GM outsourcing

Anything goes (within forum guidelines of course)
Post Reply
mdrburchette
Posts: 5754
Joined: Wed Jan 25, 2006 5:49 am
Your car is a: 1972 Fiat 124 Sport
Location: Winston-Salem, NC

GM outsourcing

Post by mdrburchette »

1972 124 Spider (Don)
1971 124 Spider (Juan)
1986 Bertone X19 (Blue)
1978 124 Spider Lemons racer
1974 X19 SCCA racer (Paul)
2012 500 Prima Edizione #19 (Mini Rossa)
Ever changing count of parts cars....It's a disease!
User avatar
Kevin1
Posts: 399
Joined: Tue Feb 17, 2009 8:55 pm
Your car is a: 1980 Spider 2000 FI
Location: Maine, USA

Re: GM outsourcing

Post by Kevin1 »

Even though this is only a tiny percentage of the cars GM plans to build for the US, it is a step in the worng direction for everyone trying to find/keep a job in the US.
GM Exec: "Thank-you, Mr and Mrs Taxpayer, your billions have saved our bacon! We will be hiring soon. Do either of you speak Mandarin" No? Oh, too bad, otherwise we may have had a place for you in the factory we are building with the bailout money..."
speedracer

Re: GM outsourcing

Post by speedracer »

So what the heck did we bail these guys out for, so they can take all of the jobs overseas?! :roll:

In one generation, we have given our country away....

How sad.... :cry:
wengr

Re: GM outsourcing

Post by wengr »

At the same time Obama rails against "tax breaks" for corporations that send jobs out of the country, he's all for commiting billions to GM, a company that has significantly outsourced for many years and is apparently looking to ramp it up some. Interesting how corporations can be anything from evil empires to valued institutions - largely dependent upon political convenience.
Gunsmith

Re: GM outsourcing

Post by Gunsmith »

wengr wrote:At the same time Obama rails against "tax breaks" for corporations that send jobs out of the country, he's all for commiting billions to GM, a company that has significantly outsourced for many years and is apparently looking to ramp it up some. Interesting how corporations can be anything from evil empires to valued institutions - largely dependent upon political convenience.
So it was not just me that noticed this?
mbouse

Re: GM outsourcing

Post by mbouse »

and this is any different than your first choice for tools at Harbor Freight?

how? how is this any different?

now y'all complain? NOW? where do you think the dies/jigs and fixtures were built to stamp those cHINESE sheet metal parts? where do you think the scrap steel came from to create the raw materials for the stampings? Who used to make those parts, and where did they live? Who's products did they buy?

why is it o.k. to buy a hand tool from a former rice paddy worker but it suddenly is not o.k. to buy a Buick from him?


THIS is what i have been complaining about all along. Welcome to my world.
speedracer

Re: GM outsourcing

Post by speedracer »

mbouse wrote:and this is any different than your first choice for tools at Harbor Freight?

how? how is this any different?

now y'all complain? NOW? where do you think the dies/jigs and fixtures were built to stamp those cHINESE sheet metal parts? where do you think the scrap steel came from to create the raw materials for the stampings? Who used to make those parts, and where did they live? Who's products did they buy?

why is it o.k. to buy a hand tool from a former rice paddy worker but it suddenly is not o.k. to buy a Buick from him?


THIS is what i have been complaining about all along. Welcome to my world.
I hear you mb, but you have certainly not been the only one complaining.

No matter what industry your in, it's been affected by outsourcing. I think whats different here is that this is not just a tool or raw materials...ITS A WHOLE BUICK!!!I mean, Buicks and Oldsmobiles, Fords and Pontiacs and Cadillacs were all as American as apple pie. They were rolling representatives of American craftmanship. They were the epitomy of our greatness and were proudly designed, engineered and built by Americans. A foreign made tool just doesn't hold the same weight as that.

Unfortunately, to our youngest generation, none of whom will ever know or remember American exceptionalism, a Chinese made car won't be any different to them than the Chinese made watch they wear or the foreign made TV they view....
User avatar
Kevin1
Posts: 399
Joined: Tue Feb 17, 2009 8:55 pm
Your car is a: 1980 Spider 2000 FI
Location: Maine, USA

Re: GM outsourcing

Post by Kevin1 »

speedracer wrote: Unfortunately, to our youngest generation, none of whom will ever know or remember American exceptionalism, a Chinese made car won't be any different to them than the Chinese made watch they wear or the foreign made TV they view....
Only IF their "new economy" wages is enough to afford a watch, or a tv, or a car . . .
Gunsmith

Re: GM outsourcing

Post by Gunsmith »

The problem is that now that some people are realizing this you can't find an American made alternative in many cases. It is very frustrating trying to buy items made here. Many times I am disappointed at the choices available. I am very particular about my tools and have to educate the retailers on what I want because they often only know cheap tools and will not spend the money to stock hi-end tools and will only special order them, but what if you need that tool right now? Pretty soon there will be no tooling or knowledge left here to make anything even if we wanted to. I bought lead fishing weights in the Florida Keys and noticed when I went to rig them up that "Made in China" was stamped on them. Is it cheaper to ship lead from China? We have been successfully taken over without having to have fired a shot.

Now would be a great time for the unions to take their money and their man power and make a new "All American Car Company" and sell it through all of the dealers just let go by the big three. It would be an interesting endeavor anyway...

What would it be?
What would it be called?
How much would it be?
Who would buy it?
How many could be sold?
How long would it take from concept to production?
So Cal Mark

Re: GM outsourcing

Post by So Cal Mark »

boy, am I confused. I had no idea Obama caused all of GMs' problems, after all he's only been in office 3 1/2 months. Since I thought the consensus here was it was the evil lazy union workers caused all of the trouble and deserved to lose their jobs, isn't outsourcing the ulitmate punishment for them? I just don't know who to blame these days :?
wengr

Re: GM outsourcing

Post by wengr »

mbouse wrote:and this is any different than your first choice for tools at Harbor Freight?

how? how is this any different?
imo the differences will depend on your perspective. I can surely agree that Detroit's products were once a symbol of American innovation. However those days are long gone. I don't know a single person who will not buy US made because it's US made. If it's the best deal they'll buy it. Hell, if it's even in the ballpark of a relatively good deal they'll still buy it. The problem is it often is not. Now you may quote unfair Chinese advantage of low wages, lack of enviornmental regs etc., but the fact remains that US goods have a tremendous advantage also - they are already here for one. When a company can build something and ship it halfway around the globe and still provide a better value to the American consumer then something is seriously wrong. So here is the difference - you can fit alot of crappy harbor freight tools in a shipping container but now we are talking about the largest heaviest product most will ever buy!
wengr

Re: GM outsourcing

Post by wengr »

So Cal Mark wrote:boy, am I confused. I had no idea Obama caused all of GMs' problems, after all he's only been in office 3 1/2 months. Since I thought the consensus here was it was the evil lazy union workers caused all of the trouble and deserved to lose their jobs, isn't outsourcing the ulitmate punishment for them? I just don't know who to blame these days :?
I never said that Obama has caused any of GM's problems, only tried to point out what I see as blatant duplicity. Kind of like when Navy seals conducted a successful operation of the coast of Africa, he was all over it, but a couple of weeks later when his personal airliner was terrorizing New York he knew nothing about it. Or like when someone's trying to afford the basic neccessities of life, should they pay triple and buy American to support someone else, or go to Walmart and do what's financially prudent for their own family's sake? But when the UAW members bite the hand that feeds year after year with little concern for anyone else we should support that? can't have it both ways.
So Cal Mark

Re: GM outsourcing

Post by So Cal Mark »

yes, we can blame obama for all of these troubles, but they really started long ago and are just coming to fruition now. I just think it's very funny that nearly everyone blames American workers then complains when the jobs are lost. Then we turn around and celebrate a foreign automaker as the salvation of the Big 3. Yes, I'm confused, because if we can place the blame then everything is good, right?
mdrburchette
Posts: 5754
Joined: Wed Jan 25, 2006 5:49 am
Your car is a: 1972 Fiat 124 Sport
Location: Winston-Salem, NC

Re: GM outsourcing

Post by mdrburchette »

We definitely can't blame Obama for the demise of the Big 3, and we can't blame the American worker. I do find it ironic that in order for GM to be competitive they feel the need to employ cheap labor in an overseas country. Of course, this is only affecting the Canadian plants, but do you think if will end there?
1972 124 Spider (Don)
1971 124 Spider (Juan)
1986 Bertone X19 (Blue)
1978 124 Spider Lemons racer
1974 X19 SCCA racer (Paul)
2012 500 Prima Edizione #19 (Mini Rossa)
Ever changing count of parts cars....It's a disease!
mbouse

Re: GM outsourcing

Post by mbouse »

until the chinese, koreans and the like are forced to comply to the same labor safety and environmental qualities issues that american factories must comply to... the mass exodus will continue.

stockholders will continue to insist on instantaneous returns on investment.
Post Reply