Texsox

Actually our economy has been sheding low skill and lower paying jobs and replacing them with higher skills and higher paying jobs. And it is a natural process in a free economy. How many of you continued to buy vinyl records because people would be out of work who manufacture them? Pity the buggy whip manufacturer before him. Just try and get a damn hat properly cleaned and blocked. Is the milkman still deliverying to your neighborhood? Don't forget to tip the coal and icemen when they deliver. By-the-way the milkman is your IT tech. The vinyl record guy is a network admin. The coal man is the import-export clerk at Federal Express. And companies outsource not just overseas, they also outsource locally. Vertically intergrrated companies are a thing of the past. Flat organizational charts and a manufacturing flow that brings raw materials just in time and gets the product out the door in the shortest amount of time is in. I've watched vacuums being assembled from raw materials that were at 7 different plants hours before.

The Maquillas (Twin Plant US_Mexico operations) are hurting. China has become both a boom to US companies who are supplying goods, services, manufacturing know how and equipment, and a major problem as plants leave Mexico for China. Half our US companies salivate at a 1,000,000,000 Chinese buying Big Macs, Coke, Nike, etc. the other half life in fear of the cheap imports. Half the US can't wait for giant HDTVs for $1,000 the other half bemoan looking for a new job because the Zeniths of the world are gone. I followed some manufacuring down here to the border. This is a unique micro-economic climate. The cliche is when the US catches a cold, Mexico catches pneumonia. The US is a service and intellectual property economy. Manufacturing is rapidly going away which is a problem in a few areas. National security is threatened when we do not have enough Tool and Die Workers or Machinists to build war machines. This isn't anything new. Look at textiles. From the northeast, to the cotton belt, to Mexico, to El Salvador, etc.

IT IS more complicated than that. There are different requirements based on country of origin. For example you may have X percent of the sub assembly made in Asia but X+% made in a NAFTA country and still be labeled as Made in USA. That is why we have so many Japanese companies located on the Tex-Mex border. They could avoid some tariffs on imports by locating in NAFTA countries. If you take 80% non NAFTA sub assemblies and do final assembly in the US, you may still have tariff issues. You may also get tagged with "Made in the USA with Foreign Materials" or something to that effect. It is a huge issue down here with companies trying to balance what Made in USA is worth. It seems it is worth more on different products. With textiles it means diddly squat, that zero, nada, absolutely worthless. Which is why this area lost much of Levi's, Dickies, Converse, Vanity Fair, and a couple other's production to South America and beyond. In some cases the distribution and warehousing stayed here. Other products there are small benefits and the manufacturer will try and source in NAFTA countries. To help the manufactures Mexico changed their laws to allow US subassemblies to remain in their country longer, easing the inventory costs and allowing US manufacturing to compete on a more even playing field.

AK47 vs M-16?

Hell we have to import baseball and hockey players.

Here's a view of the cockpit

I am just imagining the conversation with his bosses. "Roger that, you landed at the wrong airport. No problem, we just need to fill out some paperwork. Fill out our 441Y form and give the airport there your VISA for 10,500 gallons of aviation fuel. Over" "Roger that. This is umm a little embarrasing but my visa will not go through. I do not know why. I swear I just paid the bill. over" "Roger that. Is there a rental car company that has a big van to transport the passangers?" Over. "Ah negatory. But Jethro has a big pickup and he said the ladies could ride in the cab if the men would sit on the luggage in the back. Over" "Roger. You'll have to fill out a 587EZ to arrange an alternate transportation authorization. over" "Roger. Fax me the forms. over" "Roger" "and a highway map so I can find my way home . . ."

I got as far south as I could without being in Mexico. The 103 degree day after day grind sucks after a while but I can get to South Padre Island in about an hour and catch the Gulf breezes. I grew up in Des Plaines and Round Lake Beach then lived in Vernon Hills, Wildwood, and Wheeling. Perfect resume for a Sox fan. The local politics are about the same. 90% Democrat in the Rio Grande Valley, where I'm at, and 80% GOP throughout the rest of the state.

Hmmm a team that is a legit chance to be world champs or Da Bears? Sorry guys but the ScRubs will be the toast of the town. The Bears season is after baseball. The next sport up always has more interest than one that just ended. There is a lot of interest in the Cubs from non Chicagoans. Seems like every week someone asks me about them

I've always pulled for the guy. I hope he eventually finds the rest of his game.

Posted on Thu, Jan. 15, 2004 Plane lands at wrong airport Passengers bound for State College go to Philipsburg By Anne Danahy [email protected] Patience was probably the most-needed virtue for passengers aboard a plane coming from Pittsburgh and bound for University Park Airport Friday. The daily flight on a US Airways affiliate Shuttle America plane ended up landing at Mid-State Regional Airport in Rush Township -- close, but not the chosen destination. "When the pilot walked in, he said, 'Here's one for the news,' " said Joanne Shields, business secretary at Mid-State Airport, which is near Philipsburg. US Airways spokeswoman Amy Kudwa said the company did transport passengers from Philipsburg to State College on Friday. She referred all other questions to Shuttle America, which she said is one of six affiliated carriers in the US Airways Express network. Despite several attempts over two days, no one from Shuttle America would comment on the flight, which is a daily route from Pittsburgh to State College. A Federal Aviation Administration spokesman said the agency would not receive a report on such an incident. Shields said her understanding is the pilot wasn't familiar with the area and, when landing, somehow ended up flying in to Mid-State. That airport handles mostly private planes, not commuter flights, so an unannounced landing is not unheard of, Shields said. But not having radio communication was a little strange. Shields said she and her husband were working and when they saw the plane pull in they tried to contact the pilot on the radio to see if assistance was needed. But he must have had his radio set to a different frequency. "We waited for (the pilot) to come in and see what they needed. They wouldn't allow any passengers to get off because of security reasons," Shields said. The passengers had to wait on the plane at least an hour until a van could be dispatched from University Park to retrieve the passengers. Eight passengers were on board, Shields said. Shields said the pilot apparently made a phone call from the office to a flight service center. "They faxed him page after page of things. I guess he had to report it as an incident of some sort," Shields said. __________________________________________________________________ They had procedures in place for this?!! LMAO

Thank you for expanding on my thought. Love the sinner = not a problem to be gay Hate the sin = the sex may be a problem I believe that is what you are saying? In reality, a gay couple in most Churches, even those who's belief is "gay friendly", would have a difficult time being mainstreamed into the Church. Like elsewhere in society, there will be a large percentage that do not approve of the behavior. So the official teachings of that religion isn't much comfort to a gay couple who are left out of Church life.

I wish it were true. 2004 is going to be the longest f***ing nightmare in Chicago baseball history. Even with Houston's new starting pitchers, the Cubs are going to be tough to beat. I think they moved a couple steps forward while others are stepping back either through age or loss of players. This is the best looking Cubs team in my lifetime dating back to the 1960s. I am so glad I'm 1600 miles away. I really dislike happy Cub fans. I like the lovable losers.

We said that about Buddy Ryan by 1987 I was only able to follow them on paper, not too many chances on national TV. I thought injuries were more the problem. AMazing how quickly the Coach of the Year becomes the Scapegoat of the Moment. The KIng is Dead! Long live the King! New season. New problems

When was the last time you looked at the manufacturers label? Would you buy a Made in the USA product over a similar product made elsewhere? What if it cost more?

Good advice when dating, allowing a handyman into your home, picking a caregiver for your child, selecting a Doctor. . .

Episcopalian and Methodist are two who do not. Others have a "Love the sinner, hate the sin" attitude.

Too often the primary method is hoping. I am dismayed at the women who have had multiple abotions. My wife is in the medical field, as part of the screening she has to ask about all pregnancies. At least once a week someone comes in who has had three or more and every day she sees people who have had two. I've gradually slid towards Pro-Life over the past 20 years. It has been an accumulation of things, but not the propaganda that both sides produce to elicit emotion rather than a factual debate. I can think of no debate in the history of mankind that has seen more emotion centered debate than this.

Everyone write their congressmen that products are too cheap and we want price hikes via tariffs. I do not want to spend $400 for this software program, slap a tariff and jack it up to $500. Companies are free to set up shop in the US and compete. Write a better program. Deliver something the consumer wants. And if India slaps a tariff on our products who cares about the American worker who's company is trying to sell into that coountry?

Well we don't want foreigners here. It's a global economy and US companies are everywhere. How many countries do not have a McDonalds? Outsourcing has been a 25 year trend. We just do not notice it until it effects us. How many people will complain about this, then download some tunes, borrow a friends software program instead of paying MicroSoft $400? If you want to protect US jobs, start paying for your software.

I'll be sitting on my patio, in shorts, drinking a beer. I may start a fire in my outdoor fireplace if the weather is cool (below 65) I stopped caring about in person public appearances too long ago.

Routine signing that would go unnoticed before the internet. Wake me up if they do anything interesting. I'm going back to SL&P. I hope Crede can sleep after this signing

This is Brasil protecting their citizens from incoming terrorists from the US.