Thinking out loud again

I was listening to NPR today and they had the usual news on. You know riots in the middle east, riots in southern Europe, demonstrations in northern Europe and England and least we forget in the USA.

Of course there were other things on the radio as well. Like, who killed what disposed leader of Libya and their main concern in enacting reforms was allowing polygamy. The stock market knocking one out of the park making fat cats richer. The Congressional Budget office, the IRS and Census Bearu folks all confirming what we already knew from experience that 1% of the US citizen income grew 3X faster than the remaining 99% of the population. This great discrepancy they noted began in 1980 the same time as Ronald Regan became President and the Keynesian economic approach went out the window and the trickle down economy began.

Republican Senator Kirk of Illinois was asked why wasn’t the jobs being created by the rich and the simple fact that the trickle down effect didn’t seem to be working. His response was classic ultra-conseravive republican, “Because his friends tell him that they are afraid of environmental and labor legislation as well as being unsure of taxes that they rather sit on their money.” I am afraid I paraphrase his exact words but this was the sentiment. In short more of the same old rhetoric.

Another item of news that was disturbing was the US strongest trading partner China on their human rights record and trading practice. Which is as corrupt as you can imagine. The human rights issue is simple if you complain about  the government and have no juice then you risk torture and death. Their description of a the abuse of one protester of having his head stuck through a door and attack dogs allowed to threaten and savage their face, in this one case lost of eye, as well as physical torture of having their feet burned with a cigarette lighter. The video of the effects and torture undergone gotten out using China’s version of Tweet with the lawyers posting it at risk to their own life.  The crime these people committed ranged from protest of unfair labor and environmental practices as well as complaints on the government.  

I don’t know if you realize just how much of not just our consumer products we get from China but also much of our processed food. The thing is if they don’t have any respect for their own citizens how can we expect them to provide safe products that we all consume if their value of life is only a matter of profit.

One of the biggest projects ongoing in the US right now is the new bridge being built in San Francisco Ca. from steel provided by China. Why China because it was cheaper to buy form them and ship it then it was to buy from a US company particularly since we have pretty well gutted our manufacturing potential here in the US sending our factories and work to China.  I don’t care how much quality control they said they have in China it is still controlled by China and I have enough experience dealing with foreign made products not to trust it.

Here is a story of personal experience from back the US first open up the FTA’s and Mexico and the building of Maquiladoras plants built just across the US and Mexico borders.

In 1977 I was working for a pre-stress product company making bridge beams and double and single “T”s. The company normally usde US made steel cable to pre-tension the concrete product to create a camber for load bearing. The steel cable was a 9 strand steel wire cable. Spec’ allowed us to stretch to breaking on 2 strands of the nine strands without replacing the 500 to 600 foot length when stretched. When a cable had more than 2 strands break it would usually break totally while being stretched and the hydraulic jack operator and I would end up with a lap full of steel wire. If it had not been for the 1 inch steel plate we hid behind it could of killed us. Fortunaltley this didn’t happen too often until our regional manger got a good buy on Mexican cable. It became a common occurrence for the cable to break and go ripping down the steel form beds. That is when I learned the meaning of pucker factor. I learned real quick just because you have paperwork saying something passed QC doesn’t mean it is worth a plug nickel. The proof is in the final product and so it will be for that bridge in SF,Ca.

Maybe that is just my bias after all I feel that same way for products made in India or other third world products. You get what you pay for and if the person buying it to resell is only thinking of profit well enough said.

Think about that the next time you buy a food container with a sealable lid that doesn’t fit right or when you feed your dog or cat and they die because of glycol used for their food not to mention for sweat taste and caloric value in our food. It isn’t about the quality but cost.

Again I makes you wonder.

Reading, movies, and projects

Finished reading the Simon Morden trilogy and began reading Joe Bagenat last book “Rainbow Pie, a redneck memoir”. Was happy with the ending of Petrovich Freezone. It was interesting how Morden showed the USofA in not a very flattering light.

I have been watching the second series of the Walking Dead very intense. I always try to watch something less intense like a mindless comedy since it is usually just befoe I go to bed and I don’t want to dream about it.

Another show coming out is called Grimm on NBC that might be pretty good.

Began working on the Cherry again and was remined that when you leave your equipment unattended or unsued for a while they need to be tuned back up.  If you just start using them thinking all is right then you will make mistakes take m word for it. Enough said