Christmas 2011 -- Birth of a New Tradition

[mika]

Posts like this are always difficult. For obvious reasons that have lead to moderation; however, perhaps more importantly it has caused us to stop and think. The next difficult thing, if we choose to participate, is acting on what we concluded (what ever that is) instead of engaging mental auto pilot.

 

[roborider]

I agree. I'm going out and buying an American made motorcycle next week. Uh, wait, no, maybe not....

 

[RIK]

In any event, the success of WalMart indicates plenty of AMERICANS are voting with their dollars.

Sad, isn't it?


Great post Jet.

 

[mika]

I agree. I'm going out and buying an American made motorcycle next week. Uh, wait, no, maybe not....

Why not add a second bike to the stable. Let's see there's

ATK
Brammo
Confederate
Fischer
Indian / Victory
MotoCzysz
Motus
MTT
Ridley
Roehr
Zero Motorcycles

to name a few...and some company I forgot. It has an ÔÇ£HÔÇØ in the name....



I remembered....US Highland

 

[Visian]

Why not add a second bike to the stable.

here's some badass american motorcycle right here!

 

[mika]

here's some badass american motorcycle right here!

Bad ass in more ways than one...



Blaming WalyMart is something of a clich?®. They can defend themselves and need to in many ways. What we buy is probably more important than where we buy it. I think that is the point of the email copied into the OP You can buy products grown (beef, pork poultry and more) or manufactured (our small businesses can and do make all sorts of stuff) from right here in fly-over-land at WalyMart and other retailers. They are right next to the same products grown in NZ, Viet Nam and Toland instead of WA, OR, the Gulf coast fly-over-land. Manufactured in ___ instead of the fly-over-land.

Think globally. Act locally (buy local when ever you can)

 

[selyab]

Irony

I agree. I'm going out and buying an American made motorcycle next week. Uh, wait, no, maybe not....

This association (BMWMOA) and website are based around the purchase of a foreign made product.

 

[RIK]

here's some badass american motorcycle right here!

Looks like it would give you a pain in the #%*.

 

[gunderwood]

This association (BMWMOA) and website are based around the purchase of a foreign made product.

One might ask what those German's plan to do with all of those dollars...

As a few posters sort of alluded too, the "trade deficit/buy American" is protectionist nonsense. Look up a definition of how it's calculated and you should note all the things it excludes. It's not a transfer of wealth calculation, but rather a manufacturing calculation. All it says is that the US imports more manufactured goods than it exports; it excludes services, investment, etc. E.g. generally the employee's who design the bike make far more than those who assemble it.

The real problem is that American's buy cheap, disposable products and they turn around and purchase American investments with those dollars.

If you want to buy something really useful that's American, try this out: http://mises.org/store/Economics-in-One-Lesson-P33.aspx

It's a book written by an American and reprinted by an American educational institute. It's a very simple read, but does wonders for dispelling economic myths. Given a man a fish vs. teach him to fish sort of thing.

 

[98lee]

The point of the OP wasn't about macro-economics.

It was about doing something that helps local people that are having a tough time in a tough economy.

It's something we can do to help on a one on one local level now, not some philosophical macro economical theory that will change at a glacial pace if at all.


FOCUS on the GOOD that was suggested. This forum is not the place to discuss politics or political theory (check the posting guidelines).

 

[easy]

One might ask what those German's plan to do with all of those dollars...

Right now they are sending the bulk of it to Greece.

E

 

[MOTOR31]

Wonderful bit of irony there. Promoting buy American on a web site dedicated to German made motorcycles purchased by Americans.



As for me, I will honor the founding fathers by following a tried and true method of exercising my freedom of choice and capitalism by saving as much money as I can while maintaining my lifestyle. Capitalism, gotta love it.

 

[roborider]

Why not add a second bike to the stable. Let's see there's

ATK
Brammo
Confederate
Fischer
Indian / Victory
MotoCzysz
Motus
MTT
Ridley
Roehr
Zero Motorcycles

to name a few...and some company I forgot. It has an ÔÇ£HÔÇØ in the name....



I remembered....US Highland

All the brands I'm familiar with don't work for me. Victory/HD are good examples. And the electric bikes.

Eric Buell is producing a sport bike, priced around $40k! So the S1000RR is looking much better!

But you list a lot here I am not familiar with and I'm going on a web hunt now.

Cool post.
Thanks.

 

[mika]

All the brands I'm familiar with don't work for me. Victory/HD are good examples. And the electric bikes.

Eric Buell is producing a sport bike, priced around $40k! So the S1000RR is looking much better!

But you list a lot here I am not familiar with and I'm going on a web hunt now.

Cool post.
Thanks.

I was playing with your post. The names are hot linked with their company websites.

Pricing on the RR is right in line with the market. BMW is putting a lot into a bike that is inline with the Japanese bikes on price while beating them in so many ways (at least in the showroom and street if not the track). Price is more than Japanese less than Italian Aprilia, Ducati and MV Agusta and way cheaper than any current US sport bike.

 

[roborider]

Yes, the S1000 is a fantastic deal, but still too much machine for the street and over my head for track days. It was a joy to ride it at Barber.

My cbr600RR will have to fill that bill for some time.

 

[dude987]

How Can We Make America Great?

For a post that is not suppose to be political, it seems we're right on the cusp of political rhetoric.

OK. So this response is not meant to be a political antagonist. However I would like to share some food for thought.

In the end analysis our collective position on this post is the same. We want to preserve our quality of life, make American great, and pass on to the next generation a better standard of living. Where we have a difference is on the perspective of how to achieve the means to an end.

What made our country great:
Constitution
Bill of Rights
Longsuffering
Globalization
Service to Country
Civil Rights
Personal Sacrifice
Immigration
Inclusion
Diversity
Capitalism
Delayed Gratification

Road to impotence
Disregard for Constitution
Disregard for Bill of Rights
Sense of entitlement
Right to Work
Demand for jobs
Self-Serving
Isolationist tendencies
Socialist inclination
Exclusion
Instant Gratification
Immigrant Bashing


ÔÇó Jobs are a by-product of a healthy robust economy.
ÔÇó A strong robust economy is a by-product of globalization and free markets.
ÔÇó Institutional and industry CEOÔÇÖs passing legislation via lobbyist and through politicians to stifle open free market competition in an effort to unfairly favor their respective institutions is not a free market economy.
ÔÇó A free market can be achieve when politicians have the moral compass to stop taking favors from powerful lobbyist led by industry and institutional CEOÔÇÖs.
ÔÇó Legislation that favors free trade and open markets fairly for all industries and institutions will effectively promote competition.
ÔÇó Competitive free trade and open markets will result in superior goods and services driven by consumer demand.
ÔÇó Consumer demand leads to a robust and healthy economy that in turn leads to jobs creation.

All this incessant whining and complaining about right to work and demand for jobs is a dead end road to nowhere and national impotence. ItÔÇÖs not the root cause of our economic doldrums. If you canÔÇÖt find a job, go out and start your own business. This is capitalism. There are not job entitlements or right to work in the Constitution or the Bill of Rights. If you canÔÇÖt endure longsuffering and have to rely on government handouts, move to Europe.
The feeble mind moves with mass hysteria because itÔÇÖs effortless. The power of critical and independent thought can be liberating. The notion that somehow China is taking our jobs or that migrant workers are responsible for the current state of our economic woes is just seriously flawed.

China didnÔÇÖt take any jobs from the US. Right or wrong, American consumer goods companies located right here in USA exported these jobs to 3rd world countries in an effort to provided goods and services at much reduced costs to the domestic consumers. If there is any blame to be made here, it would be with the American institutional companies that contracted with and gave the jobs to 3rd world countries.

As for migrant worker legal or illegal, we have long been the benefactors of their slave like labor. There is a popular belief that they are taking something away from us by sending money home to their home country. The reality is that the expansion of the dollar to other countries only serves to strengthen our purchasing power and helps reduce inflation. It improves our quality of life and standard of living. The export of our currency to other countries is a huge economic stimulus for Americans. Yet we act and behave as if it is somehow unjust and detrimental to our well-being and that they are taking something away from us when in reality it is quite the contrary.

Productivity is the key to capitalism and economic expansion. Productive educated people working and generating revenues for taxes irregardless of race, gender, or disposition is the key to productivity. A productive member of society who works and pays taxes is the future to our national well being. The son or daughter of a immigrant who has the intellectual capacity to attain a higher education and be a productive member of our society can only benefit our future quality of life. Why would be want to send them out of our country after we have already invested our social culture to make them productive members of our society? They are a source of future tax revenues that will subsidize social security.

Again, in the end analysis our collective position on this post is the same. We want to preserve our quality of life, make American great, and pass on to the next generation a better standard of living. Where we have a difference is on the perspective of how to achieve the means to an end. It just doesnÔÇÖt make sense to shoot ourselves in the foot despite our best intentions.

BTW. It's OK to disagree. That's the beauty of our country and our political process.

Just my $.02 worth.

 

[20774]

FOCUS on the GOOD that was suggested. This forum is not the place to discuss politics or political theory (check the posting guidelines).

What Lee said! As has been suggested, we're nearing politico territory, if not there already.

If we can't get back on track to the original intent, the thread will be closed...

 

[mika]

Yes, the S1000 is a fantastic deal, but still too much machine for the street and over my head for track days. It was a joy to ride it at Barber.

My cbr600RR will have to fill that bill for some time.

I am never able to fold up long enough to feel comfortable on a 600 sport class bike. My son-in-law has a fun Yamaha that I borrow when I am with them. The liter bikes beg you to use to much wrist. I miss the 3/4 liter class. Bit bigger physically than the 600s a bit less high strung than the liters. Almost a Goldie locks just right.

back to the thread.

The irony point is not lost on me.

Labor is a major part of any product. American labor has been highly productive. Once a product can be mass produced and productivity maximized the only way found to control labor costs has been to outsource it. In the US it went from union to non union shops, North to South then out of the country.

The content of the OP, to me anyway, does not go after world economic topics or many of the other points we have touched on. In its own way acknowledges that we live and participate in a world economy. It just gives a pause to consider the difference between shopping for value and purpose as opposed to mindless mass consumer herd mentality we get caught up in so many times.

I need to go and sell something to someone...bye...

 

[98lee]

I know a fellow club member that refuses to wash his bike because it does nothing to solve the larger root cause of the problem: Dirty Roads









I choose not to take that position.

 

[JDOCKERY132445]

NC trees

I am typing this at our old farm in Surry County, NC. The cash crop here was tobacco until allotments were cut in the 1980s. Farmers scrambled to find another cash crop. many began to contract with Holly Farms and built huge chicken houses. Quite a few contracted with vegetable markets and planted lots of cabbage and bell peppers; but none of these came close to producing the kinds of revenue that tobacco had and many farms went into foreclosure. I bought one, sight unseen, at the Federal Land Bank.

Here in the hills, farmers have finally found two products that are generating cash, grapes and Christmas trees. Most of the folks who grow trees here would NOT have been impacted by the fee because they do not sell over 500/year; but the big farmers in Ashe County would have. The reason small growers were exempted is that the cost of collecting would have exceeded the revenue.

It is true about plastic trees coming from China. It is also true that demand has fallen off in the past few years. This is a fee that the GROWERS wanted. The state of NC already has an ad campaign; but the growers here and in other tree-growing regions throughout the US thought a national ad campaign would help everyone.

I will do my part by buying two trees to support the local economy.

To any and all of you who erect artificial tress, a big "bah humbug" to you and yours.