A Question To Make You Think.

[Darkfinn]

Just a question to make you think a little and reflect on the state of our nation and economy.

How many of you work for a company that actually makes something? And I'm not talking food service b/c that doesn't count.

How many people here actually create a product that is sold elsewhere?

[Sophie ♥]

I'll apply at Veridian Dynamics.

(Anyone who get's that joke deserves a holiday.)

-Sophie

[square_duck]

I used to work for a couple of manufacturing companies. I worked in aerospace manufacturing way back in the 70's when I worked for Garrett airesearch as a machinist cutting fin aluminum for aircraft parts...then I worked in entertainment for a company that built animated robotic figures and scenery for theme parks....don't know if that counts, but it was manufacturing something for an end user who provided something *shrug*

Now I work in the service sector....which sucks

qwack

[beallucanb]

I worked in a stone quarry we made little rocks out of big ones, we also built highways, dams, bridges etc.

If you drive in or thru Northeast Pa you may have been on some of the roads I had a hand in building.

[curiositykilledthecat]

I temped at a few manufacturing places.

[peelover]

I'll apply at Veridian Dynamics.

(Anyone who get's that joke deserves a holiday.)

-Sophie

Yep, Better Off Ted

My favorite episode was that one where they designed an anti-gravity device that looked like a diaper.

[DailyDi]

I makes Happy!

[WallaWalla]

The funny thing about the way you framed the question is that it makes doctors and nurses sound like worthless dregs of society with no meaningful skills OP.

[Sophie ♥]

Yep, Better Off Ted

My favorite episode was that one where they designed an anti-gravity device that looked like a diaper.

The one where the sensors stopped seeing black people. Oh my god, so funny! That was only, like, episode 3 or 4. It's a shame it got cancelled...

But you're right. I completely forgot about the diaper reference in that episode.

-Sophie

[Crinolyn]

Just a question to make you think a little and reflect on the state of our nation and economy.

How many of you work for a company that actually makes something? And I'm not talking food service b/c that doesn't count.

How many people here actually create a product that is sold elsewhere?

Retired now, but worked for the government for seemingly forever.

[sarah_ab]

i do not work for hte company anymore as i moved across the company but some good friends still work there... they make metal parts for airplane engines, the airplanes being made by boeing, which i also have friends who work there;

[PrincessDragonette]

I'll apply at Veridian Dynamics.

(Anyone who get's that joke deserves a holiday.)

-Sophie

I absolutely loved that show! One of the funniest ever.

[Sophie ♥]

I absolutely loved that show! One of the funniest ever.

Agreed. It's probably the funniest show I've ever seen. And it got cancelled and I died a little inside. Do you know any similar shows I could get into??

-Sophie

[PrincessDragonette]

Agreed. It's probably the funniest show I've ever seen. And it got cancelled and I died a little inside. Do you know any similar shows I could get into??

-Sophie

No, nothing even close. I've consoled myself by re-watching it on Netflix. I think Eureka is about the closest you'll get, and that show is kinda hit/miss for me.

[Sophie ♥]

If you don't mind skipping the pilot: http://www.fastpasstv.com/tv/better-off-ted/

-Sophie

[PrincessDragonette]

Just a question to make you think a little and reflect on the state of our nation and economy.

How many of you work for a company that actually makes something? And I'm not talking food service b/c that doesn't count.

How many people here actually create a product that is sold elsewhere?

I know the world is ending, America is going to be overrun by Communists/Socialists/Democrats/Terrorists/Republicans/Whatever the latest fear is. We should run out and build something, because we don't anymore.

Except we do. I've worked at a factory that molded rubber hoses for cars. After that, I worked in construction, mostly residential. After that, I drove a truck and went to all the factories that don't exist in the US and took the imaginary American products to retailers. Oh, and I took them to the ports to be shipped elsewhere in the world.

Yes, some manufacturing has been shipped overseas. You may be interested to know that much of it hasn't. What has happened is we have automated much of our production in the US. We've even begun automating our distribution centers. Automation = less workforce = fewer manufacturing jobs. It also means more service-jobs to support the automated manufacturing. So yes, we're a service-based workforce, but it's mostly because of tech, not outsourcing. We have the capability now to automate nearly all of the production in the world. Machines don't tire, they don't have unions, they don't need health insurance. Some of the manufacturing would require machines so complex that it is still cheaper to hire people, but that won't last.

The best part? The manufacturing that did get outsourced? They're starting to automate those factories too. That means other countries will begin the long trek to service-based workforces. Assuming one of the other fearfads doesn't get us first and destroy the planet.

EDIT: I reread this and was concerned that it might be construed that I was denying production jobs get outsourced. I know they do, and a lot of them. I just haven't seen the effects of the fearmongering surrounding this.

[Dougie]

I work in a service providing company, but I have several friends that make non-existent airplanes that are the most sold and flown all over the world. They even have the worlds largest building to build their non-existent planes in.

Could you feel the sarcasm in that one?

[Yvhuce]

The question doesn't properly cover natural resources.

1: Does farming count? Not a business, but we do produce a lot of soybeans, corn, wheat, and cattle. And a slowly growing number of Buffalo. We don't exactly make them ourselves, but we facilitate their growth and reproduction (and sometimes have to do stuff like pull the calves out of the cows). Without us, the world will starve.

2: What about oilfield work? We don't actually make the oil and natural gas, but we do liberate them from the ground and begin the distribution cycle that is the basis for their use in producing products based upon them. Without us, you're looking at a Mad Max situation.

[drynot]

I know this was geared towards Americans, but I used to work in a paper mill where we produced newsprint....

Now I drive a tanker truck.....

[BabyJune]

I have a state job with one of the best pensions in the country. I'm planning to retire as early as I can. The problem with working for private companies is that: 1. when times are tough, they have layoffs, cutbacks and--UGH--outsourcing, and 2. The CEOs are more concerned with making huge salaries for themselves while depriving the workers of decent salaries and good benefits. Although many states are in a financial crisis, most of the jobs (especially union jobs) are fairly secure if you have been at it for as many years as I have been.

[Jen Harris]

I'll apply at Veridian Dynamics.

(Anyone who get's that joke deserves a holiday.)

-Sophie

You think that's funny, do you? I work at General Dynamics in a part of the company that used to be owned by Veridian. We basically are who they are making fun of.

[Diaper Mike 05]

I work in the manufacturing field. Well, basically working as engineering support/aide and doing the office functions, but I'm still in manufacturing and know how to produce tooling for running jobs on the machines we use.

For those of you who work state jobs, you don't actually produce anything that directly has value for the economy, except for DOT and those who do roadwork (whether repair or putting down new roads) do help our economy in that transportation is more efficient and it makes delivering manufactured goods easier.

June, state employees are just as bad with the looking out for themselves. I live in an area overrun by state workers and state unions and the state is in the process of falling apart because of it. State workers in New York (especially the teachers union in my area, they are corrupt beyond belief) want the Cadillac of health insurance, top notch pay and too many days off and they don't care how the raising of taxes hurts the taxpayer who has to fund their job.

Walla, I would hope the OP doesn't mean it that way, because doctors/nurses/etc. make the people who produce goods healthy when needed so they can continue to produce. You can say they help protect the human capital. Same can be said for police/fire/first responders.

Yvhuce - both produce a tangible end use product that is consumed, so it should count.

Sorry DarkFinn, I'm just assigning things for the sake of the conversation.

[amp501]

What exactly are you trying to get us to think about?

It's fairly easy to see that America has a service dominated economy now. And part of the reason we are in so much debt is because so much of what we use is imported.

[Darkfinn]

It's fairly easy to see that America has a service dominated economy now. And part of the reason we are in so much debt is because so much of what we use is imported.

That is the general point... unfortunately a lot of people can't see it.

[Guest lilme]

I used to work for a t-shirt company called Gildan Activeware.

I was a die-cutter. Basically they cut the t-shirt pattern that you are familiar with. Is the only time I ever worked in a factory type setting.

~lilme