We have seen it with Walmart

[question everything]

Americans want cheap stuff: microwave ovens and TV sets, t shirt and fleece, even nice prom clothes.

But if any of these items were made in America, they would be a lot more expensive. American workers will not be able or willing to make the same items for the income paid to workers in China, or the Philippines, or Costa Rica.

We are told that iPhones will cost $1,000 more.

"They" tell us that it would take time to start building factories in this country and we will suffer until they are done but eventually it would be worth it. Of course, by then, most of the work would be automated.

I was half listening to CNN and all the commercials are for purchasing stuff. Or vacations. And I have to wonder who is willing to spend any kind of money to buy "stuff." Perhaps my view is too marrow.

And I still don't understand why we don't storm the Bastille, the White House. Yes, the same way that the rioters did on January 6 when all they cared was about a selfish whining individual.

No, there will never be a revolution in this country. People don't hate the rich; they want to be rich. I still remember in the past recession, 2009? a TV crew was seeking the "man in the street." How would you divide the pie, they asked. A young woman on her way to a movie laughed and said: I want the whole pie. This is where we have been, still are.

I hope that I am wrong.

[CrispyQ]

1. "No, there will never be a revolution in this country. People don't hate the rich; they want to be rich."

Truer words were never spoken. Nothing tells the world who your god is like putting "In God we Trust" on your money.

[obamanut2012]

10. It's why a state-wide rent control never passes in CA

Everyone thinks they'll be one of the landlord class some day.

[question everything]

18. But there is on in LA. This is the only way a family member has survived there..

[maxrandb]

15. There will be no revolution

as long as 'Murika can get handjob tutorials from tic-toc and Instagram, they will remain "comfortably numb".

?feature=shared

[gab13by13]

2. The time to maybe go for isolationism was back when Walmart came to town

I tried telling my buddies not to shop there, I didn't walk in a Walmart for 40 years. I kept buying American products, I paid more but they were better.

I was in the minority, people wanted 15 dollar blue jeans and 10 dollar shirts. If Walmart had never come to town we would have higher employment today.

I still shop local and buy American but it's impossible to only buy American, that ship sailed long ago. If I want to buy a new TV, if I don't want to buy it at Walmart, I have to drive 75 miles and it would probably be the same TV.

[question everything]

9. Same here. And Amazon.

The problem with Amazon that it is a self fulfilling case.

I purchase an item at, say, Target But after several months they no longer carry it so I have to go to Amazon.

Sadly, spouse has become addicted. It started with ebooks on Kindle but then, as much as we argue he finds the items on Amazon and they are here within a few days.

I wanted plain water glasses, about 12 oz. I looked on line on Target, yes, Walmart, all they had were bar squat glasses. Finally I had to give up when spouse showed me how many different 12 oz glasses he could find on Amazon. Or I was looking for plain small white plates - Corelle. The local store had only one size, not the one that I wanted. One store had nice plates, $25, each. So we went to Amazon. Got a dozen for the same amount.

[underpants]

3. Lutnik says everything will be made by robots

So on top of building plants there’d have to be a massive amount of very well engineered robots.

What could possibly go wrong?

[Retrograde]

17. Then what will all the surplus workers do?

When I was in high school well over half a century ago some people were worried that, with improved automation, people would be working fewer hours to achieve the same standard of living, and what would they do with all that leisure time? Several decades later we're seeing people work just as hard and long and still have problems meeting basic needs of food, clothing, shelter, and medical care.

A question I'd like to see Lutnik answer: Vance and other right-wingers are whining that the US birth rate is declining, and that we need more people; at the same time automation and the introduction of AI-based technologies (which do work in some cases) are reducing the need for human workers. What are all the surplus people supposed to do?

[question everything]

20. and blocking immigrants

[underpants]

21. We're going to have a hard time finding workers as it is

I hate to sound like a grumpy old man but kids these days aren’t into hard work. Hell, I can’t tell you how many people I know whose kids don’t drive at 18+

Add in opioids. I had a relative who was a heroin addict. He worked for a power company and a bank and at massive auto plant. How? He could get off the couch. Sadly he finally succumbed to his addiction a few years ago.

[hlthe2b]

4. Well, the tariff increases are already noticeable.

Imported dark Belgian (high percentage cacao) chocolate? You know the "healthy" kind that most probably like less than cheap domestic milk chocolate but provides some flavonoid and antioxidant benefits and is easier to eat in moderation? UP 25% over what I paid last month at Trader Joe's...

The two staples that I know Kroger distributes but are produced in Canada-- that I frequently purchase--off the shelves in my store (and throughout those in a 15-mile radius from an online perusal).. I did score some with a home delivery purchase.

Will this blow over if the tariffs are lifted QUICKLY? LIkely. But I'm not sure Trump is going to allow that to happen.

[CrispyQ]

12. Looks like eggs are settling in at about $8 a dozen.

They used to be mostly $5 a dozen. That's some nice extra profit in just a few months time.

[Nictuku]

5. Greed

I just realized that the other problem I have with MAGA-type people is lack of Empathy. I think Greed and Lack of Empathy go hand in hand.

Why are some people so Greedy, and others are not? I wish there was a way to breed out of humans the Greed gene (if there is such a thing). I think a lot of other problems would be solved.

Maybe the big test is (i.e. going to heaven if you believe that) will come down to whether or not you passed the Greed Test (and all that follows after: lying, stealing, etc.)

Deep thoughts - and I haven't even had my coffee yet. Maybe it is because I put on Hulu (no commercials) Ancient Aliens on all night. I need something on while sleeping (tinnitus will make you nutz). There are 20 seasons (a lot of it is re-hashing things), but since I started doing this I find that I'm very 'thoughtful' in the mornings.

[CrispyQ]

13. The anonymity of the internet & the increased isolation from the internet aren't helping our empathy grade, either.

Then there's capitalism which is basically based on greed. We're in a bad place & the arrogant, short-sighted men who got us here think they still deserve to run the world & apparently a whole bunch of other people think that, too. I just don't get it.

BTW, do you have a sound machine for background noise? We got one for our dog cuz she has noise anxiety but I find I really like it at nighttime for sleeping. We listen to a gentle rainstorm, even though she doesn't like rainstorms in real life, cuz in Colorado they're rarely gentle. ⛈️

[Nictuku]

22. No

White noise doesn't really help me. If I'm awake, and if I use my mind to think about things (listening to whatever current topic on Ancient Aliens), seems to work better. I used to have it on TCM (no commercials - kind of. Commercials tend to wake me up). Hopefully if I get sick of Ancient Aliens, I'll find something else that is commercial free and will play all night.

[Bev54]

6. I remember 30 years and more ago

When I was making a whole lot less money, I paid $400 for a tv and that was a good deal on sale. My first home computer cost me $1200. When I had birthday parties for my son we had them at our homes and it cost a fortune for the goodie bags, there was no dollar stores.
Cars and houses were cheaper but compared to our salaries they were still expensive to us.

We can get through this, although I think lower income in Canada may survive better because we have a much higher minimum wage

[Squaredeal]

8. Progressive American states have almost tha same minimum wage as Canada.

In Jersey, it’s $16.49. It’s those southern trailer-trash MAGA states that will suffer the most @ $7.25 an hour, assuming work is still available for an uneducated and unskilled work force.

[CrispyQ]

14. They will be competing with ten-year-old kids for jobs.

[Squaredeal]

7. State lotteries are to blame.

Greed is good for the country, apparently.
I recall reading an obituary of a local woman, whose main attribute and happiness in life, apparently, was playing the lottery and telling all her relatives how she would take care of them all once she had won the jackpot. She never won but I suppose that was her dream that kept her going all those years.

[obamanut2012]

11. No, state lotteries aren't to blame

[jalan48]

16. We Americans are spoiled. We want cheap goods, even if they are produced by exploited workers in third world countries..

Our capitalist model seems to work so well with the suffering of the workers hidden from view, all we see is the glitz and glamour of the commercials on our TV sets. Outta sight, outta mind.

[Ping Tung]

19. Socialism never took root in America because

“Socialism never took root in America because the poor see themselves not as an exploited proletariat but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires.” John Steinbeck