Yes Joe, it had nothing to do with china directly, except first Jap followed by China low prices was the problem.

Lousy management of unions, & industry started the problem, as it did here for a time with our mining, previously, & now starting again now.

Union bosses talk their membership into being too greedy, & company bosses, in the good time give in to ridiculous demands, because the money is rolling in.

US car companies giving full health care for life was fine in the 50s, but by the 80s, with foreign companies now building their cars in the US, without having those conditions attached killed the US industry.

These services industries are fine, until the consumer learns to do their own washing. Here we have only 3 industries left, building, mining & farming. Once upon a time, shipping costs protected our car & white goods industries. I wonder when the Chinese will start shipping finished houses?

They have to mine here, but they are owning many mines, & the Chinese just bought the 15,000 acres across the river from me, some of the best farmland in SE Queensland. I wonder who will drive the tractors?

Dear Hasbeen,

You wrote;

“Trump obviously knows this, but academics, lawyers & economists don't understand, or more likely don't give a damn about it or the people they hurt. I'm surprised you don't see who he is trying to support.”

Oh come on mate even you can't be that bloody clueless.

Strip away healthcare for millions of workers and drive up the deficit by billions of dollars just so he could shovel billions of dollars of tax cuts to big businesses including his own and you think he is looking out for the little guy?

Give me a break.

This traitorous, slimy, train wreak is heading off the cliff and you are still chasing his behind with your lips puckered.

Even Fox News is starting to cut him loose.

This Maddow clip might give every one an idea of have far things have progressed. One thing she brought up that I didn't know was that Trump signed a deal to build Russia's tallest building during the primaries and didn't mention it.

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/maddow-time-for-americans-to-face-worst-case-scenario-on-trump-1278891587866?v=b

This bloke is so compromised now and yet here you are, still a paid up member of the Trump cult.

Shame.

It's strange that when the recent upturn in the US economy was the result of Obama's policies, Trump took all the credit for himself but whenever things go bad, he inevitably blames the previous administration.

He praises despots like Putin, Kim Jon-Un, Duerte and Erdogan (and even said nice things about Saddam Hussein and Gaddafi) and brushed aside incidents such as Tiananmen Square as an understandable response to a riot where the Chinese "showed strength" - but trashes relations with allies like Germany, England, France and Canada and then deliberately lies and misleads about the true cost of NATO.

The recent Putin meeting was only intended to help defend himself from allegations of collusion.

Despite all the hollow assurances, manufacturing will never return to the USA as it was before. As many jobs are being taken by robots than by immigrants and overseas outsourcing is there to stay. Even Trumps's own brand of executive clothing and Melania's name brand of shoes were being manufactured in China and Mexico and much of the steel Trump used to build his towers came from China.

The inimitable "Donald", and the incompatibility of chalk and cheese....

Hi Has been,

Yes, low prices for the US consumer have a dreadful impact on regional economies there. So, are you suggesting that consumers should get out on the streets and demand higher prices at Walmart ? That they should refuse to buy from Walmart etc. and buy only from higher-priced department stores whose products are made only in the US ?

I can see the placards now:

"Strike Against Walmart and Affordability NOW !!"

"Low Prices Are Un-American !!"

And HasBeen there with a megaphone :

"Whaddawe Want ? Higher Prices !! When Do We Wannem ? NOW !!"

Effectively, this is just what Trump stands for, to the extent that he genuinely stands for anything at all apart from Trump Industries & Bankruptcies Management Inc. Tell me I'm wrong :)

Cheers,

Joe

A rather disingenuous answer Joe, I'm surprised.

My point is that we are way overpaying ourselves. This may help a few, but only harms most. By paying semi skilled process workers building cars at least twice what the work was worth, we destroyed our car industry. Workers were not paid what their labour was worth, but by how much withdrawing their labour could cost their employer, or disrupt the community.

Think wharf labourers & submarine builders & train drivers. Those who can gain by holding someone to ransom gain, but the vast majority are much worse off, &/or their jobs disappear.

In the mid 60s I was the technical services officer for a company supplying ABS, [plastic raw material] to 7 companies in Sydney making TVs & radios. We supplied a dozen white goods manufacturers & dozens of custom injection moulders making parts for small appliance manufacturers.

I went sailing, & by 1976, after Whitlam & the crazy wage rises, they were all gone. Some were still in business as importers, but manufacturing had been killed by ridiculous costs. The worst thing was that by then, any price reduction had long disappeared. Asian manufacturers & importers were quick to increase their prices when they could.

In 76 I spent the cyclone season in Gladstone. Another yachtie mate doing the same got a job with 30 others I as a labourer installing insulation in the powerhouse being built at the time. Great job, 4 months work with higher pay than he got as a design engineer in Sydney. Only problem was the union. The electrical trades was very aggressive at the time, & he had been on strike for 2 of the 6 weeks so far.

At the meeting he voiced his opinion. At the present rate of strikes, it was going to take him 6 months to earn 4 months pay. No matter how much more money they could get from striking, he would be worse off than just getting paid for 4 months straight.
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