Re: An email from Grind King...why are skateboarders hurting America
Here's one for ya.
"Computer hackers in China, including those working on behalf of the Chinese government and military, have penetrated deeply into the information systems of U.S. companies and government agencies, stolen proprietary information from American executives in advance of their business meetings in China, and, in a few cases, gained access to electric power plants in the United States, possibly triggering two recent and widespread blackouts in Florida and the Northeast, according to U.S. government officials and computer-security experts."
Re: An email from Grind King...why are skateboarders hurting America
They send a handful of Pros and Mags around the West to built up their reputation. They send the same or less Pros and Mags to Asia. Anyone ever compared the size from the West and the East? Maybe it needs Hundreds of Pros and Mags there to built up a reputation. If you don't have that, then you even have to work harder and built more connections there (skateshops), to sell your product. Without a reputation or local connection, you never get a foot in a market.
Leaning back and ranting, will not change a single thing. In fact, anger makes you more immobile to find solutions. Adorno said, "Who is thinking, isn't angry!" You can't stop the World from turning around, but you can be part how it goes around.
Re: An email from Grind King...why are skateboarders hurting America
Quote:
Originally Posted by skategeezer
Yes, I have been teased that I am a dinosaur as I still drive American made cars. I have a 1997 Lincoln town car that was preceded by a 1985 Lincoln that was preceded by a 1979 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme. Each car was basically made in America and each one lasted me over 200,000 miles. I bought every one of them used but they were made in America by Americans.[/SIZE][/FONT]
America... Fcuk yeah!!!
"You too, help me participate destroying our planet! And be proud of it!"
Tipical american protectionnist person I tend to hate... at least if you drive an old american cars that freaking pollute (Ill do the same thing soon...) dont be freaking proud of it and dont promote it!
But back on the debate...
What america wants: export all their culture and products, most of what they import and share with the world being the BAD side of the country.
What america doesnt want: that others to do the same!! (damnit those bastard, they're poor and they are getting richer!)
Re: An email from Grind King...why are skateboarders hurting America
Quote:
Originally Posted by SteveC
Here's one for ya.
"Computer hackers in China, including those working on behalf of the Chinese government and military, have penetrated deeply into the information systems of U.S. companies and government agencies, stolen proprietary information from American executives in advance of their business meetings in China, and, in a few cases, gained access to electric power plants in the United States, possibly triggering two recent and widespread blackouts in Florida and the Northeast, according to U.S. government officials and computer-security experts."
Re: An email from Grind King...why are skateboarders hurting America
Oh no, not another one of these discussions....however I still feel the urge to give my $.02...
My company outsources, it hurts everyone. My friend's Ace trucks have bent hangars, and Ampeg the great American amplifier company is now outsourcing production overseas, probably because everyone else is doing it. A new all tube amp made overseas weighs 5 to 10 pounds less than an old made in U.S.A. Less weight means cheaper transformers which means less power, tone. Also people are complaining that their new amps break down frequently, so they're probably made with cheaper componenets. There is a difference between a $.03 resistor and $1.00. It's not the folks in the plants overseas, they're just doing they're job. It's the aggressive approach to cut costs in any disreputable fashion. When will Harley Davidson open up a plant overseas?
Re: An email from Grind King...why are skateboarders hurting America
as first pointed out, this is a senstive issue.
yes, Slim, you are correct, some manufacturing is indeed returning to the USA
does this mean that the whole premise of the world being flat is wrong? no.
I still maintain that technology has fundamentally changed the way things are done and there is no going back.
EC - this was a great comment...thank you for posting it.
Because, by and large, the skate companies are the middlemen. They don't press boards, they don't make wheels, they don't make shoes or T-shirts, and they sure as hell don't make bearings. They don't even really design this stuff half the time. They contract it all out to actual wood shops, plastic factories (who don't even formulate the urethane - they just pour it), wholesale bearing supply companies etc...
They hire a graphic artist and some "pros" for peanuts and the rest is all just marketing smoke and mirrors, advertising, and sales reps.
That's why the sturm und drang surrounding "mainstream" skate industry issues that skategeezer and rawls are always sweating about have so little relevance to Silverfishers who are into expensive low volume, custom, specialized equipment. As far as Grind King is concerned I just want some company to produce a truck under $100 with axles that don't bend but it doesn't look like it's going to be them (or anyone else) for that matter.
Re: An email from Grind King...why are skateboarders hurting America
What's the point of this e-mail?
1. The World isn't fair? (Well, who knew?)
2. American consumers should pay more for American-made products? (Yeah, that will make everything better.)
3. Americans bitch a lot when the going gets rough? (Not always. That's a new trend.)
I read Mark's e-mail and I have a question for him. It's a simple question but one that bears answering:
Is every piece of equipment and inventory in the Grind King factory American made?
__________________ “I thought you were going to kill yourself?”
“I did. Went home, turned on my mom’s car in the garage.”
“What happened? You’re still here.”
“Freakin’ hybrids, man. They just don’t get the job done.”
Re: An email from Grind King...why are skateboarders hurting America
Quote:
Originally Posted by Parallel Man
What's the point of this e-mail?
1. The World isn't fair? (Well, who knew?)
2. American consumers should pay more for American-made products? (Yeah, that will make everything better.)
3. Americans bitch a lot when the going gets rough? (Not always. That's a new trend.)
I read Mark's e-mail and I have a question for him. It's a simple question but one that bears answering:
Is every piece of equipment and inventory in the Grind King factory American made?
Wesley, you're not suggesting that he is working under false pretenses? Or shopping at foreign owned companies. Or using any raw materials that are imported...Shame shame shame.....
__________________
#[green] 1:38 am: its not like this is my first time with him
Re: An email from Grind King...why are skateboarders hurting America
Quote:
Originally Posted by SteveC
huh? where'd music come into it?
Metal storm, as in the gun company.
You must take into account that Sweet is always spouting off over his discontent and "thorough" knowledge of what's wrong with the world. (specifically The U.S.A.) Hmmm.... I have heard him say one thing a while back that was intelligent. I believe it was "I'm out"
__________________
#[green] 1:38 am: its not like this is my first time with him
Re: An email from Grind King...why are skateboarders hurting America
Just like the insanely low gas prices we have enjoyed in the U.S. for decades...will we ever agree that $120 for a complete skateboard is a ridiculously good deal? And $275 for a complete longboard is also crazy cheap?
Try buying a Japanese-made GUS truck over in Japan. You'd never pay a measly $25 for this Tracker-equivalent (let alone $18 online!!) You pay about 8,000 yen -- three times as much. And the Japanese will pay it. When there was a rice-drought in Japan in the mid-90's, huge pallets of rice from Thailand would sit and rot, while domestic, Japanese rice would be whisked off the shelves at three times the price. The Japanese people aggressively support their own economy.
Would Americans ever be willing to pay high "domestic" prices for U.S.-made goods? It's almost impossible to convince folks to make a statement, stand for something, and 'buy American' as long as their options are cheaper and just as good, and in many cases better.
Re: An email from Grind King...why are skateboarders hurting America
Good poits made, Rawls.
Sensitive issues.
Who cares what Joe-Pro rides?
He can rip on just about anything..anyway.
And if he does break a truck or something, he'll get rapid replacements.
The environmental issues in China right now, are out of hand, and getting hideous.
It's an all-out effort to out-produce...........every other country.
Even the Italians are having certain goods made over there.
On the lower end scale of my equipment, I have some Trackers and Indy, and they work just fine.
I'll take a closer look at the GK later when I'm shopping for pool riding trucks.
Re: An email from Grind King...why are skateboarders hurting America
Quote:
Originally Posted by SteveC
huh? where'd music come into it?
Metal storm, as in the gun company.
lol
Sorry for not knowing all the guns company, I googled metal storm, noticed about the gun company but had hard time to beleive you were actually refering to the fact you believe in a dude who created a GUN company
So I naturally thought you were refering to the metal site...
But if you take for granted what a dude who sells gun says, i have to admit I dont really know what to say.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dave gale
You must take into account that Sweet is always spouting off over his discontent and "thorough" knowledge of what's wrong with the world. (specifically The U.S.A.) Hmmm.... I have heard him say one thing a while back that was intelligent. I believe it was "I'm out"
And yep , Dave, I've had the luck to live in the states for long enough to start being able to see what is wrong (to me... once again , I dont ask people to take what i say for "the truth"). And I havent visited West "by god" ( sorry... but it doesnt help) Virginia yet, but west virginia being one of the less educated states within the country that ranks behind Kazakhstan and Mongolia in term of literacy rate, it very probably won't be my next travelling destination. And it's not the fact that they are un-educated that causes me problem... It's the fact they do believe they're the greatest... That is one of the thing I dislike about some places in the States.
Re: An email from Grind King...why are skateboarders hurting America
Quote:
Originally Posted by Alpha06
Are you implying that the companies that employ U.S workers and choose not to outsource to china might as well give up and die?
The reason why Friedman is urging smart change is because China is not eager to improve its image and issues, which means they can keep ahead and offer cheaper comparable products. With our economy tanking, people will turn more and more to Chinese goods and less to American made ones if companies do not get smart, which means less jobs at home.
If China changed its image, improved its human rights, paid its workers more, stopped child labor, then we'd be closer to the same level.
Some places are flatter than others
I'm not implying that US-based manufacturing is doomed. I'm explicitly saying that China's regulatory system allows it to produce manufactured goods more cheaply than the US because they don't have any protections for workers, consumers, or the environment. You can make stuff really really cheaply if you don't have to pay your 14 year old workers overtime and can just dump your leftover lead paint into the stream out back.
(Side note: if the US car companies didn't have to pay for healthcare or pensions for their workers, they'd be on a much more level playing field with Germany and Japan.)
Certainly, if China raised wages, legalized labor unions, outlawed child labor, instituted a 40 hour work week, passed environmental regulations, granted freedom of speech and assembly, and basically gave up everything that gives it an absolute advantage over the US we'd be on a level playing field. But it's obvious that that's not going to happen.
If the government wasn't run by and for multinational corporations then we'd have steep tariffs on goods from countries that allow child labor and execute their union organizers; but it is and we don't so US manufacturers like Grind King are pretty much screwed.
"Some places are flatter than others?" What the fvck does that even mean?
(Also, can we please stop taking a book called "The World Is Flat" seriously? I know Tom Freidman has a column in the NY times and goes on TV all the time; but the man took "the playing field is being leveled" and turned it into "the world is flat." Isn't that a rather large rhetorical leap to be making on page 3?)
Quote:
Originally Posted by enemy combatant
Ace trucks have weak bendy axles and there are plenty of pictures documenting the fact on the internet. If yours are straight you must skate like a wimp.
My 10mm Bears bent in a week. What's your point?
__________________
HANG TUFF/GET LOOSE/GO HARD/GET SOME
I get my skateboards at the Soda Factory and my bones fixed at Primacare Orthopedics (Fall River, MA).
Re: An email from Grind King...why are skateboarders hurting America
I have to brag.
My Icks are American made in an American garage with American materials. Seriously. The foam, glas, graphite and resin all come from American plants.
Radikals. Well, we know every component is milled in America. I don't know where Sparky gets his raw aluminum and steel stock. The Krypto-poured bushings are all American made.
Khiros. I'm pretty sure Bob uses American plastic and pours in an American plant.
Trackers. We all know they are cast. I'm pretty sure the Al is imported bauxite but can't be sure. The ore is probably processed in America and sold as alloy stock.
Chindys. Same as the Trackers only I know Chicken does all his mill work in America.
Pocket Pistol. Don't know what brand of materials Chicken uses or where it comes from. The odds are heavy the glas and foam are American made. No need to import something already dirt cheap domestically.
Splitfires. Colorado made, unknown source for AL stock. Same for SS 10mm axles.
Roes. I got three PS Unlimiteds. Don't know where Gareth gets his stuff. I believe it's American.
Turners. My Blackbird is 100% American. My Gun is 100% French.
What else. Oh, I have a Bahne Blackhill. I think Stan got those from China. Not sure.
All the other stuff I got are ply wood boards of various designs and brands (CHILxILLs, Racer X PP, Dex kickflipper, etc.) I have no clue as to the source of the blanks. I only know the final shaping and milling is done in the USA.
So, what does this prove? Well, slalomers seem to do a LOT to support US manufacturers. What's it like in the speedboard and downhill world?
__________________ “I thought you were going to kill yourself?”
“I did. Went home, turned on my mom’s car in the garage.”
“What happened? You’re still here.”
“Freakin’ hybrids, man. They just don’t get the job done.”
Re: An email from Grind King...why are skateboarders hurting America
Quote:
Originally Posted by Parallel Man
What's it like in the speedboard and downhill world?
I dont really know... But I tend to beleive it's mainly canaidan and european.
Small boar shapers in the states probably buy their stuff from US shops as they dont produce big enough quantities to have a need to import material.
No idea for S9 (and other related brands dregs, arbor...etc)
I just know they are produced around San Diego
Re: An email from Grind King...why are skateboarders hurting America
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