Screw It...Lets Ride!

 

It's called supply and demand, less supplies[parts] more demand, means higher prices for above mentioned parts. Remember when you had to get on a ''list'' to be able to order/buy a Harley?? worked pretty well, they had people almost beating their doors down to get on the list. Some dealers if i remember right required 500.00 down after getting on the list.

 

Don't know if it's being talked about in the rest of the country, but here in Milwaukee there is a lot of discussion about Harley closing the York plant. Maybe to go non-union somewhere else??

 

I won't support HD, let em fold! There are plenty of good used evo's out there with low miles. Why would anyone ever want a new bike?????

I bought my 85 when they were about to go under last time. They repaid us by discontinuing parts and service for older bikes.

 

Karl Marx actually said something quite similar, but in a more dated vernacular.

 

OK this is getting very interesting and intense. I'm loving it. Let's just all keep an open mind...

Here's my point, if a company producing and selling a cars and trucks that cost $35,000 - $65,000.00 can't afford to pay it's assembly line workers a living wage, and medical bennies and a pension, then something is very very wrong. Think maybe GM paid a little too much in advertizing and sponsorships (30 million a week) and paid out too high dividends and corporate compensation?

Was Roger Moore really worth $16,000 a minute???

Regulation does not = socialism or communism.

In the mid 60's unionism was at it's peak, and the American middle class was flying high. Remember "Happy Days?" ONE parent worked. Average family was 2.9 kids. Now, after years of corporations sucessfully legislating unions out of existance, it's 2 parents working more than 40 hours a week just to attempt to meet the same lifestyle 40 years ago. American born families average ONE kid, and all the population growth over the last 20 years has been due to immigration, most of it illegal (More wage supression, no wonder Bush did nothing about it.)

You'd think, in a perfect world, 40 years past the 60's our standard of living would be better? It's not, not if you consider factors like commuting miles to find decent work, time spent with family, and disposable income built into salaries in the equation.

I don't know what you mean by bullied by a union, but I'll tell ya this, I was bullied by every employer I had UNTIL I joined a union! And don't think unions aren't planning for tomorrow. When unions make demands and the corporations claim they can't afford to meet them, they MUST open the books and PROVE they can't give what they haven't got - and most choose to NEVER go that route and instead just agree to the demands. What does that tell you?

 

You do this yourself? The dealer told me it's part of every regular service.

 

Do you really think if the union gave consessions, and it brought down the cost to manufacture a bike, that the cost on the retail floor would be less and more bikes would be sold?

Simply put, people who are finantially well situated will still buy and everyone else is either unable or unwilling, the price isn't a factor. Their own economic position is. Proof of this is that jap bike sales are also >50%...

 

You're off base. What I want is, American workers to get a FAIR SHARE of what it is they work for. 2 people can hold the same job at different companies and make vastly different salaries. Likewise, during a period of economic boom, corporations saw huge profits while the workers saw very little.

Harley imports parts to profit higher, not to drop the retail cost of a bike. Has the cost of a Sprotster gone gown, now that most of the partsd are made overseas? Not one penny...

GM built Camaros in Mexico. Did those go down in price? No - profits went up.

My position is that union labor or not... we all deserve a fair days pay for a fair day's work, and, in 2009... I don't see that happening for everyone. When the middle class is poor, WHO will be the consumers???

How expensive is too expensive? I believe in EVERY industry labor is the highest cost - therefore always the point where they look to save in any way possible. Hence this 2-decades long birrage of attacks on labor and anyone who would think that people who put 40 hours a week of their life into a company should dare expect things in return like rent money, a car, a pension and medical benefits.

Would you mind showing me that list of thousands of unfilled high-skillset needed jobs just there for the taking, just as long as someone steps up to the plate? Americans are overall OVERSKILLED there aren't enough jobs that pay well to go around!

If 10,000 WalMart employees got a degree in engineering and computer programming, all that would do is flood those professions with a boatload of excess labor thereby driving those salaries down! Even Microsoft and every other "aftermarket" software firm uses poorly paid, college degreed engineers from overseas on temporary visas!

Our country went from a world leader in manufacturing to a service sector economy, practically overnight. How were we supposed to also maintain or improve our overall standard of living?

Everybody isn't entitled to anything. I made that point earlier in the thread. BUt I do think someone working 40 hours a week in something like construction or truck driving is worth more than what most are getting paid.

And, Lord knows how the people living in those right-to-work states are doing SO much better...

 

I wake up everyday and thank God for MARS !!