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




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