to $1.00/day, scrap out or vehicle to China while we can still sell them steel, tear down our houses to save on tax money and dig in the trash to find cardboard box's to live in.
When we do that, the USA will be able to compete fairly with countries that subsidize their industry. We will be able to compete with countries that will not allow imported goods into their country. We will be able to compete with countries that steal technology while the powers that be turn a blind eye.
I hate to say this, the USA will be a loser in a global economy and it will lead to our death as a country.
Once the steel industry dies completely, all it takes is one large war, like WWII, and we will not have the factories to build tanks and airplanes. We will not have the steel to build them with. We will not have the money to pay to buy the supplies to build them.
Tom
Thomas Rogers
Well-Known Member
Caymen,
There is a quote I like that goes:
Surely you don't think what you describe as "The only way" is how we should compete!
And surely you don't think that USA will be the loser in the global economy and the global economy will lead to the death of our country?
I say that, because, like it or not, as I said before, the "global economy" is reality and that reality cannot be undone. America either has to compete and lead, or fall...there can be no short-term protectionism or clinging to the status-quo that will allow us to lead long-term.
I'll choose lead...let me know when you want to join us that are betting ON, not AGAINST America. It will require LETTING go of the past, and that is scary I know...but its for our own good.
We are frontiersmen, we Americans, so why not welcome and tame this new frontier like so many we have tamed before?
TJR
There is a quote I like that goes:
Surely you don't think what you describe as "The only way" is how we should compete!
And surely you don't think that USA will be the loser in the global economy and the global economy will lead to the death of our country?
I say that, because, like it or not, as I said before, the "global economy" is reality and that reality cannot be undone. America either has to compete and lead, or fall...there can be no short-term protectionism or clinging to the status-quo that will allow us to lead long-term.
I'll choose lead...let me know when you want to join us that are betting ON, not AGAINST America. It will require LETTING go of the past, and that is scary I know...but its for our own good.
We are frontiersmen, we Americans, so why not welcome and tame this new frontier like so many we have tamed before?
TJR
Gavin Allan
Well-Known Member
Watch this follow-up video called "20-20 Vision" from the same guy for a different outcome for the future!
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Gavin Allan
Well-Known Member
Also, some folks have been saying that the answer for our success is to form the North America Union: Canada has plenty of natural resources. Mexico has plenty of labor. And the U.S. has the technology and managerial expertise to put it all together to make all three country's very successful and rich.
What do you think?
What do you think?
Thomas Rogers
Well-Known Member
Gavin,
I think that's a fine idea. And the one of the first ways to make it happen is to open the borders and to socialize more of the US; for example socialized medicine. The biggest barrier we have in this country to what you describe is that the "haves" don't want to share more of what they have with the "have nots".
And before you call me a socialist or a bleeding heart liberal, let me say that I am merly a conservative and a Republican that has started to question more and more our govt, our programs, and how best to spend our tax dollars for aiding ALL our people and our entire country.
TJR
I think that's a fine idea. And the one of the first ways to make it happen is to open the borders and to socialize more of the US; for example socialized medicine. The biggest barrier we have in this country to what you describe is that the "haves" don't want to share more of what they have with the "have nots".
And before you call me a socialist or a bleeding heart liberal, let me say that I am merly a conservative and a Republican that has started to question more and more our govt, our programs, and how best to spend our tax dollars for aiding ALL our people and our entire country.
TJR
And those that ignore the past are destined to repeat it.
We are our worst enemy. I agree though. Socialized medicine is good and would be good for our country. We allow the drug companies and hospitals raise rates and overcharge that it causes most health care to be unatainable to the average person. Likewise, because healt care is so expensive, those that do not have it, get it for free by waiting till they are very sick, then visit the hospital.
Take for example a diabetic. Lets say he needs an insulin shot, but because he has no health care, he goes without. He goes into diabetic shock and now has to go to the hospital. He gets treated, is held for evaluation, gets his shot, and goes home. He has no money to pay, so the hospital absorbes the cost and you and I pay for it.
What would have been a $5.00 shot is now a $500.00 hospital visit. Would you rather pay $5.00 or $500.00?
Government involvement in the USA is usually bad news. Does that mean it is always bad news, or is the US Government bad news?
One look at Europeon mass transit, health care, roads, etc. and you tend to lean on bad government, not bad to have government involved.
Still, we should always remember the past. History repeats itself and I am not willing to get "caught with my pants down".
Ships and tanks are not built out of discarded AOL CD's.
Sooner or later, guns and tanks will need to be used to "finish the job" when some whack job decides they want to take over the world.
Tom
Thomas Rogers
Well-Known Member
Caymen,
Wait until Michael Moore's "Sicko" documentary film comes out and he lambastes the American healthcare system.
Oh, BTW, if there is ever another war like you are describing, one that truly threatens American way of life, then I doubt it will be won with tanks and conventional guns....nope, it will be won with either nukes or diplomacy (read...by "buying" the win), and frankly, the latter is more likely.
It used to be that "might makes right", which was good when our position in the world and our "might" was used to do good and to thwart those that were truly evil. I'm not so sure we have been using our might in that way the past 30 years.
TJR
Wait until Michael Moore's "Sicko" documentary film comes out and he lambastes the American healthcare system.
Oh, BTW, if there is ever another war like you are describing, one that truly threatens American way of life, then I doubt it will be won with tanks and conventional guns....nope, it will be won with either nukes or diplomacy (read...by "buying" the win), and frankly, the latter is more likely.
It used to be that "might makes right", which was good when our position in the world and our "might" was used to do good and to thwart those that were truly evil. I'm not so sure we have been using our might in that way the past 30 years.
TJR
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Gavin Allan
Well-Known Member
Oh yeah, socialized medicine would be a good thing (NOT!). Sorry, but I work too hard now to pay for six million welfare recipients to have Cadillacs, IPODS, Air Jordans, and gold chains. I can't work any harder to buy health insurance for all of them too.
Too bad-- folks are going to have to start working a little harder if they want to have health care. Maybe they could learn to priorize their spending a bit and cut back on the dubs for the Escalade and buy some health insurance instead.
Too bad-- folks are going to have to start working a little harder if they want to have health care. Maybe they could learn to priorize their spending a bit and cut back on the dubs for the Escalade and buy some health insurance instead.
Gavin,
Do those other countries that have socialized medicine have as many problems with the poor as we do?
Sorry, we need to follow the example of some countries that do offer good socialized medicine. For people like myself, that has 100% employer paid health care, it doesn't matter to me. Essentially, at this moment, the poor already have health care. We pay for it.
Why not remove the profit the insurance companies are putting in their pocket and lower our health care costs all at the same time?
The poor already get the health care, why not extend it to everyone and eliminate those responsible for rising health care costs?
Tom
Do those other countries that have socialized medicine have as many problems with the poor as we do?
Sorry, we need to follow the example of some countries that do offer good socialized medicine. For people like myself, that has 100% employer paid health care, it doesn't matter to me. Essentially, at this moment, the poor already have health care. We pay for it.
Why not remove the profit the insurance companies are putting in their pocket and lower our health care costs all at the same time?
The poor already get the health care, why not extend it to everyone and eliminate those responsible for rising health care costs?
Tom
Thomas Rogers
Well-Known Member
Gavin said:
And I don't even have to respond, just quote myself from above:
Even if it means that in the long run, we all get a better system, and overall prices go down and overall quality goes up. Nope, the "haves" don't want to share...even if it costs them more now...they are willing to pay more, just so they don't feel like someone is benefiting from them, using them, etc. But if the system truly were socialized, most people would pay less, get more, and there really wouldn't be this "feeling" of "putting in" more than the other guy because everyone is using the same system....no lower caliber welfare/medicare version of benefits.
TJR
And I don't even have to respond, just quote myself from above:
Even if it means that in the long run, we all get a better system, and overall prices go down and overall quality goes up. Nope, the "haves" don't want to share...even if it costs them more now...they are willing to pay more, just so they don't feel like someone is benefiting from them, using them, etc. But if the system truly were socialized, most people would pay less, get more, and there really wouldn't be this "feeling" of "putting in" more than the other guy because everyone is using the same system....no lower caliber welfare/medicare version of benefits.
TJR
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Bill V
Well-Known Member
Is it just me, or does the whole format of this video seem a bit too much like something done by Blue Man Group? 
Another reason we can not compete in a global economy.
Tom
