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Overextension: Our American way of life is not sustainable

A forum for discussion of regional topics including oil depletion but also government, society, and the future.

Re: Overextension: Our American way of life is not sustainab

Unread postby Plantagenet » Sun 07 Oct 2007, 16:00:08

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Denny', ' ')what kind of consumers are these that would be willing to carry balances forward on their credit cards, they charge berserk interest rates.


The same kind of consumers that get in trouble after buying houses with no-down payments and giant balloon payments. But never fear....the dems just passed a billion dollar bailout that will help them out with their mortgages....a bill to help them with their credit card payments can't be far behind. :roll:
Never underestimate the ability of Joe Biden to f#@% things up---Barack Obama
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Re: Overextension: Our American way of life is not sustainab

Unread postby Revi » Sun 07 Oct 2007, 19:45:12

Here in the US of A we all took a 10% pay cut last month. The Loonie went from 92 cents to $1.02. We didn't get a raise, so I assume that our dollars will buy 10% less in the near future. How long can we keep doing this? I read Thomas Paine, and he said that there are three ways of paying for a war. One is to pay outright as you go, with a war chest. The second is to levy a tax on people, so that they know how much it's costing. The third way is to use inflation to rob people of their spending power. Thrift is thrown out the window. We are doing this now. Why save money in a bank and get 4% if the money is worth 10% less each year? It doesn't add up.

I think we are in the throes of a readjustment already. It's only going to get worse. Hang on for the ride...
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Re: Overextension: Our American way of life is not sustainab

Unread postby Plantagenet » Sun 07 Oct 2007, 20:21:05

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Revi', 'H')ere in the US of A we all took a 10% pay cut last month. The Loonie went from 92 cents to $1.02. We didn't get a raise, so I assume that our dollars will buy 10% less in the near future. .


Its true that your dollar will buy 10% less if you go to Canada and buy things there, but that isn't the same as taking a 10% pay cut. :roll:
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Re: Overextension: Our American way of life is not sustainab

Unread postby Blacksmith » Sun 07 Oct 2007, 20:33:07

Your cut, our raise.
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Re: Overextension: Our American way of life is not sustainab

Unread postby Plantagenet » Sun 07 Oct 2007, 20:42:38

The looney exchange rate gave you a 10% raise?

What was your pay before and what is it now? :P
Last edited by Plantagenet on Sun 07 Oct 2007, 22:39:37, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Overextension: Our American way of life is not sustainab

Unread postby Revi » Sun 07 Oct 2007, 22:04:10

The Loonie/US dollar drop means that a lot of Canadian mills are going to be in trouble. There are sawmills that are being hit by the double whammy of the end of the housing bubble and the fact that their product now costs 10% more in the US.

I am bummed that we now have to pay a lot more to visit Quebec. C'est la vie!

That 10% pay cut won't happen for a while, but it will eventually take 10% of the buying power out of each dollar.

We had a lot of Canadian tourists visit Maine this summer, so I suppose it will help somewhat. Maybe we'll get more business, and that will ameliorate the drop of the dollar. Maybe...
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Re: Overextension: Our American way of life is not sustainab

Unread postby Plantagenet » Sun 07 Oct 2007, 22:38:56

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Revi', ' ')
That 10% pay cut won't happen for a while, but it will eventually take 10% of the buying power out of each dollar.


Why is that? Do you buy all your food, clothes, gas, etc. in Canada? :roll:
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Re: Overextension: Our American way of life is not sustainab

Unread postby Blacksmith » Sun 07 Oct 2007, 22:49:46

Don't worry the soft wood tarrifs already kill the Canadian lumber industry. Build your Mcmansions with your own lumber. Ours is going to China.
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Re: Overextension: Our American way of life is not sustainab

Unread postby Blacksmith » Sun 07 Oct 2007, 22:51:11

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Plantagenet', 'T')he looney exchange rate gave you a 10% raise?

What was your pay before and what is it now? :P


In $US or real $.
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Re: Overextension: Our American way of life is not sustainab

Unread postby Revi » Sun 07 Oct 2007, 22:57:13

It wasn't just the Loonie that gained on the dollar last month. The Euro, Yen, all of them gained. Even Brazilian currency. Granted, China pegs it's remibi or whatever it's called to the US dollar, so Wal Mart might not go up as much. I think it will all work through the system and produce inflation of 10% at least in a little while.

I buy all my clothing, etc here in my town, but I have a friend who imports woodstoves from Canada, and another who gets soapstone for wood heaters from Quebec. We just bought a maple syrup evaporator that was made up there.

With the dollar dropping the way it is, it doesn't make sense to save money here in the US. The average guy doesn't know that we were all given a little pay cut last month. That's why inflation is the way to stick it to us working stiffs. The rich don't get hurt because they have lots of ways of keeping the value of their money. Don't you think they know what is going on? I'm sure they have all their hard earned in some kind of ETF or something.
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Re: Overextension: Our American way of life is not sustainab

Unread postby Plantagenet » Tue 09 Oct 2007, 20:16:15

If you'd buy American-made items instead of Canadian, you wouldn't have to worry about the increasing value of the looney. :roll:
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Re: Overextension: Our American way of life is not sustainab

Unread postby Revi » Tue 09 Oct 2007, 20:47:12

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Plantagenet', 'I')f you'd buy American-made items instead of Canadian, you wouldn't have to worry about the increasing value of the looney. :roll:


Sure, but what are these American-made items? GM products? They are made in Mexico, and the peso also gained against the dollar. Maybe a 2x4? Wait, they are Maine grown, milled in Canada. Or a cast iron woodstove. Wait, nobody's making them here any more. Gotta buy Canadian, or Norwegian.

The weak dollar will help manufacturing, but it will take a while. We have almost no manufacturing base here anymore.

Meanwhile watch the savings shrink...

I have Evergreen Solar stock, and I'm hoping that their domestic production gets a bounce from this weak dollar. We'll see...
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Re: Overextension: Our American way of life is not sustainab

Unread postby FoolYap » Tue 09 Oct 2007, 21:16:46

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Revi', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Plantagenet', 'I')f you'd buy American-made items instead of Canadian, you wouldn't have to worry about the increasing value of the looney. :roll:


Or a cast iron woodstove. Wait, nobody's making them here any more.


Just a quibble: I'm sure Woodstock Soapstone Company assembles theirs at their New Hampshire facility. It may be that their castings are made elsewhere (wouldn't surprise me), but technically they are "built" in the US.

Good stoves, too, albeit all of them are catalytic designs.

--Steve
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Re: Overextension: Our American way of life is not sustainab

Unread postby Plantagenet » Wed 10 Oct 2007, 15:31:31

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('FoolYap', 'J')ust a quibble: I'm sure Woodstock Soapstone Company assembles theirs at their New Hampshire facility. It may be that their castings are made elsewhere (wouldn't surprise me), but technically they are "built" in the US. Good stoves, too, albeit all of them are catalytic designs.
Thanks Steve. Its easy for people to claim the US doesn't make the items they want to buy and they are therefore at the mercy of the massive and powerful Canadian economy and its highly valued currency. However, if you look around, I'll bet you can usually find an American company making the same item. :roll:
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Re: Overextension: Our American way of life is not sustainab

Unread postby Revi » Thu 11 Oct 2007, 08:44:55

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Plantagenet', 'T')hanks Steve. Its easy for people to claim the US doesn't make the items they want to buy and they are therefore at the mercy of the massive and powerful Canadian economy and its highly valued currency. However, if you look around, I'll bet you can usually find an American company making the same item. :roll:
A soapstone stove isn't a cast iron stove. I drive an American made small pickup which I bought because it got the best gas mileage, and is the best available for my needs. I try to buy locally.
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Re: Overextension: Our American way of life is not sustainab

Unread postby conning » Sat 13 Oct 2007, 11:58:16

The Quadra-Fire is a cast iron stove made in Washington State. Very efficient stove.
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Re: Overextension: Our American way of life is not sustainab

Unread postby Revi » Sat 13 Oct 2007, 22:48:08

I'll grant you this one is cast iron, but the others are welded steel. It looks like a pretty good stove. I live on the other side of the country from Washington State, and I'll bet Drolet could get me one here at a lower shipping cost.

http://www.quadrafire.com/products/stov ... MBERLNDGAP

I own 5 woodstoves and a maple syrup evaporator. I don't intend to buy another one for a while, but if I do, I'll check out this stove.
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Re: Overextension: Our American way of life is not sustainab

Unread postby EnergyUnlimited » Sun 14 Oct 2007, 05:18:48

"Overextension: Our American way of life is not sustainable"
...and not negotiable either...

American future does not compute.
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