If you think about it, all of that started way before NAFTA. We had been steadily reducing tariffs and import taxes since the late sixties. Then came GATT, WTO, MFN and NAFTA. I think some wheeling & dealing took place during Nixons visit to China, that we were all too stoned to notice at the time.:p

I know the education systems problems run beyond funding. But, loss of revenue generation doesn't help anything either.

Dave

My '09 HemiChallenger was built in Brampton, Ontario as are all of the Chargers. The parts come from all over the world. Engine castings come from the U.S., but are machined and assembled in Mexico. Sheet metal is stamped in the U.S., but welded together in the Brampton plant. The transmission came from France. Electronics from Japan and Taiwan.

Dave

Ever see 'Armageddon' with Bruce Willis? A Russkie cosmonaut is banging on an inoperative control panel with a wrench, yelling 'Russian electronics. American electronics. All made in Taiwan!' :)

Given that car parts come from everywhere, I'd think that if we slapped tariffs on everything cars would get more expensive.

And the 'free trade' agreements really aren't. You'd think I could simply ship stuff to Canada like anywhere else, but that sure isn't so. Extra paperwork and steps, lots of extra fees, border delays, it could be much more efficient.

China, those thieves. Let's get'em :)

Pete

True. 'Cuz you know the last thing they're gonna do is bring any of that work here. Much easier to just raise prices to cover the increased tariffs. And, if the increase happens across the board, which it would, no one loses market share to any competitors.

Bastards.

Dave

There is a bit of good news, my son in law works for the giant tooling company Kennemetal, they're closing production in India and... China? and bringing it back here. They pay pretty well too, kinda a good old fashioned skilled blue collar job.

Antitrust is a joke. I spoke to a plastic supplier a few years back, he said if one giant oil company raised raw material prices a penny everyone else did too.

Pete

I donno.

To listen to the current talking points and have your intelligence insulted if you disagree?

To have your overall comments picked apart, to be disparaged point by out of context point?

To be the big fish in the small pond?

Because you don't have enough overbearing assholes in your real life that you need to go online to find some more?

Because you can't have a dominatrix without a submissive?

Speaking for myself, I'm bored to tears and have enough Sam Adams in my system to be somewhat sociable.

And once again speaking for myself, I miss the days when the one liner, no matter how sophomoric, ruled over the snide comment.

Hell, we're all just along for the ride, no reason for anyone to get their panties in a wad over it.

At least not in this venue.

Chas

Just bought some 5/16" Chinese lag bolts, and you can twist them in half with a pair of pliers.

To be honest, I'm getting afraid to build anything. Lag bolts that shear, black iron els that come with voids...doesn't give me much confidence that even the good ones won't just split in half after being under tension and fill someone's house full of NG and blow them up.

At times, this shit keeps me awake at nights...if I let it. I'll be the one responsible if anything goes wrong...not some Chinaman.

I'd be willing to pay 2-3 times the price for things like this if I thought they wouldn't fail.

Maybe I wouldn't have to drink myself into a stupor every night just to get some sleep.

Chas

BAM!! That is exactly what I meant to say!:)

If you can fix electrical components with a mallet, or better yet a thump of your finger...you have a bad connection.

Chas

Thank you John, but I can't take credit for this.

It was Samuel Adams doing the talking.

I'm just his simple mouthpiece.

Take care,

Chas