Shopsmith Forums

woodburner wrote:How many of you drink Budweiser and Budweiser products. They were just bought by an overseas company. Is it time to boycott "Bud"? Some think so.

Your opinions?

I plan on buying American. Even if brewing stays here, profits will go away to other countries, weakening our dollar further and not benefitting our country.

I think shopsmith has done a wonderful job in keeping their company and the shopsmith alive. There aren't many equipment companys that support their older products like shopsmith does. Bravo to them for their effort.

In todays economy you need to farm out some things and if they do use a few foriegn componets I am not concerned by it. Most of our products are foriegn and it does support the many middlemen who are American and selling it. Sure we don't make all the profit but do make plenty from it. If everything we had to purchase was American made then none of us could afford much. Our work force has been changing and will continue to change whether we like it or not. We need to adjust and accept the changes, not look back on how it was and forever hope it will return to that.

carlray wrote:I think shopsmith has done a wonderful job in keeping their company and the shopsmith alive. There aren't many equipment companys that support their older products like shopsmith does. Bravo to them for their effort.

In todays economy you need to farm out some things and if they do use a few foriegn componets I am not concerned by it. Most of our products are foriegn and it does support the many middlemen who are American and selling it. Sure we don't make all the profit but do make plenty from it. If everything we had to purchase was American made then none of us could afford much. Our work force has been changing and will continue to change whether we like it or not. We need to adjust and accept the changes, not look back on how it was and forever hope it will return to that.

Hi carlray,
There was a time that that was very nearly completely true. During that time, our country grew and prospered.

I guess it's time to drink some "Samuel Adams" more often. Their beer tastes better anyway.

woodburner wrote:I guess it's time to drink some "Samuel Adams" more often. Their beer tastes better anyway.

I don't get it! Aren't you just putting the people in the Milwaukee brewery out of work. Afterall it (Bud) is still made in America.

You guys are getting radical with this chatter about buying only USA made products.

I'm a patriote too. A career military man. I don't feel guilty on a cold winter night when I wrap up in a cozy Hudson Bay Blanket - definitely not made in America. Or, on a hot summer day while I sip my Heineken in the shade of the big cottonwood out front. It feels good after a long hot day on the old Case tractor listening to my Walkman and ploying. Or out in the shed, ripping lumber on my Shopsmith Mark 5 using a new Amana saw blade purchased from Shopsmith but made in Europe (Germany I think).

Amen!!!!!!

markfive510 wrote:I don't get it! Aren't you just putting the people in the Milwaukee brewery out of work. Afterall it (Bud) is still made in America.

You guys are getting radical with this chatter about buying only USA made products.

I'm a patriote too. A career military man. I don't feel guilty on a cold winter night when I wrap up in a cozy Hudson Bay Blanket - definitely not made in America. Or, on a hot summer day while I sip my Heineken in the shade of the big cottonwood out front. It feels good after a long hot day on the old Case tractor listening to my Walkman and ploying. Or out in the shed, ripping lumber on my Shopsmith Mark 5 using a new Amana saw blade purchased from Shopsmith but made in Europe (Germany I think).

I don't think we are getting radical with this chatter about buying only USA made products. If you look around this country is quickly getting into big trouble. Our Gross National Product numbers are heading for the basement. Most of our national debt is now owned by foreign countries ( In other words they are holding our IOU's ) and we are losing skills that may never be recovered.

What does this all mean? Well for one thing if these countries that are holding our IOU's ever decide to call them, we simply don't have the money to back them so we will be at their mercy. In other words learn to speak Mandarin real quick.

Financial world is scared to death but they are putting up a brave front but things keep going the way they are going none of us will have enough money to buy a loaf of bread and that means if we want to eat we are going to have to kiss someone's behind. Now who do you think that might be? Again learn to speak Mandarin real quick.

Oh by the way did you all know Mandarin has the most people speaking it than any other language?

I don't have a problem buying from Europe, Mexico, Japan, Tiawain or even Korea but I have a big problem giving profits to a country that is declared enemy of this country.

NO I don't think it is radical I think buying from China we are giving aid and comfort to the enemy. Learn to speak Mandarin real quick.
Ed

Gotta Side in with Mark510.

Also Gotta remember that as time passes, the world economy and world politics also change. Those who were once our sworn enemies are now our allies. eg; Great Britain, Japan, Germany, Mexico among others. Peace and freedom are not FREE! They are earned! Sometimes through negotiation, and sometimes through war and National Defense.

At a relative recent international meeting in France, a conference attendee stood up and complained, "We always speak English at these meetings" ..."Why can't we sometimes use another language?"
An American answered, " With thanks to Americans, Canadians, Aussies and Brits, we all aren't speaking German."

I Love it!
Signed; An American, and proud of it!

This discussion has been extremely interesting to me. I feel that I do need to clear up some thoughts here. GNP is not used too much anymore when looking at a country's production for a number of reasons. One is that parts used in producing the final product could be counted more than once (ex. windshields used in car production) Also, while Gross National Product allows a domestic company to count overseas production (ex: GE appliances made in Malaysia). However Gross Domestic Product (GDP) counts only domestically produced final goods that are available for consumers(ex: Shopsmith Model 510).

An interesting paradox is that with a weaker US dollar is the growing attraction of foreign investment is the U.S. My son works for a Japanese company that produces parts for the automotive industry for all major manufacturers that are either one of the "Big Three" or are foreign-owned. As the wage gap closes between foreign and domestic labor, there will be less incentive for U.S. companies move production out of the U.S. Already there are some companies who are either bringing back production or have cutailed plans to move production overseas for precisely that reason.

During our industrial revolution we also has taken ideas from other countries in production. Samuel Slater brought ideas for a textile factory from Great Britain from plans he had memorized, since it was illegal to take plans out from that country. While railroads built the U.S., the first locomotive was a British invention. Foreign investment played a major part in our industrial growth.How many of you checked where you clothes are made? If we went to a purely made in America for clothes today, we'd have an awful lot of non-dressed people running around (now if you wanted a truly awful mental image, there you go).

How many of us use wood in our projects that come from other countries, including those from tropical rainforests? How many of us buy food out of season in the U.S. at the store? Has anyone here been in the hospital, see a dentist, wear glasses? Purchase a computer or T.V. lately? Check the country of manufacture.

I truly believe the day is not far off when we will see production return to the U.S., maybe not in the way we were used to but in a much leaner, efficient way. I believe that Shopsmith has already shown how this can be done.

The bottom line is that while I agree with the points already given in this post, to try and purchase 100% domestically produced goods, while admirable, is impossible.

This discussion has been extremely interesting to me. I feel that I do need to clear up some thoughts here. GNP is not used too much anymore when looking at a country's production for a number of reasons. One is that parts used in producing the final product could be counted more than once (ex. windshields used in car production) Also, while Gross National Product allows a domestic company to count overseas production (ex: GE appliances made in Malaysia). However Gross Domestic Product (GDP) counts only domestically produced final goods that are available for consumers(ex: Shopsmith Model 510).

An interesting paradox is that with a weaker US dollar is the growing attraction of foreign investment is the U.S. My son works for a Japanese company that produces parts for the automotive industry for all major manufacturers that are either one of the "Big Three" or are foreign-owned. As the wage gap closes between foreign and domestic labor, there will be less incentive for U.S. companies move production out of the U.S. Already there are some companies who are either bringing back production or have cutailed plans to move production overseas for precisely that reason.

During our industrial revolution we also has taken ideas from other countries in production. Samuel Slater brought ideas for a textile factory from Great Britain from plans he had memorized, since it was illegal to take plans out from that country. While railroads built the U.S., the first locomotive was a British invention. Foreign investment played a major part in our industrial growth.How many of you checked where you clothes are made? If we went to a purely made in America for clothes today, we'd have an awful lot of non-dressed people running around (now if you wanted a truly awful mental image, there you go).

How many of us use wood in our projects that come from other countries, including those from tropical rainforests? How many of us buy food out of season in the U.S. at the store? Has anyone here been in the hospital, see a dentist, wear glasses? Purchase a computer or T.V. lately? Check the country of manufacture.

I truly believe the day is not far off when we will see production return to the U.S., maybe not in the way we were used to but in a much leaner, efficient way. I believe that Shopsmith has already shown how this can be done.

The bottom line is that while I agree with the points already given in this post, to try and purchase 100% domestically produced goods, while admirable, is impossible.
BPR