Mill DRO...

[SouthernChap]

On the other hand, we vilify corporate executives that are trying to make as much money as possible without regard to the rights of the workers that do the actual work, and the future of our planet, whilst stabbing their fellow execs in the back in service of their greed.

Fixed that for you.

 

[Larry$]

I've wondered how it came to be that many big company CEOs are paid such large sums.
Are there so few qualified people?
I have no problem with people becoming billionaires through their dreams, risks and ambitions.... H Ford, S Jobs, B Gates, E Musk & many more deserve to reap their rewards. They have provided society with huge gains & made it possible for the rest of us to enjoy a higher standard of living.

 

[CJ5Dave]

I don’t remember when I have purchased a part/ item from what I used to CALL a US manufacturer that did not have an overseas mfg. mark. And then there is “assembled in USA from imported parts” or “mfg. in China to US Specifications”. These US companies are just shipping warehouses of imported goods like Amazon and Ebay. And often the quality is the same as the discount EBay part. Totally a crapshoot as to what you get from either.

 

[projectnut]

Fixed that for you.

It's obvious some of our experiences are different than others. Over the years I've had several jobs. Some I liked, some I didn't. I stayed with those I liked as long as I could and got away from those I didn't like as quickly as possible.

As a kid going to school, I worked nights in a GM assembly plant. The pay and benefits were excellent, but the work was tough and repetitive. It didn't take long to realize that I couldn't do it for the rest of my life regardless of the pay. After school I opened my own car repair business. I loved the work, but the hours were long and arduous. A normal work week was 60+ hours with some stretching well into the 80-hour range. I didn't make nearly as much as working at the GM plant, but the work was far more satisfying, and I was my own boss.

That lasted several years, but like most things it changed over time. I was leasing properties owned by Standard Oil. They decided the locations weren't making enough money for the company, so they decided to sell them. I could either buy the properties or hope whoever did would continue to lease them out. I couldn't afford to purchase the properties, and there was little confidence that any new owner would continue to lease them, so I moved on at the end of my leases.

I spent a few more years in the auto repair business as a shop foreman and service manager. While both positions made decent money, I didn't believe the dealership I was working for would last long into the future. That's when friends and family convinced me to take a job in the engineering department of a local manufacturing company.

Like most I started at the bottom and had to show I was competent to keep the job and potentially be eligible for promotions. It turned out to be a perfect fit. My skill sets were exactly what they were looking for and I was flexible enough that I could take almost any assignment. I stayed there over 20 years and loved working for the company.

For the entire time I worked there I never once saw any "workers' rights abused", "disregard for the future of our planet", or "backstabbing executives". I'm sure there were disagreements at all levels. However, they were all worked out. Management didn't have an attitude towards employees, and the employees didn't have an attitude towards management. 90+% of the employees (both salaried and hourly) spent the majority of their working careers with the company. When I retired, I was the least senior member of the group at slightly over 20 years of service time. Most of those I retired with had 35 to 40 years with the company. People don't stay around that long if they feel their rights have been abused, or it's a bad company to work for.

 

[SouthernChap]

It's obvious some of our experiences are different than others. Over the years I've had several jobs. Some I liked, some I didn't. I stayed with those I liked as long as I could and got away from those I didn't like as quickly as possible.

As a kid going to school, I worked nights in a GM assembly plant. The pay and benefits were excellent, but the work was tough and repetitive. It didn't take long to realize that I couldn't do it for the rest of my life regardless of the pay. After school I opened my own car repair business. I loved the work, but the hours were long and arduous. A normal work week was 60+ hours with some stretching well into the 80-hour range. I didn't make nearly as much as working at the GM plant, but the work was far more satisfying, and I was my own boss.

That lasted several years, but like most things it changed over time. I was leasing properties owned by Standard Oil. They decided the locations weren't making enough money for the company, so they decided to sell them. I could either buy the properties or hope whoever did would continue to lease them out. I couldn't afford to purchase the properties, and there was little confidence that any new owner would continue to lease them, so I moved on at the end of my leases.

I spent a few more years in the auto repair business as a shop foreman and service manager. While both positions made decent money, I didn't believe the dealership I was working for would last long into the future. That's when friends and family convinced me to take a job in the engineering department of a local manufacturing company.

Like most I started at the bottom and had to show I was competent to keep the job and potentially be eligible for promotions. It turned out to be a perfect fit. My skill sets were exactly what they were looking for and I was flexible enough that I could take almost any assignment. I stayed there over 20 years and loved working for the company.

For the entire time I worked there I never once saw any "workers' rights abused", "disregard for the future of our planet", or "backstabbing executives". I'm sure there were disagreements at all levels. However, they were all worked out. Management didn't have an attitude towards employees, and the employees didn't have an attitude towards management. 90+% of the employees (both salaried and hourly) spent the majority of their working careers with the company. When I retired, I was the least senior member of the group at slightly over 20 years of service time. Most of those I retired with had 35 to 40 years with the company. People don't stay around that long if they feel their rights have been abused, or it's a bad company to work for.

I don't think I mentioned anything about abusing workers, did I?

The people who get to directorial level don't give a toss about worker rights, except where they're forced to by legislation, or public condemnation that affects the bottom line.

And they shouldn't give a toss either; their first and last duty is to maximise profit for the shareholders. That's the moral framework of capitalism.

Your heartwarming life/work story really doesn't alter the fundamentally exploitative nature of late stage capitalism, or the fact that people who you've never heard of have more power (and wealth, thus the power) than you could imagine, and don't give a tuppenny ****e about lesser human beings or our planet's health.

Ayn Rand really should not be considered a suitable guide for any society.

 

[CJ5Dave]

I needed an air stapler. Bought a Porter Cable assuming the old/American name would be better quality. Showed up, made in China. Had it 6 months, already missing staples about 1/3 the time. Probably had 5 or 6 hours use.

 

[projectnut]

I was merely trying to point out that you and you alone are the master of the direction of your life. No one can force you into a specific career or social cast. If you make a poor decision as to a career path or social situation that decision is on you. You have to be the one to take corrective action whatever it is.

While capitalism certainly does support profit and accumulation of wealth, it doesn’t condone it to the exclusion of a moral compass.

Your take on capitalism is far different than mine. To me a good CEO will not only provide shareholders with a reasonable return on their investment, but also grow the business by providing high quality products at reasonable prices, and good paying jobs.

If you want to take issue about workers rights or lack of interest in the future of the planet you should take a close look at how some of our eastern Asian competitors treat their employees and their natural resources. They are as far from capitalism as they could possibly be yet they seem to practice the very things you attribute to “late stage capitalism”. Quite frankly they have no interest in either other than they are to be used as a path to world power.

 

[Larry$]

Are "Capitalism & Socialism" at opposite ends? Most places have a blend and you are free to chose which part along the scale you prefer. Other than an assortment of odd jobs while I was young I've been self employed my entire life. I employed others, a fair # who had tried it on their own and given up on it for a variety of reasons. My first 3 employees were still with me when I retired. I would have been ahead working for corporate America than running my own business. Long hours and lots of ups & downs take their toll!

 

[RaisedByWolves]

No, not in a coma. Just disappointed how my country doesn't produce much of anything...and what it does produce is disposable junk. Not in a coma and not naive, but frustrated. I don't want (if possible) to be part of selling my soul to a devil wanting to rule the world (observe the South China Sea??).

Realize I'm an old dinosaur and not a young man anymore. I remember another time...for better or worse, and I was never in a coma...LOL

Ive been in the trades as long as DROs have been around, and I don't ever remember a US made option.

If you want to do your part to not pay the Chinese, the best you can do is Touch DRO, that way you're only paying them half.

 

[RaisedByWolves]

I agree totally. I used to hear on the radio news that we would become a service nation. I thought how stupid, if we don't make anything how will people afford the services? You can blame govt all you want, but I blame the bean counters, and corp execs. The execs pushed for a change in law, buying congress to bend to their desires, and the bean counters were the ones that figured out how to screw us so the companies could make more $$$.

Two sided coin, you want your stocks to provide good dividends, correct?

Unless you're talking the current "Corporate greed" thing.

Not even going there.