john deere on strike

[bitseeker]

Defense is where real money is. When Allis-Chalmers went belly up mid-80's, future unknown, I began interviewing for another engineering job on mobile equipment. My recruiters set me up with an interview at a defense supplier on the east coast. When they explained the job, it was really not to accomplish anything. The VP with whom I interviewed said Regan threw the doors wide open and this company wanted every bit they could. So my job would be pulling proposals together. Research on cost plus basis and the company for whom I was interviewing said it doesn't get any better than this - they need to get as much of the pie as they can. So my job would be only to create presentations for our contacts to present and collect our piece of the action. I was hired by Deutz when they bought Allis-Chalmers and the transition was seamless. The company with whom I interviewed is now part of BAE, one of the world's largest defense suppliers, and still getting their piece of the action.

Another retired aerospace systems engineer here. At one company for over 30 years. Our black program instituted a change that appeared to save overhead, but had such a big hit on productivity that I did an ROI on the change. It took me approximately a year to use the "open door policy" going up the chain of command to reach the first honest executive, the VP of our 25,000 employee operation.

The VP said you've been here over 30 years, surely you know that we are NOT in the defense business. We are in the PROFIT business. We make 14% on every dollar we can waste.
I quit that day.

Eisenhower was right, "Beware the military/industrial complex.

 

[PuffyC]

Another retired aerospace systems engineer here. At one company for over 30 years. Our black program instituted a change that appeared to save overhead, but had such a big hit on productivity that I did an ROI on the change. It took me approximately a year to use the "open door policy" going up the chain of command to reach the first honest executive, the VP of our 25,000 employee operation.

The VP said you've been here over 30 years, surely you know that we are NOT in the defense business. We are in the PROFIT business. We make 14% on every dollar we can waste.
I quit that day.

Eisenhower was right, "Beware the military/industrial complex.

There's a good lesson from corporate America in there. My version goes like this:

When you walk around and notice that some process is broken, realize that somebody somewhere very much wants that process to be broken. The catch is you just don't know why.

Contrary to popular belief, the people running large corporations (and politicians) aren't stupid people - they know what they're doing. From a healthcare system so dysfunctional it literally kills people all the way down to simply waiting on hold to talk to the next available representative (because your call is important to us!), what you see as poorly designed and run by clueless schmucks is another person's hidden strategy to make more money, or keep their job, or meet some goal so they can make more money and keep their job. Inefficiencies and incompetence are rampant in any large org for sure, but most of the time things are working exactly the way they want them to.

 

[Frankenkubota]

Defense is where real money is. When Allis-Chalmers went belly up mid-80's, future unknown, I began interviewing for another engineering job on mobile equipment. My recruiters set me up with an interview at a defense supplier on the east coast. When they explained the job, it was really not to accomplish anything. The VP with whom I interviewed said Regan threw the doors wide open and this company wanted every bit they could. So my job would be pulling proposals together. Research on cost plus basis and the company for whom I was interviewing said it doesn't get any better than this - they need to get as much of the pie as they can. So my job would be only to create presentations for our contacts to present and collect our piece of the action. I was hired by Deutz when they bought Allis-Chalmers and the transition was seamless. The company with whom I interviewed is now part of BAE, one of the world's largest defense suppliers, and still getting their piece of the action.

been there. i made my living in the defense industry, electronics, electronic counter measures and similar stuff.

i remember "star wars". i got a huge order for atomic clocks because of that.

there a subject for debate, how the military spends its money.

 

[Whidbey]

There's a good lesson from corporate America in there. My version goes like this:

When you walk around and notice that some process is broken, realize that somebody somewhere very much wants that process to be broken. The catch is you just don't know why.

Contrary to popular belief, the people running large corporations (and politicians) aren't stupid people - they know what they're doing. From a healthcare system so dysfunctional it literally kills people all the way down to simply waiting on hold to talk to the next available representative (because your call is important to us!), what you see as poorly designed and run by clueless schmucks is another person's hidden strategy to make more money, or keep their job, or meet some goal so they can make more money and keep their job. Inefficiencies and incompetence are rampant in any large org for sure, but most of the time things are working exactly the way they want them to.

Buffalo Springfield, "Somethings Happening Here". What it is is not exactly clear.

 

[DonaldP]

i usually don't tappy tappy during the day but

just saw that jd is on strike.

good luck getting service parts!

It’s over now… everyone go get your big green machine. Oh I forgot … don’t forget to add in the cost of the 10% employee raise and the $8,500 bonus per new employee….
That should make all of us happy.

Yes higher wages beget higher costs, begets higher wages.

So I suppose the current political views are such that increasing minimum wage to $17,$18, or $22/hr (a living wage for part time and full time students and such) WON’T flow back to the very costs that those folks have as expenditures?
Slow cost creep is the only positive thing… albeit temporary in nature.

We are in the fight of our lives here. If you are lucky enough to have any money saved for retirement, (whether it’s in the frothy stock market or in safety - like a money market) the value of your $ is dropping the same as inflation… 4%/month.

That’s like putting your money in the bank and paying interest to them of 4% on your principal instead of getting 2%.

Scared yet?

No problem, Just put your money into the top heavy stock market to keep pace with inflation… the market has doubled since it’s low when the pandemic started.

When folks realize that the full out production currently in process to cover past inventory depletion issues due to Covid IS NOT ACTUAL BUISNESS GROWTH, and therefore not something to raise the value of the stock for any company, then there will be a come to Jesus moment for anyone attempting to cover the loss in inflation with the growth of the stock market.

If you aren’t lucky enough to have money saved to do either of these things with? That’s ok… many of us are in that position.

In that case for every increase in taxes to the rich that get passed down through the companies they own and the products they sell in those business…. Like Apple, Chip makers, software makers, google, Amazon, and the car market….

Well, All of those corporate and personal tax increases are going to flow right back to us… the middle of America. So if you have not saved money to risk in the bank or risk in the market, well you in the support seat giving everything you dont have right back to the government.

Yep! You and are paying for all of this.

Isn’t life grand!