Feeling it yet?

We certainly are.

Place I work is, definitely.

Ordered a load of pipe and tubing weeks ago. Still waiting for delivery a d not because of Covidiocy shutdowns, but international trade slowdowns. Yeah, there is a high likelihood that most of our pipe comes from China or India. I know for certain that many of our fittings for gates and stringing fence line come from India.

Here’s the kicker. We can buy it from Stateside manufacturers, maybe, if they actually can produce it with all the regs and health/environmental hoops we have here. Then there are the added costs of the union boys,,,

By the time we would recieve said pipe, it would cost us 5-10 times as much! And of course, we would have to adjust our prices accordingly, which would mean less custom because we would price our butts out of business.

Unions had a place in time, but now they are as bad as Government in killing businesses. I know a lot of people these days gripe and moan about ‘Greedy Capitalist’s’ but capitalism is what built the America that took on the world, twice, and succeeded beyond its wildest imaginings.

Now, I am not talking about the MIC (which now includes 99% of Academia): I am talking about the little guy with an idea and some gumption. Bezos was such and has built an Empire on a literal idea. The problem arises when that little guy is no longer little and starts buying up those in other forms of power. They make it much harder for the next little guy with an idea, to get out of the Garage.

I can’t condemn them, its called self-preservation and that is usually very sharp in entrepreneurs. History proves that, despite the disadvantages of this process, it’s a continually repeated one.

Kinda like the rise and fall of Empires. Cyclic, and predictable. Then I see a headline like this. Well now, ‘kill the republic’? Seems to me it’s already dead and in motion by sheer momentum. Lots of individuals keep the idea alive in their minds, and that is all it really ever was. Yet for an idea to have strength, it needs more than just individuals backing it: it needs a majority group. While that majority may exist, it lacks the other ingredient, RESOLVE. Not seeing as much of that these days.

To be honest, with all of the economic fall out beginning, and to continue for, hell, likely the next decade or so, what was can never be again. Me? I’m watching for opportunity. You will see bankruptcy and foreclosures and be able to pick up potentials for pennies on the dollar. Already seeing this locally as a guy my boss knows just picked up an offroad/golfcart business for 15k; inventory and all. He’s in process of selling the inventory and will sell the building off later, maybe. And he is already showing a profit!!! People want deals, always have, always will. When regs and rules and unions start driving your costs up, it’s harder to keep your bottom line without raising your costs, and raising your costs, may cost you custom, which most definitely affects your bottom line.

Why do you think all of these manufacturers shipped most all production overseas? Cheaper production costs, lower taxes, no unions demanding outrageous (near extortion level) bennies or impossible to fulfill retirements.

Oh yeah, that reminds me. Are you on SSI? Is it your sole means? Big surprise coming soon then, and it won’t be pretty. Ya might want to seriously work on a back up plan. And soon like,,,