Oh yeah, and the 200' deep anti-nuke bomb shelter!! Wasn't there a movie
about that? Some family came out from underground after being there long
enough for radiation to subside ...they came out right in the middle of
downtown (bums, hookers, etc. on the outside). Can't remember what movie
that was, but it was funny...

Brian

--
My boat project: http://www.advantagecomposites.com/tongass


"Brian Whatcott" wrote in message
...
Then there's the dry food to stock up on - the bottled water - the
radiation detectors. Oh: that was the Y2K scare wasn't it?

:-)

Brian W

On Thu, 13 Nov 2003 12:28:49 -0600, Donald Phillips
wrote:

Brian D wrote:
Buying/selling: This means "channel partner" or "distributor". Better
off
doing localized warehousing. As competitive pressures increase, you'll
see
"channel partners" bite the dust and companies going to direct sales as
much
as they can. Retail outlets will need to skip the middle man and deal
more
with the supplier companies directly. It's a trend, not a rule. There
will
always be exceptions.

Another trend that the US-effing government doesn't tell you about is
how
they give big corps tax breaks for locating operations overseas:
development, manufacturing, distribution. Mainly, that means China.
Companies such as the one I work for (I won't divulge) don't even begin
to
think about it ...all things go directly overseas. All the reasons
that
used to be used to argue against such action are gone with the wind,
dismissed with a wave of the hand and a statement that "*This* product
is
very cost sensitive. We have no choice." So when have products NOT
been
"cost sensitive"? Have you ever met someone who said "Gee, it's OK if
I
make lower net margin on our product!" Risk mitigation is a thing of
the
past, except possibly the use of a little geographical diversification
now
and then...quickly dropped if you can't find an outfit to do what you
want,
at lightning speed, and at minimum cost ...can you say "Asia is the
choice"?
Except for software ...that's India. Manufacturing is also becoming
"east
Europe", places like Hungary. They can make homemade leather shoes,
whack a
donkey with a stick to lead a wagon, and manufacture computers.

What *must* remain in the US (as *ssh*les pull the rug out from under
our
gross national product, in the name of "favored trade partners" and
"world
trade"), is warehousing and distribution of 'American' and other
products
that are produced overseas, but needed here. The balance of labor will
lean
towards small and medium sized companies rather than towards large
blue-chip
companies, primarily because these outfits can't afford to move
overseas.
The US and parts of Europe will remain the primary innovation centers,
and
that's good ...the rest of the world has at best become good at copying
and
refining, but never at innovating or invention.

Don't believe me? Do your own research and check it against my notes
above.
Let me know if I'm wrong...I'd love to be. But as a professionals, my
wife
and I are worried. We are paying off our house ASAP and operating on a
cash-only basis ...zero debt within 5 years. If we do that, we can
live on
only 50% of our current income level, or even less if we adjust our
lifestyle. This may become necessary as various transitions and
movement of
gross product moves overseas (thanks to you-know-whats like Bill
Clinton and
George Bush ...yes, it's a nonpartisan effort to undermine the US
economy,
one piece at a time ...Clinton, for one-world government, and Bush, for
relations with other nations ...the old form of America is gone and
world
economy is with us, along with the downsized opportunities and incomes

associated with operating with a larger resource pool.) The changes
that
have occurred in this country since when my career started are
startling and
scary. We'll play our cards right and do OK. Even if I'm completely
wrong
(hopefully am), then at worst, our plan will just make life more
flexible
and easier.

Brian

Thank God there's someone else out there that has noticed what
is going on around the world, I'm not alone. Now there are two
of us.

By the way, unfortunately, you're not wrong.

Donald