Politics

[Pondoro]

The Russian propagandists at their version of 60 Minutes are always interesting. The host Olga Skabeeva and friends can't believe their good fortune. With respect to our international interests, I can't believe our misfortune.

So..Trump and his government are willing to hand over all presently occupied territory in Ukraine to Russia.. I have to pinch myself to fathom this..

The aggressor gets it all..who is next..?

 

[deewayne2003]

So, you are fine for paying extra for those hats. Once again, the importer pays the tariffs, not the originating country. Then, in most cases it gets passed on the customer.

I was at a Lexus dealer two days ago looking at the RX models with my girlfriend. Prices are already up for those that need to be ordered versus the ones on the lot. The color she wants needs to be ordered and it will be about $7K more than the one on the floor if we go for it. It is a tariff charge, not a color selection charge.

Sounds like the dealer mark ups of years past......

If you are willing to pay $7k premium for the color she wants, that's certainly your choice. Just like it was the choice of people to trade in perfectly good cars for new ones that were often $10K over MSRP during COVID - Which has now lead repossession rates for 700+ credit scores nearly tripling.

 

[Pondoro]

We have to ask ourself...is article 5 dead..? Let us say Putin launch an attack on one of the baltic states...what will Trump do..? Say its not Americas war..?

 

[deewayne2003]

How much of that alternative is "made in America"? A Ford F-150 built at a plant in the US has just 32% American produced content. So, it also will go up in price dramatically. The CEO of Ford recently estimated $4-7K a unit depending upon bells and whistles. All that promised tariff revenue is coming right out of American consumer pockets and will hurt most those hourly wage earners and retirees who can least afford it. Sheer political genius.

How Much Of A Ford F-150 Is Made In America? - SlashGear

Plenty of vehicles aren't made entirely in the U.S. anymore, but for Ford's F-150, you may be surprised to find out the ratio of foreign vs. U.S. manufacturing.

www.slashgear.com

Toyota Tundra has 60%+ USA content and having driven both, as well as having managed both in large company fleets I can tell you the Tundra is a superior product.

 

[Red Leg]

Toyota Tundra has 60%+ USA content and having driven both, as well as having managed both in large company fleets I can tell you the Tundra is a superior product.

So? It will cost more as well. And because that more applies equally to someone making 70K a year as someone making 700K a year, it represents the most regressive possible revenue plan.

 

[Brent in Az]

How much of that alternative is "made in America"? A Ford F-150 built at a plant in the US has just 32% American produced content. So, it also will go up in price dramatically. The CEO of Ford recently estimated $4-7K a unit depending upon bells and whistles. All that promised tariff revenue is coming right out of American consumer pockets and will hurt most those hourly wage earners and retirees who can least afford it. Sheer political genius.

How Much Of A Ford F-150 Is Made In America? - SlashGear

Plenty of vehicles aren't made entirely in the U.S. anymore, but for Ford's F-150, you may be surprised to find out the ratio of foreign vs. U.S. manufacturing.

www.slashgear.com

Like I said......wait until the trade wars are over.
The real political genius in all of this, is balancing tariffs and trade that have been lopsided for decades.
Countries like China that are balking the most, have the most to lose.

 

[Brent in Az]

Sounds like the dealer mark ups of years past......

If you are willing to pay $7k premium for the color she wants, that's certainly your choice. Just like it was the choice of people to trade in perfectly good cars for new ones that were often $10K over MSRP during COVID - Which has now lead repossession rates for 700+ credit scores nearly tripling.

And all the dealership games and price gouging has come back to haunt them. Deservedly so.

 

[deewayne2003]

So? It will cost more as well. And because that more applies equally to someone making 70K a year as someone making 700K a year, it represents the most regressive possible revenue plan.

You are correct, the Tundra will cost more but will also last longer as well and with fewer maintenance issues. As someone that is much closer to the 70K mark than the 700K; I honestly believe that many of the financial pitfalls can be avoided by shedding the consumerism mindset of needing a new car every couple of years.

People equal to and vastly above my income bracket often ask me how I afford to hunt and travel as I do, the answer is simple - I buy used, pay off early and follow the factory recommended service schedule and keep driving for extended periods.

This flies in the face of the average 100K earner who wears a Rolex and drives a new King Ranch Ford every 2 years; these are the same people who can't fathom dropping $15k on a hunt but have an $8k year deer lease that's 5 hours drive from home and that requires them to feed corn and protein year round.

When it comes to cars, keeping up with the Jones' holds many Americans back from building wealth.

 

[Red Leg]

You are correct, the Tundra will cost more but will also last longer as well and with fewer maintenance issues. As someone that is much closer to the 70K mark than the 700K; I honestly believe that many of the financial pitfalls can be avoided by shedding the consumerism mindset of needing a new car every couple of years.

People equal to and vastly above my income bracket often ask me how I afford to hunt and travel as I do, the answer is simple - I buy used, pay off early and follow the factory recommended service schedule and keep driving for extended periods.

This flies in the face of the average 100K earner who wears a Rolex and drives a new King Ranch Ford every 2 years; these are the same people who can't fathom dropping $15k on a hunt but have an $8k year deer lease that's 5 hours drive from home and that requires them to feed corn and protein year round.

When it comes to cars, keeping up with the Jones' holds many Americans back from building wealth.

I would not argue with any of that.

 

[PrechtlM98]

We have to ask ourself...is article 5 dead..? Let us say Putin launch an attack on one of the baltic states...what will Trump do..? Say its not Americas war..?

Maybe someone has to tell Trump and Putin what happend 1867 with Alaska... ;-)

 

[LivingTheDream]

So? It will cost more as well. And because that more applies equally to someone making 70K a year as someone making 700K a year, it represents the most regressive possible revenue plan.

It is a bit regressive, you could also say it is fair since both the 70k and 700k person are paying the same amount. But it is also consumption based tax rather than production based tax, which to me is a step in the right direction. Will be interesting to see how this impacts the used car market (in this example).

 

[Field28]

You are correct, the Tundra will cost more but will also last longer as well and with fewer maintenance issues. As someone that is much closer to the 70K mark than the 700K; I honestly believe that many of the financial pitfalls can be avoided by shedding the consumerism mindset of needing a new car every couple of years.

People equal to and vastly above my income bracket often ask me how I afford to hunt and travel as I do, the answer is simple - I buy used, pay off early and follow the factory recommended service schedule and keep driving for extended periods.

This flies in the face of the average 100K earner who wears a Rolex and drives a new King Ranch Ford every 2 years; these are the same people who can't fathom dropping $15k on a hunt but have an $8k year deer lease that's 5 hours drive from home and that requires them to feed corn and protein year round.

When it comes to cars, keeping up with the Jones' holds many Americans back from building wealth.

You bring up a good point that gets lost in the tariff talk. The Rolex for example. There was a time where we imported items from other countries that we didn't have access to or that other countries were just better at making... Rolex, French wine, olive oil etc.

At sometime we became a quantity over quality culture. Keeping up with the Jones created a void that the Chinese were more than willing to fill up with cheap junk.

Where there used be a time that you worked hard and saved for something that was special and could be passed on to the following generation. A watch, fine gun or hunting jacket, bespoke suit, what have you.

8k to shoot some Wood Goats, damn that's steep! I'll take the 15k hunt in Africa all day long!

 

[RLD]

At sometime we became a quantity over quality culture. Keeping up with the Jones created a void that the Chinese were more than willing to fill up with cheap junk.

Where there used be a time that you worked hard and saved for something that was special and could be passed on to the following generation. A watch, fine gun or hunting jacket, bespoke suit, what have you.

This is a very good, but often overlooked point.

However the other part of the equation isn't working either. The wealth gap in America is growing, and the proportionate cost of housing and groceries has been rising for decades.

One of the reasons North Americans are "addicted" to cheap products from overseas is because they now spend so much of their income on groceries and housing, there is not enough left over to buy a great pair of shoes made in New England.

 

[Tanks]

Sounds like the dealer mark ups of years past......
...

If you are willing to pay $7k premium for the color she wants, that's certainly your choice. Just like it was the choice of people to trade in perfectly good cars for new ones that were often $10K over MSRP during COVID - Which has now lead repossession rates for 700+ credit scores nearly tripling.

It is not a markup. The $7K extra is part of the MSRP for any new order from the factory regardless of the color. I don't worry about repos as I pay cash unless there is a 0% interest loan.

Markups are listed separately, not part of the MSRP. For example, I did pay a $5K markup for my GX 550 OT+. It was the least of any dealers around as some were asking $10K+. And yes, it was a choice as there were no alternatives. As it is I waited 4+ months for one with the specs I wanted.

 

[Tanks]

One of the reasons North Americans are "addicted" to cheap products from overseas is because they now spend so much of their income on groceries and housing, there is not enough left over to buy a great pair of shoes made in New England.

Or almost anything made in the USA. One other thing is that it is no longer viable to make some things in the USA. Here is something I have bought in the past, dirt cheap and does not make sense to manufacture it here.

https://www.amazon.com/Punch-Watch-Remover-Alloy-0-7mm/dp/B0BZTX32CB/ref=sr_1_7?crid=ESPGDLQLEO21&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.NT4eocgKnSh2fxeU1IiWJloMyzBAYpD5bN8no6B031vDbKpXEvPleO1aFa9yU_ASdgYHAzFWMbWcrnj2hzv3qz9myhnAMOBxSQKN56wVOPMW1DuW9uqv97Vt-l6r6TpTUuQXjDbbm83NpMNrydbGs1jAsKodbQnvvFPIv6rT5q8QyDR7AfXUWD-1GGoPbRBUwGTEFRilxW3Jg2ToGfvwGTExYs2yX0TIY1k24e-Ol4a8QBhhR-o26XiLAGrGyMonOppOxRky_qGB0HKxRiNLhnKNqUn6g3zWlEuVq-A1c00.Wn7-WX1HknsvP07GIBPNlpMOUGvI71yyd_2x-4taNaw&dib_tag=se&keywords=0.7+mm+punch&qid=1745596793&sprefix=0.7+mm+punch%2Caps%2C160&sr=8-7

If there is any labor at all involved in the manufacture or packaging it would be 10X here.

 

[rigbymauser]

I don't think you caught my trolling comment......but I certainly caught you.....LOL

Buy a car made in America, or wait until all the tariff and trade deals are finalized

I read somewhere the John Deere company is heading for Mexico. Though I am not into farming equipment in generel I do find it sadding an old american instutution is moving out. Farmers overhere buy John Deere stuff and they are often represented at Farmers fairs and everybody knows its american made. This brings me to the “ american made”. In the 1960-1980s lots of stuff we bought overhere was made in america. Today we barely see anything( items)with the exception of old vintage cars and a few of the newer Mustangs and Hellcats. We still have McDs and a few Burger Kings. After WW2 america had a huge positive influence in Europe. Not just the Marshallplan but also culturalwise. I would say it peaked in the 1980-1990s. From here things has slowly declined. Huntingwise Winchester, Remington and Hornady products are still found as new imports in huntingstores.
The tariffs the different countries will be forewarded to the customer. I have always felt a bit irritated all these importduties were added before I got my hands on it. In the 1990s I imported a lot of american brand scopes( made in Phillipines) and truckloads of reloading stuff. This was done on as private import. I could then later sell it and make a little profit. After 9/11 it all died. Trade restriction from the US side made it all die.

 

[Field28]

This is a very good, but often overlooked point.

However the other part of the equation isn't working either. The wealth gap in America is growing, and the proportionate cost of housing and groceries has been rising for decades.

One of the reasons North Americans are "addicted" to cheap products from overseas is because they now spend so much of their income on groceries and housing, there is not enough left over to buy a great pair of shoes made in New England.

I agree, the cost of living is higher than the standard of living. I find myself putting more things back in the grocery store, I can afford those items but I feel guilty buying those items because I feel it's not worth the cost. I think some of that in me comes from hearing my grandmother talk about the Depression.
I also think that growing up eating the fish we caught, the game we shot and the vegetables that we grew in our own garden has an influence on me as well.

Funny thing, she lived just short of her 100th birthday and had become a lifelong pack rat. My Grandfather on the other side however grew up in the NC mountains. If you were to ask him about the Depression, he would have told you that they didn't know anything about it, that was for people down in the city.
If they had chickens and corn they would trade someone up or down the mountain for beef, pork, beans, molasses and so on.

As much as I hate to, I have to say that Biden did have a point about one thing, shrinkflation. Not that we didn't also have inflation, but we all know that a bag of chips keeps getting lighter. Same goes for things like a tomahawk ribeye, great marketing plan there. You can feel like a caveman while you pay extra money for a worthless rib bone.

That reminds me, that Grandmother that grew up in the Depression always had a can of Charles Chips at her house back in the day!

 

[Datchew]

The Chinese are so mad their having Pandas cook Bald Eagles, while listening to 1950's Mao songs!

Seriously though, these two men (One American, the other South African) combined have 25 years of experience living in China and their youtube channel is constantly attacked by Chinese bots for telling the truth about the state of affairs in China.

Very eye opening to see the CCP's propaganda called out and translated.

I smell fear and panic from the panda.
However, I have the feeling all this trade war stuff will not be anywhere near as straightforward as many of us would like to think. It's going to be an interesting ride.

 

[Field28]

Toyota Tundra has 60%+ USA content and having driven both, as well as having managed both in large company fleets I can tell you the Tundra is a superior product.

I actually thought the percentage of American parts was higher than 60%.
We all know the rest are most likely majority Japanese made, maybe Mexico but definitely not China.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

I read somewhere the John Deere company is heading for Mexico. Though I am not into farming equipment in generel I do find it sadding an old american instutution is moving out. Farmers overhere buy John Deere stuff and they are often represented at Farmers fairs and everybody knows its american made. This brings me to the “ american made”. In the 1960-1980s lots of stuff we bought overhere was made in america. Today we barely see anything( items)with the exception of old vintage cars and a few of the newer Mustangs and Hellcats. We still have McDs and a few Burger Kings. After WW2 america had a huge positive influence in Europe. Not just the Marshallplan but also culturalwise. I would say it peaked in the 1980-1990s. From here things has slowly declined. Huntingwise Winchester, Remington and Hornady products are still found as new imports in huntingstores.
The tariffs the different countries will be forewarded to the customer. I have always felt a bit irritated all these importduties were added before I got my hands on it. In the 1990s I imported a lot of american brand scopes( made in Phillipines) and truckloads of reloading stuff. This was done on as private import. I could then later sell it and make a little profit. After 9/11 it all died. Trade restriction from the US side made it all die.

John Deere has several factories outside the US.

United States:

• Illinois: Moline (Harvester Works, Seeding Group, Cylinder Internal Platform), East Moline (Harvester Works)
• Iowa: Davenport (Davenport Works), Dubuque (Dubuque Works), Des Moines (Des Moines Works), Ottumwa (Ottumwa Works), Waterloo (Waterloo Works)
• Georgia: Augusta (Augusta Works)
• Wisconsin: Horicon (Horicon Works)
• North Carolina: Fuquay-Varina (Turf Care), Kernersville (excavator factory)
• Louisiana: Thibodaux (Thibodaux Works)
• Kansas: Coffeyville (Coffeyville Works), Kansas City (plant location)
• Tennessee: Greeneville (factory for lawn and garden tractors)
• North Dakota: Valley City (Seeding Group)
  

Mexico:
Monterrey (Industrias John Deere), Torreon (Motores John Deere), and Ramos (skid steer loader and compact track loader factory).

Other Locations:

• China: Tianjin (factory for agricultural tractors, combines, and engines), Ningbo (tractor factory)
• Germany: Mannheim (tractor factory), Zweibrücken (combine harvester factory)
• Brazil: Indaiatuba (backhoe factory)
• Canada: Vancouver (forestry swing machine factory)
• India: Patiala (tractor factory)
• Russia: Orenburg (seeding equipment factory)
• France: Arc-lès-Gray (baler factory)