I think I've brought this up before - but it slays me that we do all this saber rattling with China, prepare to defend Taiwan, etc., but we still buy all their shit. So here we have Xi admitting to their economic woes. OK, how about everybody in the US take a pause from buying anything made in China for a couple of months and really put them in a dive. That would be tough because they produce G-D near everything we use or wear.
OT - China
- Thread starter Loyal Coug1
- Start date
Which is why this isn’t an option. Also why China probably won’t touch Taiwan, they need us as much as we need them.
Yep yep yep. I confess - I looked inside my new LA Gear tennis shoes. Guess what - made in China.
I remember the old "Buy American" days, and the "Made in America" stores - back when the US actually made stuff. Ancient history now. But really - how much more would it cost to make my tennis shoes in the US vs China? Coupla bucks? I guess another option would be to aggressively try to produce stuff in those other poor countries not named China. Mexico and some other far East countries make some of our stuff. Well make more.
I know, fantasyland. But for all the money we spend on defense and rattling sabers, and fighting amongst ourselves bout abortion and gun control and every other thing, Can't anyone raise up from the fray and start using some common sense?
F it - I'm moving to Canada. Take off to the Great White North, Hosers!
If a Yakima is the Palm Springs of Washington, what’s the Yakima of Canada?
On the cost of shoes....when you look for shoes that are made in the US.....you can't find any for under $100 and almost all of them are over $200. Now....they are using bullsh!t patriotism to overcharge for their products...but New Balance has a whole page of "Made in the USA" merchandise that's insultingly expensive.
Now, the disaster looming for China is that with the US and other countries getting sick of their BS, more factory work is switching to other countries like Vietnam. Moving forward, it's going to accelerate and that is going to wreck China. The only thing that might save them is their government making things so cheap that it won't make financial sense to leave China.
Geez no shit. I'm a little uneducated here, I buy cheap tennis shoes, not these Air Jordan's or whatever. I looked up "tennis shoes made in the USA, and got a bunch of them that guess what - are not made in the USA. Interesting snippet from the web (below). SO OK New Balance, get completely out of China, and try to move more production over here. At $100/shoe, there ought to be a profit margin there.
New Balance shoes are made in several countries, but mainly in Asia1234. China is the largest manufacturer of New Balance shoes in Asia and supplies many materials for them2. Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, and Cambodia also produce New Balance shoes34. New Balance also has factories in the USA and the UK, but not all of their shoes are made there14. Some of their shoes are labeled as Made in the USA, but they may only contain 70% domestic materials5.
I wore New Balance for a long time because I could spend about $60/year on a couple pairs. Then someone convinced me to try some slip-on Clarks. They’re pretty great. Comfortable, they last a long time - I’m still probably spending $60/year. And turns out they’re owned by a Hong Kong company and made in Vietnam.
Reality is that this all depends on where your principles are. If you want to buy American-made clothing, you’re going to pay more. American manufacturing has two primary approaches: we either outsource labor to foreign countries where we can exploit cheap labor, or we find domestic populations that we can exploit for unskilled labor that’s not quite as cheap. Or, in some very specific areas, we do have skilled workers who make high quality, purpose/custom made items and are fairly compensated…but that shit is expensive. Pick your preference.
That’s what I was gonna put.. Or Penticton basically somewhere in the Okanogan Valley.
I remember when that dude first put up the “Palm Springs of Washington “ sign in the late 80s. He basically said the similarity was only because both got a lot of sun, and he wanted to attract Seattleites over. I had a girlfriend from Yakima, she had some different cities that she would compare it to - none of which were very flattering.
I thought of Penticton too, but I think Kelowna is closer. Also considered Port Alberni, but it at least has reliable industry and an ocean view. Yakima’s only reliable industries are meth, heroin, and associated criminal enterprise.
Fresno and Bakersfield are comparisons I’ve seen too…although I think Fresno has left Yakima behind.
You forgot Coke. I'm not from Yakima, but lived here for 6 years when I was young, and 4+ years this time. Very much want out.
Some really good people of all ethnicities. A lot of crime, and a lot of gang shit. Mostly confined to the Mexicans. Places in town that I would not go to unless armed. Cold in the winter (duh). Lots of really cute Hispanic women - and white ones too for that matter. All too young, but friendly as hell. Maybe one of them would be up for shacking up with an older Sugar Daddy, have yet to ask. Frequent sex would be required of course.
The one thing that never quits bugging me is that so many, mostly older Hispanic males, can't speak English. At all. Every establishment (Banks grocery stores, etc.) has to have a bilingual employee handy. Sorry, I have a problem with that. The USA, 1,000+ miles from the border.
They have this really cool Greenway, an extended walking/biking path along the Yakima river. Another place I would not go unless with someone or armed, and a place I would never go after dark even if armed. Did I mention the homeless problem? Well I guess that is everywhere. Except Heaven aka Pullman.
So no, not the Palm Springs of anywhere. The Tijuana of Washington perhaps.
Yeah, it’s a dump. Lived there when I was a kid and did a lot of work there up until about 10-12 years ago. There were always areas that were bad, but they’ve grown together so that the good areas are pretty isolated pockets now. Union Gap tried to become the nice part of town, and for a while it looked like it might work. But from what I can tell, it looks like the festering rot that was First Avenue spilled down to the gap and infected it too.
When I was there, there used to be a push for a sort of urban renewal downtown, getting rid of the 20s-era buildings and “modernizing.” Efforts often led by someone named Mercy. There were a number of overnight fires in those days in some run down old place on a lot with commercial value. Funny thing about Yakima fire department in those days - they could respond and save a mobile home in Gleed, but somehow commercial buildings in downtown Yakima would burn to the ground. Weird, huh?
Story at the time was the Capitol theater fire was one of those “urban renewal” efforts, but somebody overlooked that the theater was a registered historic place. So…no wrecking ball.
China is so hosed. The 1 child policy plus hyperspeed urbanization plus covid plus general societal dismay = population collapse. They peaked 10 years ago. Labor costs are going way up because they're running low on workers, their housing market is cartoonishly wrecked because of insane overbuild, their gov't bureaucracies are crap because of the information environment and horrible incentives, etc etc. Xi will saber-rattle over Taiwan and spit mean words at Japan because nationalism is all he's got to maintain any form of popular support, but if he goes it's just a desperate attempt to stay in power and I don't think they can pull it off, and even if they did, the international sanctions might mean starvation.
Well. When your economy is fading and the natives are getting restless, there’s nothing like a nice war to boost industry and nationalism. You just need to find a viable enemy.
