Patriotism or pool?

[hang-the-9]

Hey, there's nothing wrong with Kia! They are making some seriously competitive cars now. Kia and Hyundai will go from strength to strength, and good luck to them: they know both the customer and the market, at least here in europe.

Nothing wrong with hyundai, but I have ridden in 3 Kias, and own their minivan. Cheap knock-offs of Japanese cars. All ride the same way, harsh, all have rattles, all have cheap feeling parts, over-weight engineering, way to short service life of parts (timing belt every 40k miles, really now?). Seats fold, but you need to take off the headrests first in any position, just bad design.

 

[hang-the-9]

People come on here for impartial advice about pool. The advice they get is sometimes tainted - they are often pointed in the direction of American products, many of which are inferior to other brands. I don't see this as being healthy to pool players - wherever they are from.

That is all.

Details please. For tips, all are "Kamui" this and "Kamui" that, not USA. For cheap good cues, many are shown the way to overseas brands.

 

[cigardave]

American design and manufacturing were asleep at the wheel during the 70s, the 80s and the 90s.

Emerging economies like Japan, Korea and China were not.

The result... America transitioned from a manufacturing-based economy to a service-based economy.

The key question is... How long can a service-based economy sustain itself?

Certainly, not indefinitely. Sad, but true imo.

 

[ShootingArts]

income

American design and manufacturing were asleep at the wheel during the 70s, the 80s and the 90s.

Emerging economies like Japan, Korea and China were not.

The result... America transitioned from a manufacturing-based economy to a service-based economy.

The key question is... How long can a service-based economy sustain itself?

Certainly, not indefinitely. Sad, but true imo.

Two-thirds of the people that have an income in this country get it from the government, either through a job or the government tit. No way the other third of our country can carry two-thirds indefinately. We are one of the highest taxed nations there is we simply don't recognize it because we pay a little here and a little there instead of all to one place. Nobody paying gas prices seems to notice that the biggest profit on a gallon of gas goes to the government as one example. We even pay tax on many of the taxes we pay. Add all of the taxes together and we pay well over 50% tax. An additional hidden tax on consumers is that we pay all the taxes for everyone that produces anything, hidden in the cost of the product. Ultimately the only people that pay taxes are the end users.

Hu

 

[cigardave]

Two-thirds of the people that have an income in this country get it from the government, either through a job or the government tit.

My federal tax burden for 2010 is just shy of $26,000... and I work in the private sector.

I'm paying my share... and likely someone else's as well.

 

[jason]

Just wait until the dollar loses is place as the world currency. Prices in the US will skyrocket. If you think we have it bad now, just wait its going to get worse very, very soon.

 

[measureman]

i bought a Chinese made cue and it's 2 years old and dead straight and plays great. I figure that some Americans made money on it-the company that delivered it to the wholesaler made money-the wholesaler made money and the retailer made money.
I also have an American made cue that was bought in Germany and given to me by Fatboy.

 

[K Knight]

Wow, lot of anti-American sentiment going on in this thread started by a self-proclaimed European with an anti-American perspective.

Hyper inflation has been hedged against and hopefully will never come to pass again. Too many foreign governments back their currency with US dollars to ever experience a true collapse in the value of the dollar.

USA does not participate in extremely protective trade practices. Agricultural subsidies don't count because they are intended to protect our country from poor farming practices and the introduction of foreign bugs and disease into our ecosystem.

I can be an American patriot and shoot with an Al Bautista cue.

I'm thinking this thread should be moved to NPR section. It is apparent to me that the intentions of the OP are to create divisive arguments in an attempt to undermine the support of America by Americans. I give you full respect for proclaiming your country is the best, I will also disagree with you.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[JAM]

Wow, lot of anti-American sentiment going on in this thread started by a self-proclaimed European with an anti-American perspective....

I can't seem to get my brain to digest your first sentence, much less the rest of your post. :embarrassed2:

 

[TheThaiger]

I can't seem to get my brain to digest your first sentence, much less the rest of your post. :embarrassed2:

I can - it's called delusional paranoia from a fantasist with a persecution complex. Really quite revealing...

It's beautifully phrased though!

 

[TheThaiger]

i bought a Chinese made cue and it's 2 years old and dead straight and plays great. I figure that some Americans made money on it-the company that delivered it to the wholesaler made money-the wholesaler made money and the retailer made money.
I also have an American made cue that was bought in Germany and given to me by Fatboy.

It's a good point. I read once that for a doll selling in the UK for £10, £9 stays in the country, through design, technology, IP, marketing, retailing et al. The £1 that does end up in china is labour.

Anyway, this thread is not about ANY nation. It is about ensuring pool players receive the best and most impartial advice they can. Nationality should not come into it.

 

[driven]

I'll jump in with this little tidbit.

A show called ultimate factories did a piece on the new Dodge Challenger. or Charger, whatever it is. People think they might be buying american but the engine is made in a Mexican factory, and then shipped right through the states to Canada to the assembly plant. I guess you can't make it here anymore.
Last I heard, many years ago, the most american car you could buy was a Jaguar.
steven

gang graffiti on a boxcar door

http://youtu.be/ZbWRfBZY-ng

 

[FranCrimi]

Awww diddums! Such hyperbole!

OF COURSE the question should be an ultimatum - if this forum is for pool players, make it about the best pool equipment money can buy. If it's about supporting the American economy...then I'll go elsewhere.

Your blinkered mindset is precisely why pool in America is suffering. Compete, do not protect.

Protect? You bet!

Do you know why cameras are banned from the BCA trade show? I watched people from other countries crawl underneath pool tables with a camera. I watched them pull out their telephoto lenses and go up and down custom cues. documenting every groove. Ever try to successfully sue a company on the other side of the world for stealing your copyrighted and trademarked products? Good luck with that.

Ever hear of an American cue maker accused of creating a knockoff of a cue made in another country? I never did.

 

[macguy]

Protect? You bet!

Do you know why cameras are banned from the BCA trade show? I watched people from other countries crawl underneath pool tables with a camera. I watched them pull out their telephoto lenses and go up and down custom cues. documenting every groove. Ever try to successfully sue a company on the other side of the world for stealing your copyrighted and trademarked products? Good luck with that.

Ever hear of an American cue maker accused of creating a knockoff of a cue made in another country? I never did.

They have knockoffs right at the show on display. I saw cues that were exact copies of the Meuccis and there is the Meucci booth like three booths away.

 

[FranCrimi]

They have knockoffs right at the show on display. I saw cues that were exact copies of the Meuccis and there is the Meucci booth like three booths away.

That's bad. I hope Meucci complained.

 

[qbilder]

Ah, so this forum IS primarily about supporting the American economy then?

Just as long as I know.

No more so than you being here opening threads simply to troll & stir trouble. You opened this thread to argue & cause problems, right? So are you a pool player or a trouble maker? If you want to talk about pool then do it. If you want to bash on America & the American citizens who love it, then go to the NPR forum.

 

[JoeyA]

What's with the constant "buy American" refrain? Is see it all the time; implicitly as well as explicitly. I don't care where a product is made, I just want the best product going. As far as I'm concerned this site is for pool and pool alone. The 'buy American' brigade are devaluing the game and doing a disservice to pool fans the world over IMO.

So, are you a patriot or a pool fan? Both is NOT an option.

If you give an ultimatum to a real American and give them only one option, it will almost always be AMERICAN.

Me, I'm a patriot first and a pool fan second. I love my country more than I do my pool game.

The facts are that American cue makers make the finest cues in the world. There are many other fine cue makers elsewhere in the world and they're getting better all of the time.

I'm still playing with an American Cue (Mike Bender) and American shafts by OB CUES, although the break butt of my breaking cue is not American made.

If I thought that there was a better non-American made cue/shaft, I wouldn't hesitate to buy it.

One of the finest cue cases in the world is made in China by www.jbcases.com If I didn't already own one of America's finest cue cases, (http://www.justiscases.net/), I wouldn't hesitate to buy one of John Bartons's cases.

I don't see how my choice of equipment has anything to do with my patriotism and personally I don't believe many other people choose pool equipment because of patriotic fervor. Just sayin'.

Bring our military men and women home now.

JoeyA

 

[JAM]

Bring our military men and women home now.

Hear, hear!

 

[chefjeff]

If you have 2 minutes to an hour:

http://fee.org/library/books/economics-in-one-lesson/

Jeff Livingston

 

[TheThaiger]

No more so than you being here opening threads simply to troll & stir trouble. You opened this thread to argue & cause problems, right? So are you a pool player or a trouble maker? If you want to talk about pool then do it. If you want to bash on America & the American citizens who love it, then go to the NPR forum.

No. I opened this thread to make a point, one you have clearly missed.
Where a particular product is made should have no bearing whatsoever. Support POOL, not pool with a particular flavour. (note proper spelling) :sorry: