blogOPTICA

Mahmoud Goes To Russia

Ahmadinejad goes to the Security Summit...comes back a changed man.

A SILENT SLIDESHOW CARTOON STRIP BY G.H. DIEL

LINKS:  The Laughing Buddah, Budai

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Joan Walsh of Salon.com causes Bill O'Reilly to loose his air time.

GHD & RHN

Are Manufacturing Jobs Lost In America...Forever?

LINK: 

Does America Need To Make Things? TechCrunch Sarah Lacy on June 14, 2009

Well, we still are making things, just not the same things in the same way we used to. So we end up with 1000 smaller automobile manufacturing companies instead of a big three. The scene today has become diversification of manufacturing instead of monopolization. As, IMHO, indeed it should considering the advances in technology and productivity.

Of course there will be painful losses as the national workforce shifts around, because, after all, we are talking about people here, not widgets--WE, people, have different needs than machines and manufacturing!

In the final analysis once the transition stabilizes, employing not ONLY people, but more productive-technological-enhanced-better-educated people, and their availability balances out with available jobs in EVERY sector--via supply and demand, our sense of 'manufacturing' will stabilize. But, different types of businesses AND manufacturing. For a market for jobs not like it was...but much, much, much, bigger.

Let's say we open a large manufacturing facility in China. Underwritten by US investment, with some US management, but most of the employees are Chinese, the product: widgets are sold globally, the Chinese employees receive the wages, the product is produced efficiently and at low cost, and the profit...comes home to the US. The fact is there is an enormous amount of manufacturing in the US, just not the traditional heavy, smoke stack industries that drove the economy since the industrial revolution. 

We, the United States, have an enormous technological base at this time, but this is closing as other nations seek the same modern industrial technology and employment compensation structure we already have in place. Make no doubt, that gap will close. I speculate that part of the current economic collapse is due to adjustment down of economic, manufacturing, the working knowledge/experience base, and technology factors, compared to the way the production and distribution of goods and services in-place since the WWI had developed, and now. The structure, expectations and processes had grown to a 'bloated' stage, and now is the natural reduction of that artificial state, a 'cancer' might be an accurate metaphor, the operation cannot be avoided. The transitions will be painful, but it must take place in order for for a new, more effective, efficient and profitable stasis to develop.

I know of absolutely no one...who wanted manufacturing to go some place else. The migration occurred because you cannot artificially economically sustain any industry. Tariffs are not the industry. The real bug in the bonnet comes when a business sector is so large that IT drives a good portion of the economy, or that with lacking sensible regulation starts 'hijacking', robbing the economy. To wit: automobile, coal and financial in the headlines now.

Unfortunately, due in no small part to modern almost instant communication and transportation and global expectations, those American workers and industries who did not anticipate change, were left behind. If you want a snapshot of the 'so-called' turning of 'our' back on manufacturing, return to small town and city development councils twenty years ago across the country. The mantra was: we MUST get more manufacturing jobs, facility reuse, develop industrial parks! They wanted it, it did not work out because they could only artificially support it financially. You cannot rob Peter to pay Paul, if Peter is broke, and Paul can't pay back.

So what do we have now? A retrained work force still the envy of the all the developed nations! And the cycle starts once again.

GHD

The Factor! Interviews Joan Walsh

Joan Walsh of Salon.com causes Bill O'Reilly to loose his air...time.

A SILENT SLIDESHOW CARTOON STRIP BY G.H. DIEL

                               

GHD & RHN

At Some Point The Hate Screamers Will Bite Themselves

At some point the vile opinions broadcast by the right wing 'hate talkers' will come back and bite them...big time. 

At some point they WILL cross the line, congress will ACT, (if for no reason then self-defense), the FCC WILL step in, there WILL be law suits, reputations WILL be shredded, and people WILL loose their jobs. At the seemingly passive 'hate talker' supportive corporate media headquarters, New Corp, FOX, you know who you are, hear my complaint, Rupert Murdoch, Roger Ailes, et al.

I've been visiting this planet long enough to see the backlash strike before, (lest we forget the infamous commie hater Joe McCarthy's scummy legacy).

Good luck, loathsome hate screamers, guys AND gals! Truly you have proven yourselves agile enough to bend down and grab your ankles. Now twist a bit more and you should be able to easily bite yourselves in your asses, (you're making yourself an easier target every time you open your mouth). 

GHD

LINKS:

Can right-wing hate talk lead to murder? Joan Walsh, Salon.Com

Go Ahead, Make Our Day.

Hear this Iran and North Korea. Remember the cold wars? 

Here's the deal. We'll relieve you of all those sanctions, restrictions and annoying UN controls. However, you want nukes and the ability to develop the means to deliver them? Fine. 

An essential point you should understand is this: Step out of line once and you can be guaranteed you will be obliterated. Period. 

Sell to terroists? BOOM. Nuke neighbors? BOOM. Your people, your government, your land. Gone. Forever. Go ahead. Make our day.  Think about it.

Welcome to the club, boys, (are you listening Pakistan?)

The friendly folks in the USA, and the other nuclear powers.

Bye, for now.

Just a thought. 

GHD & RHN

Update re. Reddit.com comments.

The scenario I am suggesting is this: as a nation, you really don't want to be part of the nuclear franchise. This makes you a VERY BIG TARGET, there are already many powers out there ahead of you. Rethink. Nuclear explosions are unlike any other, they tear apart the atomic structure of EVERYTHING, (if you believe in souls, that, included). 

In other words, achieving nuclear weapon technology in light of the advanced nuclear technology of others, is a non-argument and an irrational global position, for those powers who understand this, and for those who do not, in other words: got nuke aspirations for weapons? Yeah, argue until you are blue in the face. But, really, DON'T GO THERE, there's a long line ahead of you, and they have much, much bigger arguments.

LINKS:

Russia fears Korea conflict could go nuclear - Ifax | Reuters India Wed May 27, 2009 4:48pm IST

Not Bad News

In fact, GM's demise, is not bad news. They, GM, have been doing business wrong, so wrong, for as long as I remember, and I used to work for them. It's a long sad, blind, story I'd be happy to tell, (don't worry, it's not a big deal story, small time, on my part - I was a production worker). But, GM has been fooling/screwing buyers into believing if you glue on a bit of chrome here, a bit of chrome there, glitter really, you can sell American consumers anything. Just tell them it's what polls show they want, then back it up with advertising that aligns. When their products rust away or stop working...duh, what's wrong with the business plan: they raked in the profits after all. Trouble is, due to the ignorance of the American consumer, I mean, the U.S. buying public, their plan has succeeded, until now. Now, reality catches up with ignorance.

Don't complain about the automotive industry's screw up. They became big enough to drive a good portion of the economy. Blame the U.S. consumers...you, and me. I say, wake up buyers of shit, good riddance. GM, and all those guys - the financial sector included, business sectors with minimal controls - drove the economy, in big part, and the politics that go along with it, always at our own expense, to the brink.

They, these predatory business models, are not too big to fail, and maybe now after our complicity, have succeeded, in part, but in the end, have failed.

Just desserts is what I am thinking, for all concerned.

RHN

The White House Dog

                                

GHD & RHN

Guess Who - Can You Name All Sixteen Caricatures?

Answers HERE.

Thanks for playing,

GHD & RHN

Coulter, Hannity, Limbaugh - Always Right, Aways Hate

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Shock jocks Coulter, Limbaugh, Hannity, Malkin, Bachmann, et al. - the list goes on - are glib, smart, savvy, commentators with a terrifying agenda: hate is the basis of their arguments.

They understand that it is a component of being human - we all share at some level - and exploit this primitive emotion pseudo-effectively, seeming to come out on top of almost every argument. On their own terms they put together facts incorrectly, or make outright, blatant lies, merely to inflame an audience.

They are taking advantage of the American populous' ignorance, capitalizing on parochial mind-sets, and in the process filling their own bank accounts. By undermining their often legitimate premises and regularly presenting mis-truths in non-contextual arguments, and continually hate mongering, arguing back and forth from general-to-specific in a single sentence, simply to confuse the point, it is a faux debate. Because of this fakery, they, ultimately, will implode.

Every vile comment they make about the very subjects they apparently are attempting to expose and clarify...ends in a joke. But the joke is on them. The net result of this intemperate commentary is tearing this country apart with fear, deception, loathing of your neighbor based only on suspicion about anyone who is in anyway different from 'their' espoused 'values'.

At best, theirs is the worse kind of sleazy yellow journalism. At worse, it is a moral sin bordering on slander and sedition.

The rest of our comment, as always, a cartoon:

 

GHD & RHN

Rove Ticks

Why must our political election process be so rabid and based on amoral and unethical strategies?

Here's why, in part: Karl Rove

This observation is of the 'What makes Karl Rove Tick?' variety. I'm interested, albeit somewhat passively, in from whence he comes...psychologically, not politically, (the efficacy of the political component is obvious).

Daily each of us, you and I, cope with ethical and moral decisions allowing oppositional ideologies to percolate through our lives and decision making process. But in Rove's case, other operatives of kindred mindset, including those that bring them 'on board', this apparently does not hold true. From their own actions and words, I suspect they are indifferent to any kind of moral stance, (except perhaps religious tokenism and financial reward). It seems they are almost totally lacking ethical questioning.

It's the old 'everything's fair in love and war' mantra. Having said that, nevertheless, I believe in the general 'goodness' of decision making for most of us -- as a whole and individually. Human-kind has an inherent questioning of the moral and ethical impact of our choices. It's called conscience, at a more primal level, perhaps: an unwillingness to self-destruct.

Is it the excitement of the risk of doing 'wrong' for these 'Rovian' types? Are they merely degenerates without conscience? Are they seeking revenge against society, sociopaths, seeking personal revenge for perceived personal attacks during their formative years? Who knows, (at this point I lean toward the latter). This 'clawing' mentality is most probably a character flaw beyond their personal control, an overwhelming compulsion for the greedy acquisition of power behind the scenes, (that alone is a perversion).

Practically speaking, this attitude is easier on the self-image than running for public office themselves, this way they never loose...they simply earn their creds to become a well compensated pundit on the corporate media or to garner an advance on a ghost written book.

The net result, unfortunately, is that society suffers immensely at their hands.

There ought to be a law.

GHD

Links: Reddit Comments