freedomdwarf1
Posts: 6845
Joined: 10/23/2012
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I don't think people like Termy et al have the faintest idea beyond their own back yard.
I had the (mis)pleasure of driving an Eagle when I lived in the US for a while.
It was a copy of a Mondeo but built like a tank, wasn't as comfortable, wasn't as well equipped, didn't drive as nicely, and used at least twice as much gas as its UK counterpart.
Its owner thought it was a great little runaround.
When I was talking with my US hosts and said that I was dismayed at my low fuel figure of 38-45 mpg they gasped because it was twice what they were getting for even a compact car.
They really had no idea just how bad US-made cars were compared to other places.
Fine if you want a gas-guzzling bulldozer/tank disguised as a car but useless anywhere else outside the USA.
And that's just one example of why the US automotive industry can't compete on the world market.
The problem with the US is.... it is capitalism at its worst.
It is the little man at the bottom of the pyramid that bears the brunt of their capitalist society.
Everyone else can afford to pass on costs, write it off, or lose it in some other way so it's not out of their pocket.
Termy's example of his hard drive is a classic example.
The man in the street pays a fortune for a 3rd-class service because their postal system is crap.
It is very slow, very expensive, and most businesses can offset the expense as a write-off.
In China, they realise that postal services are vital to the country exports so they are subsidised and cheap for everyone.
As for the telemarketers?
India is cheap because labour costs are dirt cheap compared to elsewhere.
But that aside, I can call most parts of the world for pennies but couldn't do that from the US.
And that is because US telecoms companies want mega profits.
When I was living over there, I had to pay for incoming calls and texts.
That came as a shock to me because here and most of Europe you pay for what you call or send, incoming is free.
And... you have to have a special long-distance package to call outside of your area or internationally - at an extra cost of course.
Most other places, it's standard to have every facility at no extra cost to the consumer.
Again, the poor American citizen is being ripped off at every opportunity.
I can understand where Trump is coming from.
But protectionism has never worked and probably never will.
What he needs to do is stop the rip-off culture that is endemic in US society.
_____________________________
“If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.” George Orwell, 1903-1950
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