Trying to be a good american........

[cfelton]

I'm with yall, I try to buy American made when possible, but I buy Toyota vehicles because they are so reliable ( and are assembled in USA). When Walmart started they went on and on about" MADE in USA" products, you don't hear that anymore. I use to work for Union Camp Corp.( an American owned and operated paper and wood products company) which merged with (bought out by) International Paper Co. I was told that the new plant built in Brazil would'nt affect us, but a year later they shut the whole plant in Franklin Va. down sending 1500 people home. I was lucky to find another job with Nucor Steel to which I'm very proud and thankful to have! Nucor won't buy or use any Chinese made products! I really feel sorry for anybody struggling to find a good job in these times. But I hear alot of people complaining about not being able to find a job when there are jobs out there. It may not pay what you're use to, or be as clean or nice as you're last job but it is work and it does pay the bills. We at work just went through a shutdown for a week to repair some things we couldnt fix while running and the contractor co we use came in with almost 100% hispanic workers to help us do the work. It is dirty, hard but rewarding work. When I asked about why they hired all hispanic workers I was told they couldnt get Americans to do the work. I guess if they're getting money ta sit on their *** and do nothing, they're ok with it. I think anybody getting a FREE check should be drug and alcohol tested and cut off if they dont pass it. When I was out of work I cut grass, cut wood and worked at a local body shop to try and make ends meet. My family depended on me to provide for them and I didnt want to let them down. I would have shoveled $hit or done anything to make the needed money to keep my family going. I think some Americans have lost this feeling!! Just my two cents!!

[Destroyer]

Originally Posted by cfelton

Nucor won't buy or use any Chinese made products! I really feel sorry for anybody struggling to find a good job in these times. But I hear alot of people complaining about not being able to find a job when there are jobs out there. It may not pay what you're use to, or be as clean or nice as you're last job but it is work and it does pay the bills. We at work just went through a shutdown for a week to repair some things we couldnt fix while running and the contractor co we use came in with almost 100% hispanic workers to help us do the work. It is dirty, hard but rewarding work. When I asked about why they hired all hispanic workers I was told they couldnt get Americans to do the work. I guess if they're getting money ta sit on their *** and do nothing, they're ok with it. I think anybody getting a FREE check should be drug and alcohol tested and cut off if they dont pass it. When I was out of work I cut grass, cut wood and worked at a local body shop to try and make ends meet. My family depended on me to provide for them and I didnt want to let them down. I would have shoveled $hit or done anything to make the needed money to keep my family going. I think some Americans have lost this feeling!! Just my two cents!!

Back in the 70's I was out of work for an extended period of time. I had no money, no prospects for a job and a broken down used ford galaxy car that ran ok but was nothing to look at. I also had a working lawn mower that someone had thrown out that I found on the curbside and repaired (new points and a plug) and a roof rack... so I put the mower on top of the car and drove around all day looking for lawns that needed to be cut.. "knock knock... hi, would you like you lawn cut for $5?" On a good day I could bring home $40-50 bucks.. kept my family fed and a roof over our heads..
My point is that you don't see people doing that anymore.. they would rather sit on their asses and let the government pay them to do it for 99 weeks. When people rely on the government for everything, they become lazy, and they vote for those same politicians to stay in gavernment so they can continue to get their handouts... As has been said before, elections have consequences.. if you vote for people that force rules and regs down your throat in the name of safety, or conservation or "it's for the greater good", or whatever, then you deserve what those pople are going to do to you.. it's as simple as that.. so don't complain when you suddenly find that you have lost your freedom and are nothing but a slave in some gulage.. it wil be your own fault. Just something to keep in mind when the 2012 elections roll around.

[chumbucket]

Ferm, I gotta say that speaking from my own personal experience, I'm 180 degrees from your thinking on the Toyota reliability issue. I drove a Dodge Ram for 10 years. That POS cost me more in repairs and operating costs than my last two Toyota Tacoma's. Because of my experience with that Dodge, I will never buy another Chrysler product ever again. I went from that Ram to a Tacoma. That Tacoma treated me so well, I bought another one. I won't say anything bad about the GM trucks as I have never owned one personally. I drove all Ford trucks back in the day but starting in the late 90's their quality really started slipping.
I commute a lot for my work as well as a lot of guys I work with. The majority of trucks in the lot are Tacoma's and Nissan Frontier's. All I can say is that most I've talked to are nothing but happy with their foreign trucks.

[chumbucket]

So Ferm, If I felt the same way as you, what would you have bought instead of a Tacoma or Frontier? Please don't tell me you would buy the GM Canyon/Colorado. Please. Is there anything uglier than the Dodge Dakota? Please.

[THEFERMANATOR]

Originally Posted by chumbucket

So Ferm, If I felt the same way as you, what would you have bought instead of a Tacoma or Frontier? Please don't tell me you would buy the GM Canyon/Colorado. Please. Is there anything uglier than the Dodge Dakota? Please.

I wouldn't have bought a mid sized in a new truck myself. I don't like the CANYON/COLORADO myself as I despise teh gutless wonder of a 5 cylinder engien they put in them. I like the DAKOTA before 05 as I had a 00 model with 4.7L in it. I'm just not a fan of the imports as they haven't proven themselves to be trouble free like everybody says from what I have seen.

[chumbucket]

OK, but with the miles I put on, I needed new. So I guess we can just agree to disagree, because for me and a lot of the guys I work with, the imports have without a doubt proven themselves.

[Destroyer]

I work for a real estate development company. We build very large warehouses and data centers. (We just finished a 400,000 sq ft data center for the NY stock exchange as an example). The boss buys nothing but GMC trucks for the foremen. (10 trucks, various years) All 3500HD's Since they are always in dirt and dust we have a fairly agressive maintenance program for them. But in the 8 years I've been with the company I haven't seen a single one of them break down. I've seen several of the workers dodge trucks need major repairs, and some of the Toyota and Nissan trucks as well. I drive a 2007 Ford Ranger and it's been super nice. Fast, sporty, takes a beating and keeps looking for more.. I guess my point is there are good and bad in every brand.