Sadly, that "American" Ford is hardly made in the U.S.A. The components are probably more than 50% foreign, and it may have even been assembled in Mexico. Strangely enough, it's possible that your "Japanese import" was assembled in America.
It's interesting that Ford is brought up in this discussion. Henry Ford compensated his factory workers well enough to afford the Model T's that they were making. From http://www.wiley.com/legacy/products/subject/business/forbes/ford.html: (watch the wrap)
"...the unskilled workers, many of them foreign born, didn't enjoy their work, earning a mediocre $2.38 for a nine-hour day. Indeed, the simplification of the jobs created a treacherous backlash: high turnover... The rest of the industry reluctantly accepted high turnover as part of the assembly-line system and passed the increasing labor costs into the prices of their cars. Henry Ford, however, did not want anything in the price of a Model T except good value. His solution was a bold stroke that reverberated through the entire nation.
"On January 5, 1914, Henry Ford announced a new minimum wage of five dollars per eight-hour day, in addition to a profit-sharing plan. It was the talk of towns across the country; Ford was hailed as the friend of the worker, as an outright socialist, or as a madman bent on bankrupting his company. Many businessmen -- including most of the remaining stockholders in the Ford Motor Company -- regarded his solution as reckless. But he shrugged off all the criticism: 'Well, you know when you pay men well you can talk to them,' he said. Recognizing the human element in mass production, Ford knew that retaining more employees would lower costs, and that a happier work force would inevitably lead to greater productivity. The numbers bore him out. Between 1914 and 1916, the company's profits doubled from $30 million to $60 million. 'The payment of five dollars a day for an eight-hour day was one of the finest cost-cutting moves we ever made,' he later said.
"There were other ramifications, as well. A budding effort to unionize the Ford factory dissolved in the face of the Five-Dollar Day. Most cunning of all, Ford's new wage scale turned autoworkers into auto customers. The purchases they made returned at least some of those five dollars to Henry Ford, and helped raise production, which invariably helped to lower per-car costs."
Will the folks in Mexico be able to afford the Ford Explorers that they're putting together?
Art Frank
>>> "Harrington, Don" <[log in to unmask]> 06/05/02 09:46AM >>>
In general, I agree with the 'buy American' statement. What does one do,
however, when 'American' companies don't offer what you want? I had that
experience back in the mid-80's when I was car shopping. I wanted a small
wagon that had four-wheel drive. I even looked at a Ford Escort, even
though I knew FWD wasn't an option. Unfortunately, I didn't fit well (I'm
6' 3"). The only option for me (at that time) was a Toyota Tercel.
Later,
Don Harrington
Sr. Systems Analyst
Facilities Applications Support
Shared Services Group
The Boeing Company
P.O. Box 3707 M/C 2R-32
Seattle, WA 98124-2207
(v) 206-544-5679 (f) 206-544-5788 (p) 206-797-6360
The opinions expressed in this e-mail reflect those of the sender. They do
not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Boeing Company unless
specifically stated otherwise.
-----Original Message-----
From: David T Darnell [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Wednesday, June 05, 2002 9:29 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [HP3000-L] OT: H1-B
Jerry Leslie wrote, in part:
"That's enough to wonder how stable the U.S. will be."
If tech workers can't get work, or have to take large pay cuts, and the
problem continues to grow:
Who is going to buy the high-dollar products? Third-worlders on third-world
salaries, or maybe stereotypical K-Mart customers? The economy could fall
into a deep recession.
If half the people on your block cannot afford rent, mortgage, or car
payments, what do you think is going to happen to people trying to forclose
or reposess? How far does it go before people decide the system has failed?
It has already gone further than, say, in the 1770's, but it is a much more
complicated world today, and the illusion is better maintained.
Anyone read the Mormon prophecies about the US falling into a state of
arnarchy, the US government becoming ineffectual, and foreign troops coming
in to restore order or administer martial law? Once, this sounded like so
much paranoid hooey; now, it doesn't seem so far down the pike.
Let my rhetoric go forth: "It is unpatriotic to send your work overseas.
Buy American, hire American".
-dtd
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