The USA Political Thread

lennco · Jul 20, 2012

Here you can spout your USA political views.

Rules:
1. Keep it clean
2. No fighting
3. Respect the views of others.
4. US Political views, No Religious views
5. Have fun

:wave:

iowadawg · Jan 4, 2017

If only my tweets would shake up the world...hahahhahahaa

GILSAN · Jan 4, 2017

iowadawg said:
If only my tweets would shake up the world...hahahhahahaa

Try running for President first

iowadawg · Jan 4, 2017

Can't, too many skeletons in the lower forty.
And in the pond.

Now you know where the Clintons learned how to get rid of people problems.

Internet.Domains · Jan 4, 2017

GILSAN · Jan 4, 2017

iowadawg said:
Can't, too many skeletons in the lower forty.
And in the pond.

Now you know where the Clintons learned how to get rid of people problems.

Good answer...

GILSAN · Jan 4, 2017

N-A · Jan 4, 2017

Ford cancels Mexico plant, expands U.S. factory and adds 700 jobs
The Trump effect.
MAGA

Kate · Jan 4, 2017

Sounds like PR fluff to me:

Ford Motor announced Tuesday that it would cancel plans for a $1.6 billion Mexico plant and launch a Michigan expansion in a move that may be viewed as a capitulation to Donald Trump.

Ford CEO Mark Fields said the company would spend $700 million and add 700 jobs to "transform and expand" its Flat Rock, Mich. manufacturing plant to make autonomous and electric vehicles.

To be sure, Ford acknowledged that it would still move production of the next-generation Focus sedan to Mexico, as previously announced. But it will be built at an existing plant in Hermosillo, Mexico, not at a new facility.

Ford's expansion will convert 700 temporary jobs at the Michigan plant into permanent positions, adding to an existing hourly staff of about 3,600. Fields said the automaker will add about 200 jobs at its plant in Hermosillo, Mexico, to make the Focus but did not say how much it would invest.

To sum up and if I reading this right:

700 temporary jobs in MI will be made permanent, so it's not like they are really creating 700 new positions, accordingly the $700 million investment could have been made anyway (?) Is this what the Ford expansion is all about ?
On the other hand, the article talks about 200 jobs added in Mexico - I am assuming it's new positions ?
FM is renouncing to build a new plant in Mexico as previously announced but will nonetheless continue to use an existing plant in Hermosillo

It's more like making a gesture while maintaining the status quo and twisting words. A face-saving exercise for both parties.
Given that Trump himself has outsourced many jobs (business over patriotism), who is he to dictate how American businesses should run their operations ?

N-A · Jan 4, 2017

Kate said:
700 temporary jobs in MI will be made permanent, so it's not like they are really creating 700 new positions, accordingly the $700 million investment could have been made anyway (?) Is this what the Ford expansion is all about ?

Well, "worker participation" will go up... which means the new and improved "unemployment figure" will drop even lower. That's a plus.

Kate said:
On the other hand, the article talks about 200 jobs added in Mexico - I am assuming it's new positions ?

Doesn't state their nationality. I assume some of them will be American expats which is another plus.

Kate said:
FM is renouncing to build a new plant in Mexico as previously announced but will nonetheless continue to use an existing plant in Hermosillo

I don't get what you don't understand here. They're saving $1.6bn to reinvest $700m in America infrastructure and presumably the rest into what they already have in Mexico. It's a pretty good business move.

Kate said:
Given that Trump himself has outsourced many jobs (business over patriotism), who is he to dictate how American businesses should run their operations ?

He's not the CEO of America. He's the Commander in Chief now. He can dictate what is great for America. And, if he and his buddies get rich from doing so, so be it. I'm fine with that, so as long as America's economy flourishes again.

Kate · Jan 4, 2017

N-A said:
I don't get what you don't understand here. They're saving $1.6bn to reinvest $700m in America infrastructure and presumably the rest into what they already have in Mexico.

Read between the lines (I am the devil's advoKate

).

What I am wondering is, whether the $700 million would probably have been spent anyway, so turning 700 temporary jobs into permanent positions is not really an expansion but more like consolidation.
FM say they shelved the plan to build a new $1.6 bil. plant in Mexico, but they don't say how much they will invest in their existing plant (maybe there is a reason ?).
What is clear is that production in Mexico will not be cut down.

The new president is very eager to take credit for business decisions:

The decision to move production from a new plant in Mexico to an existing factory there stemmed from decreased demand for small vehicles in North America. “We just didn’t need to capacity anymore,” Ford CEO and president Mark Fields told WIRED in an interview. But he maintains that manufacturing these vehicles in Mexico, where they can be made for less money, is still crucial to being able to sell them for a price consumers are willing to pay.

https://www.wired.com/2017/01/fords-us-expansion-victory-trumps-trolling-tactics/

PS: I think I found the relevant press release: https://media.ford.com/content/ford...lectrified-f-150-mustang-transit-by-2020.html

N-A said:
And, if he and his buddies get rich from doing so, so be it. I'm fine with that, so as long as America's economy flourishes again.

I am not fine with it.
This is called crony capitalism. The POTUS is not supposed to be doing business for himself while running national affairs. That would be a huge conflict of interest.
We don't need another Dick Cheney in office.

iowadawg · Jan 4, 2017

Wow....she ignored Obama doing business for himself for 8 years!
Goes from net worth of about $1.2M to 8 years later of a net worth of about $13M...
But hey, he is a democrat, so that is okay to liberals like Kate.