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Freight carloads continue to slump

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Posted by SD70Dude on Thursday, September 12, 2019 11:49 AM

charlie hebdo

I don't think anyone with half a brain thinks Chinese businesses are picking up the difference on all the tariffs levied on imports from there. 

Certain stable geniuses with very big brains would disagree with you.

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Posted by zardoz on Thursday, September 12, 2019 12:04 PM

Euclid
....That is by creating a monumental recession/depression that sets us all back a decade or so.

A decade sounds about right, it takes us back to the wonderful economic times of 2008-09. Joy. I wonder where all this tariff tax money that trump is collecting goes. Maybe one of his golf courses needs new greens.

Chris Wallace is the only person on Fox worth watching; the rest are merely mouthpieces for the current administrations' propaganda machine. 

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Posted by SD70Dude on Thursday, September 12, 2019 12:14 PM

zardoz

Chris Wallace is the only person on Fox worth watching; the rest are merely mouthpieces for the current administrations' propaganda machine. 

I do like their SNL counterparts, those sketches write themselves!

Greetings from Alberta

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Posted by SD60MAC9500 on Thursday, September 12, 2019 1:20 PM

In the end society is always the loser.. People just don't seem to realize this when caught up in political propaganda..

Rahhhhhhhhh!!!!
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Posted by Psychot on Friday, September 13, 2019 2:11 AM

CSSHEGEWISCH

I believe that Trump and his followers are trying to return to a world that doesn't exist anymore, being the postwar period from about 1945 to 1963 when the United States dominated world commerce.   This situation existed largely because the rest of the Western world was still rebuilding from WW2 and the Eastern bloc was not really a part of the world market for ideological reasons.  Both of those factors are not really in play anymore.

 

 

Bingo. And the problem is exacerbated by the fact that we, as a country and a society, have done very little to help the workforce adjust to the emerging new reality. 

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Posted by charlie hebdo on Friday, September 13, 2019 10:58 AM

zardoz

 

 
Euclid
....That is by creating a monumental recession/depression that sets us all back a decade or so.

 

A decade sounds about right, it takes us back to the wonderful economic times of 2008-09. Joy. I wonder where all this tariff tax money that trump is collecting goes. Maybe one of his golf courses needs new greens.

 

Chris Wallace is the only person on Fox worth watching; the rest are merely mouthpieces for the current administrations' propaganda machine. 

 

The other good ones left.  The only other decent one left is Shep Smith. 

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Posted by charlie hebdo on Friday, September 13, 2019 10:59 AM

Psychot

 

 
CSSHEGEWISCH

I believe that Trump and his followers are trying to return to a world that doesn't exist anymore, being the postwar period from about 1945 to 1963 when the United States dominated world commerce.   This situation existed largely because the rest of the Western world was still rebuilding from WW2 and the Eastern bloc was not really a part of the world market for ideological reasons.  Both of those factors are not really in play anymore.

 

 

 

 

Bingo. And the problem is exacerbated by the fact that we, as a country and a society, have done very little to help the workforce adjust to the emerging new reality. 

 

Right on!! 

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Posted by tree68 on Friday, September 13, 2019 1:25 PM

Psychot
And the problem is exacerbated by the fact that we, as a country and a society, have done very little to help the workforce adjust to the emerging new reality. 

That, and the fact that for too many years labor enthusiastically embraced Eugene Debs' exhortation in the early days of union organization.

"More!"

We priced ourselves out of the world labor market years ago, during that time when we were the dominant economic force in the world.  Now we're paying the price.

 

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Posted by BaltACD on Friday, September 13, 2019 1:45 PM

A 40's English documentary on the design and production of the Rolls-Royce Merlin aviation engine.  Note the number of times 'unskilled' is mentioned in the narration.

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

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Posted by zugmann on Friday, September 13, 2019 2:57 PM

Psychot
Bingo. And the problem is exacerbated by the fact that we, as a country and a society, have done very little to help the workforce adjust to the emerging new reality.

And even if people do want to adjust/retrain, the simple fact we tie healthcare to our jobs mean that very few can take the opportunity/risk.

It's been fun.  But it isn't much fun anymore.   Signing off for now. 


  

The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.t fun any

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Posted by matthewsaggie on Friday, September 13, 2019 3:24 PM

If you get to Dayton Ohio be sure to visit the Packard museum there. They built Merlin's under license from R-R during the war for the P-51 and others. Interesting exhibit of some of the early problems, such as converting the plans from metric to english, problems with the prototypes that R-R provided that didn't match the plans, reflecting changes that had been made on the shop floor on the fly there in Derby but not documented, etc. Fascinating exhibit. They also have a display of Packard PT boat engines, which were enormous. 

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Posted by charlie hebdo on Friday, September 13, 2019 7:21 PM

zugmann

 

 
Psychot
Bingo. And the problem is exacerbated by the fact that we, as a country and a society, have done very little to help the workforce adjust to the emerging new reality.

 

And even if people do want to adjust/retrain, the simple fact we tie healthcare to our jobs mean that very few can take the opportunity/risk.

 

Standardized plans and public option with total portability should solve that problem.  Example: the German health insurance model. 

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Posted by charlie hebdo on Friday, September 13, 2019 7:23 PM

matthewsaggie

If you get to Dayton Ohio be sure to visit the Packard museum there. They built Merlin's under license from R-R during the war for the P-51 and ot

hers. Interesting exhibit of some of the early problems, such as converting the plans from metric to english, problems with the prototypes that R-R provided that didn't match the plans, reflecting changes that had been made on the shop floor on the fly there in Derby but not documented, etc. Fascinating exhibit. They also have a display of Packard PT boat engines, which were enormous. 

 

Thanks for the informative.  I always thought RR and all British products were still on Imperial measures at that time. 

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Posted by BaltACD on Friday, September 13, 2019 8:29 PM

charlie hebdo
 
zugmann 
Psychot
Bingo. And the problem is exacerbated by the fact that we, as a country and a society, have done very little to help the workforce adjust to the emerging new reality. 

And even if people do want to adjust/retrain, the simple fact we tie healthcare to our jobs mean that very few can take the opportunity/risk. 

Standardized plans and public option with total portability should solve that problem.  Example: the German health insurance model. 

In the USA we can't even agree on Yard or Meters, and have wrecked some spacecraft because of the differences.

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

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Posted by Psychot on Sunday, September 15, 2019 2:54 AM

tree68

 

 
Psychot
And the problem is exacerbated by the fact that we, as a country and a society, have done very little to help the workforce adjust to the emerging new reality. 

 

That, and the fact that for too many years labor enthusiastically embraced Eugene Debs' exhortation in the early days of union organization.

"More!"

We priced ourselves out of the world labor market years ago, during that time when we were the dominant economic force in the world.  Now we're paying the price.

 

 

Very true, and there’s no better example than unions forcing railroads to keep 5-man train crews for decades after diesel locomotives and air brakes made the positions of fireman and brakeman obsolete. I remember watching cabooses roll by with the rear brakeman sitting up in the cupola watching the scenery go by and thinking “man, that’s a good gig if you can get it.”

Unions came about for a very good reason, because industrial workers were being exploited and mistreated. But there’s no question they overstepped their bounds—and in doing so, they did a great disservice to their members in the long run.

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Posted by Psychot on Sunday, September 15, 2019 2:59 AM

charlie hebdo

 

 
zugmann

 

 
Psychot
Bingo. And the problem is exacerbated by the fact that we, as a country and a society, have done very little to help the workforce adjust to the emerging new reality.

 

And even if people do want to adjust/retrain, the simple fact we tie healthcare to our jobs mean that very few can take the opportunity/risk.

 

 

 

Standardized plans and public option with total portability should solve that problem.  Example: the German health insurance model. 

 

Another thing we could borrow from the Germans is cooperation between industry and unions, including giving the unions a seat on corporate boards. That would go a long way toward eliminating the destructive adversarial relationship between business and union labor which both sides had their part in creating.

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Posted by charlie hebdo on Sunday, September 15, 2019 10:54 AM

Psychot

 

 
charlie hebdo

 

 
zugmann

 

 
Psychot
Bingo. And the problem is exacerbated by the fact that we, as a country and a society, have done very little to help the workforce adjust to the emerging new reality.

 

And even if people do want to adjust/retrain, the simple fact we tie healthcare to our jobs mean that very few can take the opportunity/risk.

 

 

 

Standardized plans and public option with total portability should solve that problem.  Example: the German health insurance model. 

 

 

 

Another thing we could borrow from the Germans is cooperation between industry and unions, including giving the unions a seat on corporate boards. That would go a long way toward eliminating the destructive adversarial relationship between business and union labor which both sides had their part in creating.

 

That's not going to happen here. 

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Posted by CSSHEGEWISCH on Monday, September 16, 2019 7:13 AM

As the "gig economy" model used by Uber/Lyft amply demonstrates, the ultimate goal is to keep the labor force cheap and docile.  Gotta bust those unions.

The daily commute is part of everyday life but I get two rides a day out of it. Paul
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Posted by Psychot on Tuesday, September 17, 2019 1:30 AM

charlie hebdo

 

 
Psychot

 

 
charlie hebdo

 

 
zugmann

 

 
Psychot
Bingo. And the problem is exacerbated by the fact that we, as a country and a society, have done very little to help the workforce adjust to the emerging new reality.

 

And even if people do want to adjust/retrain, the simple fact we tie healthcare to our jobs mean that very few can take the opportunity/risk.

 

 

 

Standardized plans and public option with total portability should solve that problem.  Example: the German health insurance model. 

 

 

 

Another thing we could borrow from the Germans is cooperation between industry and unions, including giving the unions a seat on corporate boards. That would go a long way toward eliminating the destructive adversarial relationship between business and union labor which both sides had their part in creating.

 

 

 

That's not going to happen here. 

 

Probably not, but one can dream...

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Posted by tree68 on Tuesday, September 17, 2019 7:21 AM

charlie hebdo
That's not going to happen here. 

Actually, it has.

I believe the location was a transmission plant in Livonia, MI.

Labor had to either work with management, or the factory was going to close.  Labor decided a job with slightly lower pay/benefits was better than no job at all.  The factory remained open.

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Posted by charlie hebdo on Tuesday, September 17, 2019 11:10 AM

We were referring to labor seats required by law as in Germany.  That has not happened here, your example notwithstanding.  I recall the "Employee Owned" CNW.  Several posters here worked on it.  How did that work out? 

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Posted by zardoz on Tuesday, September 17, 2019 11:33 AM

charlie hebdo
I recall the "Employee Owned" CNW.  Several posters here worked on it.  How did that work out? 

For the average production employee it was mostly a scam. The railroad had become so decrepit (Cheap & Nothing Works) that nobody really had any faith in management. So when the opportunity came along to purchase stock, few contract employees joined in--the vast majority of stock was bought by upper-management.

Of course, the joke was on the workers, as the stock split twice. I do not recall the factor of the second split (perhaps 4-to-1), but I do recall that the first split was 60-to-1. So if you invested $10,000 at the beginning of "Employee Ownership", you realized a final price of $2,400,000. For some reason, upper-management neglected to inform us grunts of the potential.

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Posted by tin can on Tuesday, September 17, 2019 11:41 AM

Interesting reading about CSX and PSR.  Customers are not happy.

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/m/ebc411e6-4d9b-3b3a-9c2c-52e987117eea/special-report%3A-how-csx-is.html

Remember the tin can; the MKT's central Texas branch...
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Posted by BaltACD on Tuesday, September 17, 2019 11:58 AM

tin can

When you create a unique 'metric' no one can compare it to anything.  The uniqueness of EHH - nothing compares to him.

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Posted by tin can on Tuesday, September 17, 2019 12:04 PM

All done to please Wall Street, and CSX investors.  Manipulating the operating ratio to look good is not sustainable.  But a railroad without customers is not a going concern, either.

Remember the tin can; the MKT's central Texas branch...
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Posted by charlie hebdo on Tuesday, September 17, 2019 12:09 PM

zardoz

 

 
charlie hebdo
I recall the "Employee Owned" CNW.  Several posters here worked on it.  How did that work out? 

 

For the average production employee it was mostly a scam. The railroad had become so decrepit (Cheap & Nothing Works) that nobody really had any faith in management. So when the opportunity came along to purchase stock, few contract employees joined in--the vast majority of stock was bought by upper-management.

 

Of course, the joke was on the workers, as the stock split twice. I do not recall the factor of the second split (perhaps 4-to-1), but I do recall that the first split was 60-to-1. So if you invested $10,000 at the beginning of "Employee Ownership", you realized a final price of $2,400,000. For some reason, upper-management neglected to inform us grunts of the potential.

 

Wow!  Never knew that.  The newspapers did not publicize how little was owned by workers. Typical corporatism.  

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Posted by charlie hebdo on Tuesday, September 17, 2019 12:11 PM

Coal usage in power generation continues to decline.  This link may have a paywall. 

https://digitaledition.chicagotribune.com/html5/mobile/production/default.aspx?pubid=3e7227b1-e3b7-4fac-aa07-5f943e58b4c5&edid=eb9ae930-ba92-4782-bcb4-4806201b4a37

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Posted by charlie hebdo on Wednesday, October 2, 2019 8:34 AM

Manufacturing index is dropping like a lead balloon to the lowest level in years, yet Peter Navarro  continues to insist it is strong.  We have an idiot in charge of trade and manufacturing. 

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Posted by Euclid on Wednesday, October 2, 2019 9:51 AM

charlie hebdo

Manufacturing index is dropping like a lead balloon to the lowest level in years, yet Peter Navarro  continues to insist it is strong.  We have an idiot in charge of trade and manufacturing. 

U.S. companies with actual manufacturing in China have been told to immediately move out of that country.  Some of these are big companies such as Toro.  An implied order to move their manufacturing out of China is a very big deal.  Then we were told that the U.S. is seeking the means to make this order a legally mandatory order.  Is it any wonder there is a collapse of investment confidence in the U.S. manufacturing sector? 

I do contract work for this sector and demand is dead flat.  I have never seen it this low before.  Prior to this, it slowed way down in the immediate wake of the bursting of the housing bubble.  But today it is as dead as a doornail. 

Navarro has obsessive and radical ideas that morally demonize China as the cause of all our problems.  China probably feels blindsided by this sudden economic attack by the U.S.  They seem intent on just waiting it out because it is too radical to negotiate with. 

But the effects of this attack are naturally delayed.  So, this county will probably not wake up to what Navarro has done, until they see the delayed effects coming onto us like a giant tsunami wave.  By then it will be too late to stop it.   

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Posted by charlie hebdo on Wednesday, October 2, 2019 9:59 AM

Lowest  US manufacturing levels since 2009.

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/01/us-manufacturing-economy-contracts-to-worst-level-in-a-decade.html

 

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