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Featured EU to investigate 'flood' of Chinese electric cars, weigh tariffs

Discussion in 'Prius, Hybrid, EV and Alt-Fuel News' started by Isaac Zachary, Sep 14, 2023.

  1. Isaac Zachary

    Isaac Zachary Senior Member

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  2. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    VW just had major layoffs cause demand is down... So blame the Chinese instead...

    Truth is the switch to alternative energy is alot like the housing crisis... There's plenty of billion dollar organization that want to build more housing and electric cars, but when 8 billion people are kept poor beyond being able to afford electric cars and better housing because the hundred super wealthy people who have robbed the planet of all the people's wealth not much changes, it just keeps getting worse as they get richer and we get poorer.
     
  3. hill

    hill High Fiber Member

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    Oh boy oh boy ... most businesses fail within the first year or two

    Startup Failure Rate Statistics (2023)

    and the fortunate ones? that don't? lets then blame them for all our ills.

    LOL .... It's great to have such a simple solution. Your company gets lucky, employs thousands, then blame the business because they don't give the entire wealth of the company to the workers when they had no risk other than to turn in an application. Our local Home Depot & Harbor Freight can't get people in the door for $18/hour. That's before they pay the utilities & workers comp policy & 401k contributions & lease on the property and errors and Omission insurance.

    And that my friends is why this rebuttal & original comment ought to be in FHOP
    ;)
    .
     
    #3 hill, Sep 14, 2023
    Last edited: Sep 14, 2023
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  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    it's a complicated situation, but tariffs have there place like any other government regulation. hopefully, they get it right
     
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  5. Isaac Zachary

    Isaac Zachary Senior Member

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    Ya, it's complicated. Sometimes I feel like my housing and transportation could suddenly be out of my reach.

    The Chevy Bolt has been a dangling carrot that's out of reach for me. A base Bolt MSRP + destination charge - federal tax credit - Colorado EV incentive = $14,995. But getting all the stars to align so that I could get such a vehicle for that price has been impossible.

    In Europe at least they have Chinese EV's.
     
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  6. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    I hear 'ya... And with Covid recovery the US cut poverty in half and it didn't cost that much. But then the Republicans took over the house and blocked the next round of funding because they solely care about the billionaire's taking every last penny of government funding. So here we are in Q3 2023 and homelessness has gone up by 11% this year. Child poverty has more than doubled... All of it because a bunch of extremist politicians want to ensure that poverty thrives as a matter of policy.
     
  7. Isaac Zachary

    Isaac Zachary Senior Member

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    I'm not into politics, although I know that as a species what other humans do can and will affect me and other humans. But what happens to me affects others too.

    In the area I live in a lot of rich are buying up housing as their second homes. So there's a lot of empty houses not for sale or rent, thus finding a place to live for us poor is very difficult. A lot of the workforce is homeless, often living in their cars or campers out in the forest (which is illegal). As a result, more and more businesses are closing up since they can't find any workers. But then the rich complain that there are no businesses. In one town near here everything restaurantwise closed up except one coffee shop. Now the poor rich people have to drive an hour or more away if they want to eat out.
     
  8. John321

    John321 Senior Member

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    Different ways to look at life

    One way
    Victim Mentality: 16 Signs and Tips to Deal with It (healthline.com)

    One of many other ways
    9 strategies for how to take charge of your life | Tony Robbins

    Another of the many other ways
    How to Take Charge of Your Life: 11 Tips for Taking Charge (soulsalt.com)


    +1 on Home Depot paying $18.75 - + help on paying your complete college tuition if you want to better yourself-
    + profit sharing with the employees- + company stock distribution options to employees- + pathways to leadership/managerial positions if an employee is so inclined- + community involvement to help the Communities they are part of.

    Many companies work hard to help their communities- their employees.

    Kind of goes back to the person who is in a complete rage because their glass is half full, contrasted with the person who is eternally grateful to have a half full glass.

    In our area many legal immigrants who go through the local resettlement program are seeing results and well on their way to living the American Dream for their families. Take a guess how they look at the half full glass.
    It takes effort and hard work - not discounting that at all.
     
    #8 John321, Sep 15, 2023
    Last edited: Sep 15, 2023
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  9. AndersOne

    AndersOne Active Member

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    Yeah. Europe already lost their whole solar panel industry as it wasn't properly protected.
    At the end of the day, a weak and China dependent EU will greatly hurt the US as well.

    Many people here (Germany) see the Inflation Reduction Act as a very good step. I hope though there could be a more cooperative strategy again at some point - I remember the days of TTIP.
     
    #9 AndersOne, Sep 15, 2023
    Last edited: Sep 15, 2023
  10. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    cooperation is the best strategy. it involves compromise, which some people have a problem with
     
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  11. Isaac Zachary

    Isaac Zachary Senior Member

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    The closest Home Depot is over 70 miles away and $18.75 is $5.10 more than the State minimum wage, or $1.46 over minimum wage if I go to Denver. (Or $11.25 more than the national minimum.) I do make considerably more where I'm at too, although I don't get any benefits whatsoever.

    I think yes, being positive and not negative (pessimistic, victim mentality, etc.) is very important. But it's also important to be modest. I feel that having a list of priorities is most important. What's the most important to me? Is owning a house or car in a cheaper area of the country more important than taking care of my elderly parents in an area where rent is high? Is living the American dream, but having to work overtime, worth not having time with my kids? As long as the most important things are covered as best as possible -food, clothing, shelter, family, friends, health, community- the rest is just extra.

    Not all employers work hard to help their employees. The job I had before the one I have now decided to cut all our benefits, all our hours and even cut wages to the whole crew. Now they can't get anyone to work for them and have had to downsize considerably. They've begged me to go back on several occasions with the promise that things are like they used to be, but I make more money where I'm at now. Anywho, I guess it was for the best, so I shouldn't complain, although I did really like that job. It was perhaps my favorite job ever.
     
  12. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    What about the 4th way of standing up for your basic rights and not backing down and winning in a way that advances/lifts up humanity?

    The signing of the Magna Carta more than 800 years ago, the declaration of independence in the US, the civil rights movement, Gandhi revolution in India, the two black house members named Justing in Tennessee who were kicked out for speaking up and reclaimed their seats twice in less than a year despite a republican majority trying to eliminate them.

    All these are example of the elite and powerful telling the people they oppress to stop playing the victim game game and better themselves rather than complain and all those oppressers got their arse kicked and had to admit defeat because the people have the power when the organize and mobilize in large numbers. Funny how that didn't make in on your list?
     
  13. Isaac Zachary

    Isaac Zachary Senior Member

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    I think we're going off into some very debatable and political topics here. I'm not entirely in agreement with the revolt and fight method. Fighting oppression with oppression doesn't make it right. Not that I'm against all war and goverment overthrowing. But as an American, I'm already better off than 90% of the world. I have pizza, electricity, a car, internet, and pizza. And while living in a camper in the forest or having to buy an ol' clunker may someday become a reality for me, it would be partly my choice for not trying to find a better option elsewhere. Would risking my life and that of my sons' at war for more pizza and nicer cars and homes be worth it? Everyone will likely have a different answer.
     
  14. El Dobro

    El Dobro A Member

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  15. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    right, we have popcorn too!
     
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  16. Isaac Zachary

    Isaac Zachary Senior Member

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    We need a Fred's House of Popcorn forum.
     
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  17. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    Source: VW lays off workers at key EV factory over cratering demand | Financial Post

    Volkswagen AG is cutting temporary workers at its main electric-vehicle factory in Germany after the phaseout of a subsidy in the country caused demand for its EVs to drop.

    The manufacturer is letting go 269 people at the Zwickau plant when their 12-month contracts expire in the near future, VW said Thursday. The company expects it will have to adjust the shift schedule at the facility near the Czech border.

    The fate of around 2,000 additional temporary staff remains uncertain, according to people familiar with the matter, who declined to be named because a final decision hasn’t been made yet. Corporate orders that accounted for some 70 per cent of VW-branded EVs made in Zwickau have been plummeting since aid for electric company cars expired this month, one of the people said.

    Volkswagen is having a tough time selling enough mostly made-in-Germany electric cars to challenge Tesla Inc.’s global dominance. Lacklustre economic growth as well as higher energy, living and borrowing costs in Europe have weighed on demand for its ID fleet of EVs.

    So the German pot is calling the China kettle "black subsidies?"

    Bob Wilson
     
    #17 bwilson4web, Sep 15, 2023
    Last edited: Sep 15, 2023
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  18. hill

    hill High Fiber Member

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    Making matters worse, aren't many European countries scrambling just to get enough Natural Gas to make it through this upcoming winter? ... much less - buying new cars.
    .
     
  19. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    All is fair in subsidies and tariffs to create a favorable balance of trade to support your nation's economy. At least until your overpriced products suck and are too expensive and your citizens (who aren't stupid) want what's best for them, not what's best for the local corporate pigs trying to exclude more viable businesses from the government feeding trough.
     
  20. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    Or even just a simple peaceful/non-violent regime change so oligarchs go broke and never again are capable of influencing representative democracy more than regular voters forevermore.