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other dog

BMT Benefactor
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  1. All you need now is a handle for that hammer. Did your Mom gift wrap those loads for you? You might make a hand yet. I always like to see a well tarped load. I don't miss having to handle them though. Especially in the winter, when you roll them up wet they are slicker than snot on a door knob when you have to use them. Have you ever noticed, that every winter people have to learn to drive all over again.

    I actually have a decent hammer around here somewhere, probably buried under a pile of something in the shed. Most everything else is.

  2. actually I sawed them all with my trusty Homelite XL12 chain saw!

    ...and when I did finally figure out which way to turn the hammer I found I could drive a nail twice as fast as I did at first.

    By the way, if you need any help in the building binness, i'm experienced now-and I have a hammer.

  3. Hey Paul,I heard about this letter on the radio, WLW out of Cincinnati, and I copied and pasted the whole thing from their website. The first one is from the president of GM to all their suppliers, asking them to support the bailout. The next is the reply of one of their suppliers, and he pretty much hits the nail on the head.

    AN ANSWER TO THE BAILOUT...

    Friday 12-19-2008 9:15am ET

    Dear Employees & Suppliers,

    Congress and the current Administration will soon determine whether to provide immediate support to the domestic auto industry to help it through one of the most difficult economic times in our nation's history. Your elected officials must hear from all of us now on why this support is critical to our continuing the progress we began prior to the global financial crisis......................As an employee or supplier, you have a lot at stake and continue to be one of our most effective and passionate voices. I know GM can count on you to have your voice heard. Thank you for your urgent action and ongoing support.

    Troy Clarke President General Motors North America

    Response from:

    Gregory Knox, Pres.

    Knox Machinery Company

    Franklin, Ohio

    Gentlemen:

    In response to your request to contact legislators and ask for a bailout for the Big Three automakers please consider the following, and please pass my thoughts on to Troy Clarke, President of General Motors North America.

    Politicians and Management of the Big 3 are both infected with the same entitlement mentality that has spread like cancerous germs in UAW halls for the last countless decades, and whose plague is now sweeping this nation, awaiting our new "messiah", Pres-elect Obama, to wave his magic wand and make all our problems go away, while at the same time allowing our once great nation to keep "living the dream"… Believe me folks, The dream is over!

    This dream where we can ignore the consumer for years while management myopically focuses on its personal rewards packages at the same time that our factories have been filled with the worlds most overpaid, arrogant, ignorant and laziest entitlement minded "laborers" without paying the price for these atrocities…this dream where you still think the masses will line up to buy our products for ever and ever.

    Don't even think about telling me I'm wrong. Don't accuse me of not knowing of what I speak. I have called on Ford, GM, Chrysler, TRW, Delphi, Kelsey Hayes, American Axle and countless other automotive OEM's throughout the Midwest during the past 30 years and what I've seen over those years in these union shops can only be described as disgusting.

    Troy Clarke, President of General Motors North America, states: "There is widespread sentiment throughout this country, and our government, and especially via the news media, that the current crisis is completely the result of bad management which it certainly is not."

    You're right Mr. Clarke, it's not JUST management…how about the electricians who walk around the plants like lords in feudal times, making people wait on them for countless hours while they drag ass…so they can come in on the weekend and make double and triple time…for a job they easily could have done within their normal 40 hour work week. How about the line workers who threaten newbies with all kinds of scare tactics…for putting out too many parts on a shift…and for being too productive

    (We certainly must not expose those lazy bums who have been getting overpaid for decades for their horrific underproduction, must we?!?)

    Do you folks really not know about this stuff?!? How about this great sentiment abridged from Mr. Clarke's sad plea: "over the last few years …we have closed the quality and efficiency gaps with our competitors." What the hell has Detroit been doing for the last 40 years?!? Did we really JUST wake up to the gaps in quality and efficiency between us and them? The K car vs. the Accord? The Pinto vs. the Civic?!? Do I need to go on? What a joke!< /span>

    We are living through the inevitable outcome of the actions of the United States auto industry for decades. It's time to pay for your sins, Detroit.

    I attended an economic summit last week where brilliant economist, Alan Beaulieu, from the Institute of Trend Research, surprised the crowd when he said he would not have given the banks a penny of "bailout money". "Yes, he said, this would cause short term problems," but despite what people like politicians and corporate magnates would have us believe, the sun would in fact rise the next day… and the following very important thing would happen…where there had been greedy and sloppy banks, new efficient ones would pop up…that is how a free market system works…it does work…if we would only let it work…"

    But for some nondescript reason we are now deciding that the rest of the world is right and that capitalism doesn't work - that we need the government to step in and "save us"…Save us my ass, Hell - we're nationalizing…and unfortunately too many of our once fine nation's citizens don't even have a clue that this is what is really happening…But, they sure can tell you the stats on their favorite sports teams…yeah - THAT'S really important, isn't it…

    Does it ever occur to ANYONE that the "competition" has been producing vehicles, EXTREMELY PROFITABLY, for decades in this country?... How can that be??? Let's see… Fuel efficient… Listening to customers… Investing in the proper tooling and automation for the long haul…

    Not being too complacent or arrogant to listen to Dr. W. Edwards Deming four decades ago when he taught that by adopting appropriate principles of management, organizations could increase quality and simultaneously=2 0reduce costs. Ever increased productivity through quality and intelligent planning… Treating vendors like strategic partners, rather than like "the enemy"… Efficient front and back offices… Non union environment…

    Again, I could go on and on, but I really wouldn't be telling anyone anything they really don't already know down deep in their hearts.

    I have six children, so I am not unfamiliar with the concept of wanting someone to bail you out of a mess that you have gotten yourself into - my children do this on a weekly, if not daily basis, as I did when I was their age. I do for them what my parents did for me (one of their greatest gifts, by the way) - I make them stand on their own two feet and accept the consequences of their actions and work through it. Radical concept, huh… Am I there for them in the wings? Of course - but only until such time as they need to be fully on their own as adults.

    I don't want to oversimplify a complex situation, but there certainly are unmistakable parallels here between the proper role of parenting and government. Detroit and the United States need to pay for their sins. Bad news people - it's coming whether we like it or not. The newly elected Messiah really doesn't have a magic wand big enough to "make it all go away." I laughed as I heard Obama "reeling it back in" almost immediately after the final vote count was tallied…"we really might not do it in a year…or in four…" Where the Hell was that kind of talk when he was RUNNING for office.

    Stop trying to put off the inevitable folks … That house in Florida really isn't worth $750,000… People who jump across a border really don't deserve free health care benefits… That job driving that forklift for the Big 3 really isn't worth $85,000 a year… We really shouldn't allow Wal-Mart to stock their shelves with products acquired from a country that unfairly manipulates their currency and has the most atrocious human rights infractions on the face of the globe…

    That couple whose combined inc ome is less than $50,000 really shouldn't be living in that $485,000 home… Let the market correct itself folks - it will. Yes it will be painful, but it's gonna' be painful either way, and the bright side of my proposal is that on the other side of it all, is a nation that appreciates what it has…and doesn't live beyond its means…and gets back to basics…and redevelops the patriotic work ethic that made it the greatest nation in the history of the world…and probably turns back to God.

    Sorry - don't cut my head off, I'm just the messenger sharing with you the "bad news". I hope you take it to heart.

    Gregory J. Knox, President

    Knox Machinery, Inc.

    Franklin, Ohio 45005

  4. Watts emailed me and wanted my Address, i won in there 12 days of Chirstmas drawing, i got a new hat, a nice t shirt and a pair of mack gloves, Really Nice of them, The 1st time i have ever won anything ( the mega lottery would of been better) but still very nice of them, i really liked them when i open the box

    yeah, mega millions would be better, but still-not bad, congratulations!

  5. Well, if anything, it gives you a sense of your own mortality. From the inside, looking out through my own eyes I'm still 16. What a shock and a disappointment when I see myself looking back in the mirror. I like 16, I thought I would live forever. Unlike Hank Jr. whose rowdy friend's have settled down. All of mine are checking on out. Since growing up is not an option, I refuse to do so, I guess I'll have to start looking for some younger friends. I am sorry for the loss of your friend Gary. I learned early on that in order to have friends , you have to show yourself friendly. You certainly do that. To have really close friends requires a bond of trust and fellowship. That comes a little harder, and makes such a loss hurt even more. James

    I know what you mean about that mirror. I feel pretty much the same as I always did, but see an old gray haired fellow in the mirror all the time. :lol:

  6. It seems that no matter how bad things in our lives look -

    we don't have to look far to see someone with worse things

    to deal with.

    At least your friend passed quickly, and doing what he loved.

    Sorry for the loss.

    Paul VS

    This is true. Of course we have no choice in the matter, but I told Jeff i'd rather go out like Gary or my best friend David,who died of a heart attack at the wheel several years ago (also 49!), than like my wife died, suffering with cancer for 2 years.

    Gary and I hadn't been real close or anything over the years,but we went back a long ways, and I had just stopped to see him and took a couple of pictures of the Diamond-T a couple of months ago.

    ...and he was 3 years younger than myself.

  7. Maybe you could get that "master" to continue

    his upcoming road trip down to Gladys from southern Ohio.

    Or think about delivering the hood to Larry (Freightrain),

    before Rob shows up to get his new tools.

    Then have it shipped back by Yellow or someone like that.

    Hey, good thinking! I'm up and down 77 in Ohio a lot,except I usually run 21 through Massillon to bypass Akron and Canton.
  8. Tom,

    It's hard to say what caused the clear to lift,

    could have been almost anything.

    But - I wouldn't wax the hood at all.

    Try rubbing compound and follow it with a buffer and

    buffing compound. But no wax.

    Wax has silicones in it, and is very hard to remove from porous

    paint surfaces. That makes successful re-painting almost impossible.

    Rubbing compounds and most polishing compounds don't have

    any siliconizing agents - so no re-paint troubles.

    The best restoration and body shops don't even keep wax on the premises.

    I tried the rub on some scallops yesterday - perfect!

    I was putting it on turkey sandwiches too. Real good stuff.

    Paul Van Scott

    That's good,glad you liked it,and I appreciate the info on the paint. I'm thinking of taking the hood off and sending it to Illnois to have it buffessionally redone by a master. Gotta look into shipping charges first,but i've gotta do something with it,i'd hate for it to rust. Rob kinda got me worried about the moisture seeping into it.
  9. Thanks guys.

    I'm not giving up James. Just making the changes I have to.

    We are known for uncompromising quality and building integrity,

    whether it's a large home or small. The way it is built is always the same.

    (Mostly my father's reputation by the way, before any of you get to wisecracking)

    And today very few people are willing to pay any extra for those things that last.

    I haven't been able to bring myself to slam together houses like the tract builders,

    so we have become a dinosaur in the building business.

    The jury is still out on what is really going to happen. But what we do know for sure

    is that something is going to have to change and soon.

    I hoped you wouldn't have a worry in the world today, but I didn't match a single number in the mega million drawing last night. Oh well, maybe next time.

  10. Around 4:00 o'clock friday evening.....Kinda sad, but i worked for a guy like that, another bad part was he employed about 50 or so people. Hell I'd say we've all been down that road...lol

    better take off to the bank around 3:15 so you'll get there before Paul and James,then you know yours will be good.

  11. Gee, thank you guys!! This was very helpful! It's interesting to see how the Mack's reputation is well based on its quality (as Bollweevil said) and then spreads out to represent much more than just the product (vanscottbuilders and nocluejoe)... I think it's clear that there's much more than what meets the eye (and what meets the eye is already beautiful!).xxx!
    :WELCOME:  Hi geon! where are you from, if anywhere?

    :Mixer1:

  12. Well said James.

    The quality of, particularly, the older Macks speaks to

    a lost ethic in our society. It's not "just good enough",

    it's really "Mack Tough". And I think the Macks, unlike

    most brands, evoke a "can do" attitude that is largely

    missing in our bail-out ridden, no responsibility, no fault society.

    So - the Mack truck makes a statement, not only about

    the truck and it's legendary durability, but also about the

    people and the country that built them.

    Not to mention that they kind of fit like old shoes.

    Man - we ought to be in marketing!

    Paul Van Scott

    your checks from Mack are in the mail...might want to wait 'til Friday to cash 'em. Tuff times ya' know.

  13. No, actually they're not broken. One has a little round crack in it where a rock hit it, but it's down in the corner and doesn't bother me at all. The only problem with them is the guy that washes trucks on the weekends must have used acid to clean the stainless steel visor and let it run down on the windshield, because they have streaks in them that just won't come off. It's not too bad except at night when it's raining and I meet oncoming traffic-then I can't see a thing. I just happened to mention it at the shop the other day, and they've got a man coming Monday to put them in. I would have been happy to just get one on the drivers side, but they're replacing both of them.

  14. Dropping the turkey in salt water sounds like a real good idea.

    I'm going to to do my own on Sunday, and I'll have to try that.

    Won't be smoking it. (No smoker) But I'll slow cook it for a good

    long time with plenty of butter under the skin to keep it moist.

    Had to have the in-law's turkey today - so I'm still hungry.

    PVS

    I read somewhere years ago that brining the turkey overnight before you cooked it made it really moist, and everybody on the cooking shows I was watching yesterday did it. I'd never tried it before today. I didn't really see much diffrence, but smoking it might have made a difference, and I did overcook it a little.

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