working in Burger King is now a mfg job.

I was reading the Sunday morning paper today and read that the Bush Administration is trying to re-classify fast food positions,(grilling burgers) as a manufacturing position.In an apparent rebuttal to all of the outsourcing of American jobs overseas the Bush administration is trying to make what's left here sound better. It is figured that up to 1/6 of the jobs here in Silicon Valley may be oursourced in the near future as Venture Capitalists and shareholders demand higher profits and better returns on their investments. Since several million manufacturing jobs have disappeared since 2000, and there are millions of fast food workers in the USA, re-classifying them as manufacturing employees would be a good response to the present administration critics arguing that we are losing too many higher paying jobs. However most of the jobs created since 2000 have been at the bottom end of the pay scale. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink2.gif

Gee, I'll just tell my grandsons not to blow 4 years on an engineering degree. Just learn how to say "Would you like that super-sized?" in Spanish, Urdu, Hindu, Mandarin etc..

They can pay off Bush's "Tax Relief" with the money they won't have to spend reducing their student loans...

Well, I suppose that's better than getting a Whopper with a Made in China sticker on it...

I think it would fit better into an Assembly Work classification.

Tom

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keithhr said:
as Venture Capitalists and shareholders demand higher profits and better returns on their investments.

[/ QUOTE ]

So you are ok with your investments performing poorly? Are you suggesting that the .gov subsidize these industries to keep the jobs and payscale?And if so at what expense to the taxpayer? Or maybe you're just throwing a rock at the Bush Admin. because you know they won't throw back?

G.W. didn't give us NAFTA .His buttmunch predecessor is the one who was keen on exporting jobs.This was done under the guise of keeping North American trade equal(kind of a Bell Curve type of thing,lower the standards to the lowest common denominator) but what is it exactly that we NEED from Mexico or Canada?Canadian lumber( which is .ca.gov subsidized incidentally) has driven U.S. lumber prices down which costs U.S. jobs harvesting and processing lumber.NAFTA lets this happen. The only things I can think of off the top of my head that Mexico export to us is Mexicans and tequila and I'll be ok without either one of them.Ford and G.M. were already building cars/trucks in Mexico and Canada. Nafta just made it less expensive to do so.

Truck transportation is an excellent example of NAFTA at work:

If you operate a tractor trailer(which is registered in the U.S.) you must operate it under the relatively strict guidelines of the D.O.T.and be thusly inspected( at your expense). But you can drive your Mexican registered P.O.S. all over the U.S. without a D.O.T. inspection.It's expensive to operate within the guidelines and exempting border countries from these requirements gives them an unfair trade advantage right here in the U.S.of A.. So you see it's not just white collar Silicon Valley technology jobs that are being sacrificed,and reclassifying jobs isn't the SOURCE of the problem.

I'll appologize up front for sounding argumentative but this is a very sore subject with me as I make a living as a vendor to the transportation industry,logging industry.NAFTA gets in MY pocket.I also voted for G.W. and will do so again,my PERSONAL OPINION is that he has done a good job given the circumstances.You of course are welcome to YOUR OPINION /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

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bgenlvtex said:
Or maybe you're just throwing a rock at the Bush Admin. because you know they won't throw back?

[/ QUOTE ]

I think what he's saying is [ QUOTE ]

re-classifying them as manufacturing employees would be a good response to the present administration critics arguing that we are losing too many higher paying jobs.

[/ QUOTE ]

And if you don't think the present administration knows how to throw rocks, your real name is definitely NOT John Kerry. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

I didn't vote for "buttmunch", so I can ask what Clinton has to do with G.W.'s continuous misrepresentation of the facts. Reclassifying low wage labor to represent something better is dishonest and has nothing to do with ANY other party. If YOU lie, it's not the fault of the guy who used to own your house.

[ QUOTE ]
whiskypapa3 said:
Gee, I'll just tell my grandsons not to blow 4 years on an engineering degree. Just learn how to say "Would you like that super-sized?" in Spanish, Urdu, Hindu, Mandarin etc..

[/ QUOTE ]

Okay....What is that supposed to mean? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif

All this time I thought learning another language expanded the mind and created more opportunities. Guess not, huh? Man, we sure have come along way in the USA!

You're suggesting that the only people who eat at fast food joints in the United States are non English-speaking immigrants? Well, I'm not too sure about that. I'm seeing alot of burger bellies among our Anglo-Saxon stock these days.

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bgenlvtex said:
You of course are welcome to YOUR OPINION /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

And that is exactly what I meant.Debate on the internet is quite possibly the definition of an "exercise in futility". In the end I will have not changed your opinion nor you mine.

As for "continuosly misrepresenting the facts" thats laughable. If we started shooting politicians who engaged in this act tommorrow a year from now there would be NONE.If you believe that any politician doesn't engage in "spin" you are either a fool or not paying attention.

Reclassifying workers is a shallow response to a shallow criticism of an inherited problem. All Presidents have inherited problems from the administration that they replaced,and subsequently been criticized for their response by the displaced party.

[ QUOTE ]
bgenlvtex said:
As for "continuosly misrepresenting the facts" thats laughable. If we started shooting politicians who engaged in this act tommorrow a year from now there would be NONE.If you believe that any politician doesn't engage in "spin" you are either a fool or not paying attention.

Reclassifying workers is a shallow response to a shallow criticism of an inherited problem. All Presidents have inherited problems from the administration that they replaced,and subsequently been criticized for their response by the displaced party.

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bgenlvtex - this post has changed my initial idea of what your point was. Thanks for the followup. I couldn't agree more with your latest sentiment. It really is too bad that all campaigning from this point on will be purely pointing the finger at the other guy to show the public how the other guy screwed up. And how many times. And at what cost to the taxpayers. yadda, yadda. Rarely will we see discussion of what actually HAS been accomplished by the candidates. And so begins a whole new campaign season. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon6.gif

Calling Burger King jobs manufacturing, Bush's medical records from 40 years ago, John Kerry getting Botox injections or marrying woman worth hundreds of millions of corporate dollars while blasting corporate America, so what. I am ready to see the media talk issues and differences on things that matter. All the banter about irrelevant or at best very minor issues is nothing more than fodder. Yes it excites the hard-core followers on each side but what's it really mean to you and I, nothing! I'm not meaning to belittle this thread it's just anyone on either side of the aisle can pick their media outlet of choice and spend two days railing on the opposition because he/she parts their hair on the left/right or middle and that's somehow big news. Every thing Bush does the left will spin it to be a bad thing and everything Kerry does the right will spin it to be bad.

Actually the right won't have to spin because everyone knows...Everything Kerry does is bad and it doesn't take any spin to see it. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif (I couldn't resist)

FWIW: I don't see how a Burger King job is manufacturing. I think it's political spin as usual and is as exciting as Kerry's Botox denials.

Even though Clinton signed it, wasn't it the first Bush to start the NAFTA idea. Since 9/11 more jobs have been lost than since the depression. The current administration has pratically been found derelict in not preventing this. Some would even argue possibly involved in causing it. John Kerry has his own financial, and political agenda. Both John Kerry, and President Bush go as far back as Yales secret society. I think we are screwed either way unless people stop arguing "politics", and start doing what is right for the country.

I'm not looking forward to the political season coming up. It always seems to be so negative and after awhile it just gets old. I think this go around is going to be very negative. I don't know about you guys but I tend to vote for who I think can do the job and not hearing the true issues makes it very difficult to make a good decision. We have a Democrat for a governor here in Tennessee who ran on the issues and won. He is doing a great job getting the health issues under control for the state and I hope he runs again. It's hard to figure out why the Democrats choose someone like Kerry to go up against Bush. I don't think that most independents will be able to take him very seriously when it's time to vote. I know that there are some people who would vote for a dead dog if he were the nominee but people who are independent and want to look at the real issues should have a real choice to choose from. The word around here in Gore country anyway is that the Clinton's wanted to run an idiot this time around so that Ms. Clinton could run on the next go around. The problem with the strategy is that there is a small chance that Bush could screw up and then look at what we would have as a president. If you are a Democrat please don't take offense to that, I mainly mean that there are independents that are trying to truly make a thoughtful decision and wish that there were at least a reasonable choice. I wish that the Clintons would just butt out. I HATE the political season it just make's me want to pull my hair out.

Put Fries in the oil...got it boss, what next? Take them out...ok...got it what next? Put more fries in the oil...alright boss what now? Take them out and put more fries in the oil. Wait a moment...if I have to both put them in...and take them out...I want a raise. This was suppose to be simple manufacturing...now you tell me I have to THINK TOO!

Ken

I give this thread 48 hours till lockdown. I support bush and feel it's best that I don't contribute- I'm a bit disgusted with the campagne tactics I am seeing of late.

You ain't seen nothin' yet, Trevor. There's still a ways to go, and the tactics will not become positive, nor would they even work if they were.

Selling the republican candidate to the republican loyalists is an unnecessary waste of money and effort.

Selling the democrat candidate, once the primary is over is likewise an unnecessary waste of money and effort.

The rest of the voters have a tendency to use their votes to vote against, rather than for, one or the other candidates. Both parties will next mount a campaign designed to show why you shouldn't vote against them, and why you should vote against the opposite party.

If you take note of what has already been attempted, you'll find that many naturally approach the campaign in such a manner, even without being aware of the strategy involved.

Seems almost reasonable to me to classify it as manufacturing, just given the nature of the work.

And when the unions get into Burger King, the "burger manufacturers" will become union members earning $27.50 an hour. Of course then a "Whopper" will cost $50.00, but that is beside the point.

Yeah, Bush I is the one to have made the first big push for NAFTA. Clinton could have stopped it though.

I'm all for TRUE free trade, but NAFTA isn't really free trade, and the US is crippled from competing in manufacturing jobs that require "real people" to do the work because of the unions and people's expectations of earning at least $25.00 an hour PLUS the myriad of regulations forced upon employers through government bureaucrats.

It should be no surprise to anyone that jobs are going overseas when the average "actual" cost of a $25.00 an hour employee is $41.30 an hour when all of the employee benefits, costs of administration to meet govt. regulations and reports to the micellaneous agencies that you are complying with those Regs.

Much cheaper for manufacturers (and for consumers) to pay people who are thrilled to make 20 dollars a day or less to make their motherboards, t-shirts, "salad shooters" and shoes...

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Bravo25 said:
I think we are screwed either way unless people stop arguing "politics", and start doing what is right for the country.

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Bravo (not your name but a cheer and AMEN)

Empath: well stated!

Silviron: well stated!

Wit's end: nice EDC!

Bob

I just have to say that while people complain about the loss of jobs, in the end it's the "people's" (by that I mean the general population of the US) fault. They want their stocks to grow in value, that pushes companies to try to be more profitable so the outsource to another country. The "people" want lower prices on the goods they purchase this forces domestic companies to outsource in order to lower prices, thus losing jobs. You can't have your cake and eat it too. If you want jobs then pony up the money and stop whining about high prices and poorly performing stocks, or don't but don't complain about companies doing what the american people are asking them to do, which is be more profitable while charging less for what they produce.
Just my .02

So true. It amazes me when people complain about "overseas" companies steeling all the jobs, then turn around and not buy American made items because they cost too much.

Remember WE are the government.