Edmunds.com | Inside Line | Auto Observer Your Account | Help | Directory
You are here:
![[F]](http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/media/townhall/webxicons/site.gif){kind=small}
Forums
Automotive News & Views Buying American Cars What Does It Mean?
7263 messages, Last post on May 27, 2009 at 4:31 AM
You are in the Automotive News & Views Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & claires
With parts coming from everywhere, does "Buying American" have much meaning anymore? Is quality and price the bottom line?
|
Replying to: fintail (Feb 29, 2008 8:02 am) Given that globalization started in Europe, and Europe through its colonization of other regions was practicing globalization before World War I, let alone World War II, the idea that Europe is victim of globalization forced on it by the U.S. is quite a stretch. Read accounts of Great Britain in the 1800s early 1900s - influences from India (when it was a British colony) were already filtering back to Great Britain during that time. Was that America's fault...? fintail: Birthrates dropped off the face of the planet after Europe was rebuilt in an American ideal simply as a matter of coincidence. That must be it. Birth rates in Europe had been dropping before World War II. Please note that American birth rates remain much higher than European birth rates, so the "American model" must not include low birth rates. Unless this is some sort of diabolical, neocon plot to wipe out Europeans by encouraging them to enact policies that discourage job growth and live in city apartments as oppposed to suburban developments, both of which have helped depress birth rates. Only problem is that Europeans have adopted those policies on their own... fintail: And the desire of leadership to submit to an immigration invasion certainly has nothing to do with being made to feel guilty about the past. The only country that has any reason to feel guilty about its recent past is Germany, and Germany allowed immigrants in to do menial labor as much as anything else. Same for France and Great Britain. The U.S. does not control European immigration policy. The home countries do and, in the case of Great Britain and France, it was one way to maintain ties with their former colonies. fintail: It takes money to make money. No, it takes gumption and smarts to truly make money. It takes money to buy nice things, but if you aren't making new money to replace what you spend, you will soon end up as one of the "genteel poor." And if you don't use inherited money wisely, you'll end up in the same place. Studies have been conducted that compared people from the same family who were basically handed money or other forms of assistance, and those who weren't. Those who were not given assistance the ones who were more likely to come out ahead... I see this up close. Two of my wife's close relatives have been given considerable financial assistance by their parents. We have received virtually nothing from our parents (aside from assistance with college and some help with wedding costs). But I'm willing to bet that, if our assets were totalled, we'd have more net worth. fintail: Those types aren't people I see in my daily life, but I do see many born into well-to-do situations that are anything but cynical, because they have little to worry about when it comes to a roof or an income. And many of the families of the children my wife teaches have the same attitude, and they basically live on public assistance or low-paying jobs (which makes them eligible for several welfare programs). Are they part of the inheritance elite, too? |
|
|
Replying to: grbeck (Sep 26, 2008 12:31 pm) |
|
|
Replying to: steve_ (Sep 26, 2008 12:34 pm)
|
|
|
Replying to: grbeck (Sep 26, 2008 12:51 pm) Currently, American cars don't cut it. Trucks, OK, you would have a point. But cars, second rate at best. Period. The End. AMEN.  Now, add the virtually stopped credit market, and the nails are in the coffin. "The perfect storm has been brewing for a while. It has crystallized and it just continues to intensify," Barker said. "It's a very difficult time to have to restructure your business. This is a climate that is not conducive to restructuring costs." The end, he said, is uncertain and probably won't come until 2010. CSM has reduced its annual light vehicle sales forecast for this year to 13.9 million vehicles, and the company is predicting a further drop to 13.7 million next year. That's down from 17 million vehicles as recently as 2005. Here is the full text. I believe only after Chapter 11 will a new business model emerge that will be successful in providing cars that people will want to buy. link title Regards, OW |
|
|
Replying to: grbeck (Sep 26, 2008 12:51 pm) 
|
|
|
Replying to: grbeck (Sep 26, 2008 12:31 pm) "The only country that has any reason to feel guilty about its recent past is Germany" Ridiculous pile of manure. No point in debating further with another part of the public sector not able to face reality. The US rebuilt Europe in its own pseudo-democratic shadow, and has encouraged trends that cause the problems of today. "Studies have been conducted that compared people from the same family who were basically handed money " And I wager such studies can't be named/linked. All anecdotes aside...nothing was said about money surviving for more than a few generations anyway. If you don't have a little behind you to start with, chances are you won't end up with it. And if you do have a little aid, you have a greater chance at relative prosperity. This is simple logic. How many of those with even moderate wealth started out poor (not middle class where mom and dad can finance school, etc)? Really now. "And many of the families of the children my wife teaches have the same attitude, and they basically live on public assistance or low-paying jobs " Hold up...you first claimed those who are used to entitlements are cynical, now they are "anything but cynical" as I claimed? You can't have it both ways. |
|
|
Save yourself my friend !! Your opponent will keep this going until the Sun goes Nova !!! I too have fallen into a trap of trying to make valid points against this person. The end will never happen !!! You are both VERY smart. There. Now your egos are suitably massaged. Move on to something else. PLEASE..............
|
|
|
Replying to: grbeck (Sep 26, 2008 12:51 pm) Well, I certainly am gald you cleared THAT up. Where's the darned rolleyes? |
|
|
Replying to: lilengineerboy (Sep 26, 2008 9:44 am) The news? all we heard was how violence in Iraq was this and that. When the violence went down, there WAS NO NEWS about it. That didn't suit the political agenda of the 98% one sided media. Maybe you can name a few towns where housing has gone down in real dollars since 2001. Towns where GM has closed down several plants and nobody has a good job anymore? The vast majority of this country has grown tremendously financially since 2001. I just think the auto industry is worth saving. With regard to the military. Freedom isn't free. $100 Billion a year for military procurement was cut to $90 Billion when Clinton became president. I got laid off and had to live away from my family and 8 month old son for almost a year due to that. Doesn't that 10 Billion seem so petty compared to the cost of the newest Bailout? That $10 billion cut 500 dollars off the defecit per year per family. Today the media tells me not to buy an American car because it will cost 500 dollars a year more in true cost compared to a foreign one. I will not ruin my country's base to save 500 a year, as I did not think it was worth 500 a year to destroy our military back in 1992. |
|
|
Replying to: lilengineerboy (Sep 26, 2008 6:27 am) MR2 Spyder
|
|
You are here:
Forums
Automotive News & Views Buying American Cars What Does It Mean?
New? Join Now!
Forum Tools
Search Forums
Browse by Vehicle
Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
Today's Chats
