American audio industry may suffer a blow..

[Forsooth]

Foreign steel is better, period. I used to work in a factory of steel-made products, so we bought lots of steel rolls. Management were upset at George W's steel tariffs in the early 2000's, as it basically forced the factory to buy American steel. American steel quality was very bad vs Japanese quality, so much so that it compromised our own quality control. What the USA should have done is figure out how to compete with the Japanese. Tariffs do not give domestic businesses incentive to improve their products or services. If you were really serious about wanting the steel industry to do better, the solution is to figure out how to make a competitive product, not reward laziness as a tariff does.

Yeah, ah...@ShadyJ, you are such an expert in so many fields. Audioholics is lucky to have you.

 

[Danzilla31]

For what it's worth I'm not jumping into this debate. I don't know enough yet I need to learn more but I've learned a heck of a lot from some of you guys that have contributed and thank you very much for some of the information you've given. What I do know is this I can't speak for no one else but myself but audioholics IS LUCKY to have Shady J here. Thank you for all the kindness and time you've spent with me helping me learn more this past year Shady J. I appreciate it very much.

 

[Irvrobinson]

Thanks for your opinion. Let's see what plays out. I'm with the President. He hasn't been wrong yet.

You're kidding, right? I'm at least as far right as you are, but the man is so stupid he embarrasses me. A trade argument with Canada? Come on. Talk about stupid.

 

[Forsooth]

You're kidding, right? I'm at least as far right as you are, but the man is so stupid he embarrasses me. A trade argument with Canada? Come on. Talk about stupid.

Alright, let's see whatcha got, big guy. Don't just bray like an ass. Tell me where he's been wrong.

 

[shadyJ]

Yeah, ah...@ShadyJ, you are such an expert in so many fields. Audioholics is lucky to have you.

I'm not a steel expert, but I did work with experts. We worked with cold rolled steel that had varying grain consistencies and purity levels. American steel had all kinds of issues with welding because of grain and purity problems, whereas Japanese steel was very reliable. Even though Japanese steel had to cross the ocean and most of a continent, it was still less expensive and far more reliable than American steel. I'm not a metallurgist, so I couldn't go into any real scientific or engineering depth as to why, but that was my experience. None of our machinists and welders liked working with american steel.

 

[shadyJ]

Alright, let's see whatcha got, big guy. Don't just bray like an ass. Tell me where he's been wrong.

Here is 5000 instances where he has been wrong, and that has only been over the last two years.

 

[pewternhrata]

Here is 5000 instances where he has been wrong, and that has only been over the last two years.

Regardless of political view, those are absurd and tweaking way out of context...

SEP 9 2018
“If the U.S. sells a car into China, there is a tax of 25%. If China sells a car into the U.S., there is a tax of 2%. Does anybody think that is FAIR? The days of the U.S. being ripped-off by other nations is OVER!”
Repeated 13 times

The tariff is 25 percent, but Trump is wrong to suggest no American cars are sold in China. General Motors sells more cars in China (3.9 million) than in the US (3 million) and saw its China business grow 13 percent in 2016.

In short where the f did he say no cars were sold in China? Really, you have to be joking....I could go on with the other 4,999 but why...

 

[Johnny2Bad]

2. "Trump has offended so many of our allies." Fake news. Trump has offended several foreign leaders (not their citizens) because they are easily offended and because they needed to be offended, as when he demanded that they pay their NATO bills. Trump enjoys more popularity in this country than most of Europe's leaders enjoy on their own. More and more countries are moving in Trump's direction.

I can assure you that President Trump has offended the majority of ordinary Canadians, and the same for most Britons (I watch the UK feed, not the US feed, of BBC news every morning). I don't speak German so I can only guess, but my guess would be it's in line with my own experiences. Nobody expects a sitting US President to reflect anybody's interest other than America's, but certainly many people outside America wonder exactly whose team he is on when it comes to the US's traditional allies.

As far as personal insults go, it's water off a duck's back, and diplomacy isn't done by holding grudges so it won't affect international relations, but nobody's going to invite him to their daughter's wedding.

I don't like Trump but not because of what he's done lately, and once more I don't expect him to forward anyone's interests but his own so it's neither here nor there. We don't elect leaders to win popularity contests. But I'm still pixxed at how he singlehandledly destroyed the USFL back around 1985, so he was not a favorite even before he ran for office. I expect Americans to support their President.

With regard to NATO, the oft-cited % of GDP figure makes contributions by countries with small economies seem large and those with large economies seem small in comparison. Canada has one of the highest GDPs per capita in the world (higher than the UK, France, and Italy) so a dollar "weighs less" when it's contributed to NATO measured as a % of GDP. If Russia was in NATO it's contribution would be small as well, because the Russians pay less for everything in their military, including wages. In dollar terms Russia spends less than Saudi Arabia.

In pure dollar terms, Canada contributes 6% of NATO's budget, after The US, The UK, Germany, France and Italy. Note that's 37 million Canadians contributing versus 326 million, 66 million, 82 million, 65 million, and 59 million. The remaining 23 members contribute 33% of the budget, and most are more populous than Canada. Canada also contributes to NORAD as one of the only two partners (with the USA) in the defense alliance.

Canada has 68,000 full time all-volunteer military personnel, 28,500 reservists, and 24,000 full time civilian DND employees. Standing military is set to rise to 77,000 by 2019 and civilian DND staff to rise as well. An enlisted man starts out at $2985 a month, and if he re-enlists can earn $4382 per month without an increase in rank. Full pension is paid out after 20 years service and pension starts at age 45 (60% of the average of your highest five year's wages). The Russians can outfit a platoon for that kind of money, the Chinese probably half a regiment.

Canada's defense spending is slated to rise by 107% in the next few years, and before you congratulate your President, the planned increase was established in 2014.

 

[Irvrobinson]

Alright, let's see whatcha got, big guy. Don't just bray like an ass. Tell me where he's been wrong.

Braying like an ass? Two words come to mind, and they aren't Happy Halloween, Forsooth.

So I suppose you want to talk policy and not Trump just being stupid, like with his birther campaign or his support of white nationalists. Or perhaps his "locker room talk", screwing porn stars out of wedlock, building a wall on the Mexican border, getting his facts wrong all the time, his incessant and embarrassing tweets, or his ridiculous negotiations with Boeing on Air Force One. Policies it is.

Our trade agreements with the EC and China need an enema, but rather than pick the one target to go after first, and far and away the most important one, China, he goes after our allies at the same time. That's bad strategy, and anyone knows fighting a multi-front war when you don't have to is the wrong strategy. And insulting Canada and making them feel attacked is wrong. Having a war of words with China on trade is also wrong. All it does is harden their counter-position, and threaten Chinese nationalism.

Trump is wrong about advocating the use of coal power and promising coal mining jobs. Coal power generation is not economical, and mining and burning it are ecological disasters.

The tax bill Trump signed is stupid. He should have vetoed it so long as the carried interest loophole remained, but the SALT deduction was strictly limited. Carried interest taxes are a giveaway to the financial top guns, while the SALT deduction limits should have been phased in to prevent economic upheaval. You think he and Congress did it right? Just wait until next April and the economy slows while hundreds of thousands of people who have huge tax bills they didn't count on stop spending on other things, like cars.

Trump is wrong about the ham-fisted way he's negotiating with NATO. I agree with him that the European countries need to better defend themselves and not solely depend on our defense umbrella, but now he's made the NATO countries not trust us, which is the wrong way to go about it. That's wrong for US interests. Doing the right thing the wrong way is still wrong.

He was wrong in his handling of Syria, and has let Russia gain a foothold in the Middle East.

He was wrong about pulling out of the Iran agreement. Taking your football and going home, and shouting threats about it, and without the support of our allies, is the wrong strategy for a superpower. Now Europe is more aligned with Iranian interests to defend their original positions.

Trump sits by and let's the EC levy billions of dollars in stupid fines against US tech companies just as a revenue source. They're even reported on Fox News, so he can know about them. The precedent that is set with those fines is just as bad as what China does, but Trump doesn't like some of the tech executives, who tend to be progressives, so he sits on the sidelines. That's wrong.

I'm not a Christian, but what we're doing to children at the border with Mexico is inconsistent with the Christian philosophy he espouses. I'm ashamed of us, the policies are directly attributable to Trump, and he's wrong.

Trump was wrong about his appointment of Scott Pruitt to run the EPA.

Trump is wrong about nominating someone to head the NOAA who directly competes with the National Weather Service, when the NWS is in the NOAA.

I could go on, but I'm getting bored. Even when I agree with him, like about eliminating the CA Air Resources Board authority, normalizing gasoline blends across the country, and revamping the UN, he just as often wants to do stupid things like allow oil drilling in the Arctic preserves, suppress science on global warming, and totally mishandles the Puerto Rican hurricane disaster, complete with bully pulpit insults.

 

[lovinthehd]

@Forsooth saying the drumpf has been correct all along is insane. Then again I think same of some of your "audiophile" aspirations so maybe it's in the same vein altho less harmful than supporting the big orange monkey

 

[highfigh]

Well, highfigh, you may disagree that tariffs are "enforced" as a way to get people to pay more, but that is exactly what happens. US Steel and Aluminum producers immediately raised domestic prices when those tariffs were enacted. US lumber producers immediately raised the cost of softwood lumber when the US once again (countless times since 1980) imposed tariffs on Canadian lumber exports. If there is anything remarkable about it, it's the consistency of the reaction by domestic business.

You can expect the same with increased tariffs from the PRC. Like the financial crisis, it's an opportunity for some domestic businesses and it will be exploited. And that the cost of PRC-sourced imports will rise is a given.

Now, those tariffs are a transfer of wealth, not a loss ... the tariffs enrich the US treasury at the expense of business and consumers. But if history is any indication, that's not a safe place to park money.

I don't have a problem with the President, he's not my concern. In my career I got to know perhaps 2000 Americans, and since the business I was in was expensive, I would guess no more than 2 of 100 were Democrats. Some were Billionaires, most were Millionaires, some had very high security clearances (NSA, DoD, a Rear Admiral, weapon manufacturers, Washington Lobbyists, the Governor of Wisconsin, CEOs, the GM of an NFL team, retired athletes, many lawyers, bankers, medicine professionals, and self-made men. And a few mobsters). I would spend rougly 50 hours face to face with them, often every year. Many became and still are close friends.

So I completely understand if you yourself vote Republican and even if you support Donald Trump himself. It's your country, participate as you see fit. But I have to say that every US President has made mistakes in policy, and to support the current Administration doesn't automatically follow that you agree with every little thing. Politics is a game of compromise, as much for the voter as the voted. The Health Insurance executives I got to know loved ObamaCare as it generated good profits, and I have little doubt they voted Republican in the last election.

Time will tell, of course, but my gut is this doesn't end well.

Regards

I'm not arguing about the effect, I disagree with the implied intent in your comment. The problem is that governments use tariffs, other penalties and import duties as a cash grab that doesn't help anything but the government's coffers.

If a company's costs increase, why would they hold steady on their prices? That's bad management. Unfortunately people don't have the luxury of demanding higher wages when some group of pinheads in Washington DC decide to screw them by increasing or adding taxes, decreasing Social Security benefits, delaying increases or taking care of US veterans. They give handouts to people who aren't even supposed to be here and never asked for asylum- the whole illegal immigration issue is so convoluted it's ridiculous. Some want to give non-citizens the right to vote- what does that tell you about where the US is headed?

WRT health insurance, outside of the actual ACA as written, it's the insurance companies that are causing the cost to increase. If they were completely out of the picture, all of the money they take as revenue would have been used for health care. It's the insurers who deny coverage, not hospitals and doctors. It's the insurers who are betting that we won't have a claim and they stack the deck against us by raising our premium after we have a claim. They have a good or great year, they hand out huge bonuses & build new headquarters; when they have a bad year, they raise everyone's premiums. The big medical care providers built hospitals and people who couldn't pay went to the ER for piddly problems, like stubbed toes, minor headaches, sprained ankles- that's what I saw when I was there, although I admit that if I had known what they would do for me, I would have gone to the clinic not far from home, as those people should. Minor care doesn't require hospital care- that should be handled by a clinic. I know I have drifted from the original topic, but this country is as screwed up as I have seen it and I'm approaching retirement age.

 

[highfigh]

Foreign steel is better, period. I used to work in a factory of steel-made products, so we bought lots of steel rolls. Management were upset at George W's steel tariffs in the early 2000's, as it basically forced the factory to buy American steel. American steel quality was very bad vs Japanese quality, so much so that it compromised our own quality control. What the USA should have done is figure out how to compete with the Japanese. Tariffs do not give domestic businesses incentive to improve their products or services. If you were really serious about wanting the steel industry to do better, the solution is to figure out how to make a competitive product, not reward laziness as a tariff does.

SOME foreign steel may be better but in Milwaukee, the new baseball stadium's roof trusses were sourced from China and they had to be reinforced and re-welded. If it wasn't bad materials and workmanship, then it had to be due to bad design. I'm not sure we'll ever know because it's still standing, in spite of the stupid decision to lift some of the roof panels on a windy day, causing the deaths of three workers.

 

[shadyJ]

SOME foreign steel may be better but in Milwaukee, the new baseball stadium's roof trusses were sourced from China and they had to be reinforced and re-welded. If it wasn't bad materials and workmanship, then it had to be due to bad design. I'm not sure we'll ever know because it's still standing, in spite of the stupid decision to lift some of the roof panels on a windy day, causing the deaths of three workers.

I should specify Japanese steel. We only ever used Japanese if we could help it. To be honest I wouldn't expect too much from Chinese steel. From what I have read, there is big demand for Japanese steel in China, so...

 

[Forsooth]

I will respond...but first I must sleep...

 

[highfigh]

I should specify Japanese steel. We only ever used Japanese if we could help it. To be honest I wouldn't expect too much from Chinese steel. From what I have read, there is big demand for Japanese steel in China, so...

If the processes used in making steel are similar in many places, how is Japan doing it without major pollution? It's a very dirty industry. I was under the impression that Japanese environmental practices were stringent.

They have kicked our butt for a long time and when Edward C Demming offered his help to the US auto industry, they were too arrogant to think they needed it, so he went to Japan. They had already impacted several industries by that time, but they really ramped it up after that. It's too bad, but when a country adopts the attitude that they're the best and won't listen to reason, the result is inevitable.

In the words of Dirty Harry, "A man has got to know his limitations".

 

[herbu]

Doing the right thing the wrong way is still wrong.

And this is why I LOVE hearing from the liberals here. The statement above, from a liberal, is the epitome of hypocrisy. Let's kneel for the National Anthem. Let's ambush some cops. Let's harass conservatives and their families in public and at their homes. Let's parade around in pink vagina hats. Irv, you people are experts at doing things, "the wrong way".

So thanks to all the whiners. You lost. Hahahahaha!!! You have no idea how much I enjoy your angst. To slightly paraphrase your hero Barack, (B-HO), "You lost. Now we run the show. You can come along for the ride if you want, but you'll have to ride in the back of the bus.". Remember when you laughed and cheered that? I do. So whine, cry, wring your hands and stamp your feet. It's music to my ears. And, by the way, we're saving the country. You're welcome.

 

[lovinthehd]

And this is why I LOVE hearing from the liberals here. The statement above, from a liberal, is the epitome of hypocrisy. Let's kneel for the National Anthem. Let's ambush some cops. Let's harass conservatives and their families in public and at their homes. Let's parade around in pink vagina hats. Irv, you people are experts at doing things, "the wrong way".

So thanks to all the whiners. You lost. Hahahahaha!!! You have no idea how much I enjoy your angst. To slightly paraphrase your hero Barack, (B-HO), "You lost. Now we run the show. You can come along for the ride if you want, but you'll have to ride in the back of the bus.". Remember when you laughed and cheered that? I do. So whine, cry, wring your hands and stamp your feet. It's music to my ears. And, by the way, we're saving the country. You're welcome.

The wacky right...can you come up with a few more non sequiturs?

 

[GO-NAD!]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trump-rejects-trudeau-meeting-1.4840015

"Yeah I did," Trump said, adding it was "because his tariffs are too high and he doesn't seem to want to move and I've told him forget about it and frankly we're thinking about just taxing cars coming in from Canada. That's the mother lode, that's the big one."

"However, the Prime Minister's Office said in an email to CBC News that "no meeting was requested," and that it had no comment beyond that."

...just another example of Trump making things up as he goes?

"We're very unhappy with the negotiations and the negotiating style of Canada. We don't like their representative very much," Trump added.

Why...because they won't bend over like Mexico did?

 

[everettT]

He said, he said , she said, ... my family is happy and healthy so it's a good day today

 

[Irvrobinson]

And this is why I LOVE hearing from the liberals here. The statement above, from a liberal, is the epitome of hypocrisy. Let's kneel for the National Anthem. Let's ambush some cops. Let's harass conservatives and their families in public and at their homes. Let's parade around in pink vagina hats. Irv, you people are experts at doing things, "the wrong way".

So thanks to all the whiners. You lost. Hahahahaha!!! You have no idea how much I enjoy your angst. To slightly paraphrase your hero Barack, (B-HO), "You lost. Now we run the show. You can come along for the ride if you want, but you'll have to ride in the back of the bus.". Remember when you laughed and cheered that? I do. So whine, cry, wring your hands and stamp your feet. It's music to my ears. And, by the way, we're saving the country. You're welcome.

Wow, did you get that wrong. I'm not a liberal by any stretch. On the other hand, I am learning that now I'm a liberal (whatever that means in this context) if I'm not a Trump supporter. That's bullshit, Herbu.

I don't care who kneels for the national anthem or where they do it. I don't care who burns the flag, but your accusation that I somehow approve of or support ambushing police officers crosses a line. Were you you drunk or stoned when you posted that?