Building Bridges

[Parker Yacht]

Hmmmm. Cool stuff.

[KMac]

A little more..

[Tiretyme]

Pretty ingenious

[Coastboater]

They build coal-fired electricity generation plants in about 2 weeks, too.

[Parker Yacht]

Remember the Covid hospital?

[bluewaterposer]

That's Awesome

BWP

[Still Learning]

Secretary Grinholm says we could learn from China

[KMac]

Secretary Grinholm says we could learn from China

Well, from someone who has been there and around the Chinese, there is a huge misconception that they are a bunch of uneducated, backwards, 3rd world people that live in mud huts. True, there is a lot of poverty in China, that happened when you have that many people. But, their ability to build things is unmatched around the world. They can build things at a speed that is mind bending. Why? No regulations. Someone falls to their death, they just push another one in there. They steal 90% of the technology they have and reverse engineer it. The Soviets perfected that in the late 40's and 50's.

Companies lose technology to the Chinese daily. With the amount of "forecasted growth" in China alone, these same companies are clamoring to get aligned with China, even though they have lost billions already due to industrial espionage. "Just part of doing business".

I still remember when the vote for "Most favored nation status" was made. That was the beginning of the end..

https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1062/vote_106_2_00251.htm

https://www.baronpa.com/library/the-vote-that-changed-the-world/

It was a long time in the making.. 1993.. .

https://justfacts.votesmart.org/bill/7858/21825/26910/chinas-most-favored-nation-status

https://www.brookings.edu/research/permanent-normal-trade-relations-for-china/

chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.gao.gov/assets/t-nsiad-98-209.pdf

People dismiss China as a "want to be". Make no mistake, they are.

Lot of reading in those links, but it is very informative.

[Surfercross]

My dad worked in China in the 90's . He said they would take everything apart and measure it and put it back together. He said would have to continually hide the plans for the project he was supervising. He was building refractories . The water was so bad he had to drink beer. He also said he stayed in a 4 star hotel during his time there and when he would take a shower there would be dirt on the tub floor before he would get in the shower. The water even through the pipes wasn't filtered.

[KMac]

I was in Shanghai in 1995 and 1997. Didn’t have any issues like that. But, not surprising it could happen. Only consumed bottled water, at the behest of my employer.

[duckfish]

Kyle nailed it.

While we have the expertise and technology to complete such impressive engineering and construction feats here.... it's all pretty much bureaucratically impossible.
We have allowed ourselves to be legislated into becoming a third world country.

[KMac]

Kyle nailed it.

While we have the expertise and technology to complete such impressive engineering and construction feats here.... it's all pretty much bureaucratically impossible.
We have allowed ourselves to be legislated into becoming a third world country.

100% correct. Lobbying, greased pockets and corruption has killed American superiority. And, Washington DC made SURE that would be the outcome.

[jmike]

Well, from someone who has been there and around the Chinese, there is a huge misconception that they are a bunch of uneducated, backwards, 3rd world people that live in mud huts. True, there is a lot of poverty in China, that happened when you have that many people. But, their ability to build things is unmatched around the world. They can build things at a speed that is mind bending. Why? No regulations. Someone falls to their death, they just push another one in there. They steal 90% of the technology they have and reverse engineer it. The Soviets perfected that in the late 40's and 50's.

Companies lose technology to the Chinese daily. With the amount of "forecasted growth" in China alone, these same companies are clamoring to get aligned with China, even though they have lost billions already due to industrial espionage. "Just part of doing business".

I still remember when the vote for "Most favored nation status" was made. That was the beginning of the end..

https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1062/vote_106_2_00251.htm

https://www.baronpa.com/library/the-vote-that-changed-the-world/

It was a long time in the making.. 1993.. .

https://justfacts.votesmart.org/bill/7858/21825/26910/chinas-most-favored-nation-status

https://www.brookings.edu/research/permanent-normal-trade-relations-for-china/

chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.gao.gov/assets/t-nsiad-98-209.pdf

People dismiss China as a "want to be". Make no mistake, they are.

Lot of reading in those links, but it is very informative.

Both sides of the aisle sold us out...and got rich. Clinton drove the final nail.

[KMac]

Both sides of the aisle sold us out...and got rich. Clinton drove the final nail.

Bought and prostituted out by the Chinese..

[Adam9066]

This country is insane with the level of regulations. I run two small buisness I know im violating some or multiple regulations not sure which ones but I know I am. I don't have the staff or ability to keep track of all the crap they want you to do. It's like paper work the goverment wants you to fill out. I have to fill put the same forums 20 times for diffrent agency's in local, state, and federal agencies. Why such reduncy ? I don't have time so I just skip them im sure one day it will come back to haunt me but oh well.

[jmike]

Don't forget, for every piece of government paperwork there's a bureaucrat with a job for life sucking on the taxpayers teet...

[KMac]

I actually have been in a war of words with the County lately. I got my tax assessment from the County about 6-7 weeks ago. It went up another $100 this year. That means, it has more than doubled in the last 6 years. It aggravated me. Why? We get NOTHING in return. Nothing. No roads paved, cleaned, pots holes in the street, grass maintained, etc.. I have been here for 18 years and have NEVER seen a street sweeper in the neighborhood.

Well, I emailed and called and finally got a call from the head of the Public Works department. We knocked heads for about an hour and he finally said what I was expecting, "Look Mr. McDaniel, we are mostly reactionary here. Meaning we don't do things until there is a complaint lodged". I told him I knew what it meant. He continued: "We have many things that need to be done, but we don't have the funds/resources to do it." I blistered this guy. I asked, "How many guys do you supervise on a daily basis?" He said 20. I followed with, "So, there are at least 21 people sitting around every day drawing a pay check, but can't perform the duties they were hired to do? Maybe we need less people to free up the resources." He said it wasn't their fault. I then said, look this isn't personal, it's business. But, if you can't perform the basic duties you are hired to do, why should you be collecting a check? This is the problem with public employees, you feel like you deserve your check, but see nothing wrong with not performing your duties due to lack of resources. We are at an impasse here. The only way you can do the job is to get more taxes from me, but those additional funds will be eaten up by pay raises, etc. He said he'd have the County Commissioner call.. He didn't.

Oh, he did send the sweeper through. The guy ran through the street at about 20 MPH. Left more than it picked up. Just filled the curbing with rocks and debris. I videoed it for grins and giggles.

This is what you hear time after time when you demand more. "We just don't have the funds". Times are going to get very strange moving forward.

[Sans Peur]

Try pulling building permits. I have 6 or 7 going at all times and the red tape is a full time job.

[Adam9066]

Try pulling building permits. I have 6 or 7 going at all times and the red tape is a full time job.

I can believe it. It's like us trying to pull trip permits for overweight or over size loads its a nightmare. Some states like Ohio we just flat out refuse to go into.