economy

Manufacturing Monday: Week of 10.20.08

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Happy Monday, folks, I do hope you all had a good weekend!  Welcome to another installment of Manufacturing Monday!  Now things are looking bad out there, as many of you probably already know.  We start out with more dire jobs news at GM. Turning to some good news, it seems economic forces that made us "costly" has now turned the tables of sorts, with ironically the biggest pusher of China, Wal-mart (or is it Walmart?  I've seen this store both ways.) forcing suppliers to look domestically.  Lastly, we got Honda moving more work to North America. But first, as is par for the course, we get to the latest economic info related to manufacturing.  So without further adieu...

The Numbers!

Obama vs. McCain vs. America on the Economy

Right now the entire country seems to believe that Democrats will save the day on the economy and we're looking at a super majority for Democrats to gain complete control of the United States Government in this year's election results.

But, is this really true? Between the corporate lobbyists of the left and the corporate lobbyists on the right, will either party truly represent the national interest or working America's interests?

I have a premise that the only way to get the United States moving economically is to start producing, saving, exporting and raising up the middle class. I am not alone in this conclusion:

The Bipolar Economy

The past two weeks have shown shocking stock market moves of 500 points or more, both directions.

dow jones 5 day

Panic selling, panic buying, who knows just how much was lost in the volatility, changing of the rules daily and turmoil.

So, while all of the focus is about propping up a semi-insolvent financial system, what about the actual people?

Murder, Suicides and desperate acts are on the rise. (please people, it's only money).

After falling 3 1/2 years behind in payments, the Taunton, Mass., housewife had been intercepting letters from the mortgage company and shredding them before her husband saw them. She tried to refinance but was declined.

Another World IS Possible.

When written in Chinese, the word "crisis" is composed of two characters - one represents danger and one represents opportunity.

JFK-Remarks at the Convocation of the United Negro College Fund, Indianapolis, Indiana, April 12, 1959

Introduction

We live in interesting times. Times of crisis. Yet within that crisis lies opportunity.

In his book, Great Transformations: Economic Ideas and Institutional Change in the Twentieth Century, Mark Blyth explains to readers that times of economic crisis are in fact times of opportunity.

Is this 1873 instead of 1929?

Stumbled across an interesting article - a reprint from the Chronicle of Higher Education.

The Real Great Depression
The depression of 1929 is the wrong model for the current economic crisis

By SCOTT REYNOLDS NELSON Scott Reynolds Nelson is a professor of history at the College of William and Mary. Among his books is Steel Drivin' Man: John Henry, the Untold Story of an American legend (Oxford University Press, 2006).

From a Chronicle article, The Real Great Depression.

Not being particularly well educated in history - especially our own, we tend to forget how volatile our economy was during the 19th century - and how devastating the various recurring 'Panics' could be.

Manufacturing Tuesday: From bad numbers to bad chips

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Greetings, and welcome to new edition of Manufacturing Tuesday.  Normally there is a Manufacturing Monday, but sometimes we just can't get the edition out on time.  Still, the show must go on, as they say.

Now if manufacturing were a show, this would probably be either a Greek tragedy or a horror.  Because, folks, things aren't looking that great.  Some economic numbers out late last week point to industrial activity slowing down or stalling.  The current credit crisis is causing delays in payments.  Smaller industrial enterprises are suffering the most with their credit lines  cut down or completely frozen. 

 

By the numbers

Manufacturing Monday: Crazy Venom's Used Car Sale!

Greetings folks, and welcome to another installment of Manufacturing Monday.  If you're looking for updates on the financial bailout, sorry today I'm focusing on manufacturing.  Though I highly recommend the many other, if I may say, much more talented bloggers than I who also cover economics.  Nope, today we're talking automobiles!  So let "Crazy Venom" here show you what's on the lot!

 

Volt to charge up Flint's economic engine with it's own.

Why something should be done

I'll be honest, I never wanted to write up a diary piece like this. A week ago, like many of you, my feelings on "bailing out" Wall Street was equally negative. Why? Why in the name of all that is decent should we clear up the bad judgment of folks who really do not care about the common folk?

For years, folks who would be identified as the type who would get the jobs of running organizations like Goldman Sachs or Lehman Brothers, were considered "Masters of the Universe." For them, we, you and I, were the dirty lowers against their kind. We existed to supplement their income. But now the veil has been lifted, and we see now that they are not masters of anything but their own greed and stupidity.

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