Steel prices - Yikes!

[Snobdds]

Yea GE never made or owned Skilsaw. It was owned solely by Skilsaw until 1991 when Bosch entered into a partnership and eventually took over in 1996.

Skilsaw - Wikipedia

 

[Ritothebull]

I think GE did sell some power tools back in the day, and some folks like my father in law will call any circular saw a Skilsaw.

 

[cdb2]

I was in my grandparents attic looking at magazines from the 20's and 30's. Seems it was a Popular Mechanics... GE had a large ad in it showing there 7.25" skill saws they offered for just 79.99!! direct from them and they also offered a nice trade-in if you sent them the current 7.25 saw you used.. I was shocked by the amount these GE made saws cost back then! What would these cost us today?

$79 in 1935 is about the same purchasing power as $1,400 today. Kind of makes you wonder how many of us could own a garage full of tools today if we weren't able to benefit from lower manufacturing costs and lower prices.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Yeah, and the carpenter that bought that probably wasn't in debt. Ford apparently was instrumental in starting the whole "pay later" ball rolling!

 

[cdb2]

Yeah, and the carpenter that bought that probably wasn't in debt. Ford apparently was instrumental in starting the whole "pay later" ball rolling!

Yeah. Debt is a dangerous thing if it's not carefully managed. Much more so for governments, IMO.

 

[Oldoak]

Yeah. Debt is a dangerous thing if it's not carefully managed. Much more so for governments, IMO.

You are absolutely right, but you're barking up the wrong tree. Try to get that through to all the politicians of both major political parties on all levels of government, from the local level on up to the federal level.

I do realize none of them would be listening though.

 

[dragoneggs]

Wow! Love the discussion. When I originally posted, I was wondering what others that buy steel for home and small business projects were thinking. Although I enjoy a political debate, I purposely posted this in the BIY forum hoping we would keep politics out of it. To that... thank you all!

That said, I have appreciated reading and absorbing the differing perspectives offered here and in a very respectful way. Got me thinking. While I personally appreciate the best deal and value I can get, I also have a nationalistic pride in wanting my fellow citizens to prosper. I guess more so than the folks in further away 'competing' countries. At least for now... as long as we have borders, and outsiders that don't like our way... I think we better promote business that assures us of maintaining independence.

 

[radios1]

if you check my post in the politics forum, you'll see why trade was a bad idea from the beginning!. we can do our own manufacturing just like we used to!.

 

[RayfromTX]

Inexpensive tools helped me build a successful career building things here in America. If we had gone isolationist in the 70s and 80s I would not have been able to build a construction business. I wouldn't own a tractor now and I wouldn't be blessed to be here discussing it on a computer built from parts and materials from almost 60 countries that was made by the most successful company in America. We have tried isolationism and trade wars. We have always lost and gone back to trading with our neighbors.

I could be a survivalist and do grow and create everything I need to survive but my quality of life will plummet and I will have to do many things I am not suited to. I would rather do what I'm good at and trade with others. The same goes for my views on a national stage.

Oh and trade prevents war. It just does.

 

[ruffdog]

So where does the tariff money go? This extra money that we are paying because there is a tariff on part/all of the item? It goes directly into the Treasury. Let's call it what it really is...a TAX.