Enslavery of the US optical retail continues..............

[1968]

Across the nation, seniors are becoming the face of the indebted. In Austin, Ronald and Carol Godwin, 65 and 63, depleted their savings years ago and have since turned to credit cards and home equity to pay medical bills. They're struggling in retirement to pay off loans they took out years ago for a grandchild's college education.

This begs a few callous questions: Why are the grandparents paying for their grandchild's college education (instead of the grandchild's parents)? Why isn't the grandchild paying back his or her grandparents or helping them out (since he apparently graduated "years ago")? Why isn't anyone else suggesting that people need to be responsible for the consequences of their (poor) decision making?

[dbracer]

I think you're reading way too much into my previous reply. I also think the aforementioned website is without much merit in that the author takes into account some factors while ignoring others to draw his conclusions.

Damn good response. No BS just an honest opinion.

You're probably right. I read too much into your post.

My apologies.

Respectfully,
dbracer

[dbracer]

This begs a few callous questions: Why are the grandparents paying for their grandchild's college education (instead of the grandchild's parents)? Why isn't the grandchild paying back his or her grandparents or helping them out (since he apparently graduated "years ago")? Why isn't anyone else suggesting that people need to be responsible for the consequences of their (poor) decision making?

Pretty well said. Couldn't say it much better, and there's not much left to say.

What do ya say we go to another thread.

This one has deviated pretty drastically from the original question.

My daddy always put it this way, "It's like arguing with a five year old. No matter how valid your point, you still look like a fool."

Respectfully,
dbracer

[dbracer]

• long-term falling dollar exchange rate).

http://www.usatoday.com/money/perfi/...ebt-usat_x.htm

I don't know what it says, but you know the former website is authentic?

Is the latter authentic? Even if it is USAToday isn't exactly an unbiased source.

Okay, Okay. Enough of this arguing with things we have no idea as to there validity. And wasn't this about Essilor?

See ya on another thread.

Respectfully,
dbracer

[gemstone]

dup post

[gemstone]

• Additionally, foreign interests own real estate and factories - - and some would be surprised to learn that the well-known and respected California-based Pimco, the world's largest bond fund, that many believe is an American firm is in fact a unit of Allianz.AG, a German firm.
• We should not be mad at foreign interests. We are the ones borrowing from others so we can consume beyond our own production and savings, thereby creating unprecedented debts and trade deficits PLUS excessive government spending. While America's debt used to be nearly all owed domestically, increasingly huge portions are now controlled by foreign interests.

They wouldn't be investing their money if they felt our ship was sinking. I am glad to see the "foreigners" have a vested interest in our economy.

[gemstone]

Retirees up against debtUpdated 3/2/2007 7:26 PM ET

swapContent('firstHeader','applyHeader');By Kathy Chu, USA TODAY

Across the nation, seniors are becoming the face of the indebted.
In Austin, Ronald and Carol Godwin, 65 and 63, depleted their savings years ago and have since turned to credit cards and home equity to pay medical bills. They're struggling in retirement to pay off loans they took out years ago for a grandchild's college education.
In Scott Depot, W.Va., Carl Brown, 68, has an impossible decision to make every month because his Social Security check usually doesn't cover all of his mortgage, utility, food and medical costs.

whole story at: http://www.usatoday.com/money/perfi/...ebt-usat_x.htm

Were these people displaced by Essilor?

I like dealing with people that get us a better deal except if they are foreigners that only BAD MOUTH the USA. I can't fathom a person making a good living off the US economy and kicking it so much. I won't deal with these guys.

[Steve Machol]

They wouldn't be investing their money if they felt our ship was sinking. I am glad to see the "foreigners" have a vested interest in our economy.

Actually I believe China (who holds the largest amount of our debt) is doing so not only because of the immediate financial benefits to them (which frankly are not that great) but to increase their leverage and power over the U.S. in the future. Unlike us, they can be patient and are able to look at and prepare for the long term.

However their Achilles Heel at this point is their inability to come to terms with the environmental damage they are causing and which will create extreme emergencies in the future. It is at that point that they will present the greatest threat to us.

By the way, did anyone see the news that Isaac Newton predicted the End of the World will occur in 2060?

[gemstone]

You ever buy anything from walmart. Weren't for China, they'd be almost empty.

[Steve Machol]

You ever buy anything from walmart. Weren't for China, they'd be almost empty.

Nope - specifically because of that and other reasons. :)

[k12311997]

By the way, did anyone see the news that Isaac Newton predicted the End of the World will occur in 2060?

styrofoam, Areosols, and SUV's for everyone, It just doesn't matter any more

[Chris Ryser]

They wouldn't be investing their money if they felt our ship was sinking. I am glad to see the "foreigners" have a vested interest in our economy.

Our famous examples, as Essilor and Luxottica, have no more interest in the US economy than a cat has in going for a swim in the Gulf of Mexico.

Your ship is not sinking the same fast way as the Titanic The bottom of your ship after a good marine survey, shows considerable decoration and its condition will soon be irreparable.

The 2 above mentioned giant optical companies are actually economic brothers and sisters of the WalMarts and practice to achieve the same economic goal, which is market domination without regard to anything else, as described in above threads.

The all purchase and or manufacture their goods in the same geographical area at prices that are at a fraction these goods would be if made in the western hemisphere.

WalMart gains by selling cheaper, selling volumes and strangling small specialized business along the way.

The Essilors and Luxottic'a purchase and produce in the same geographical areas as WalMart.
However they do NOT pass on the savings achieved at the manufacturing. They push they're products by heavy duty brainwash advertising to the public, so that optical retailers only have to sell products that are already in demand by the consumers.
By not passing on these huge amounts saved by their commercial setup, they have accumulated vast monetary resourse that permit them to further use their tentacles to make further enlargements of their distributor net.

Once the optical monster comapnies have achieved their goal of controlling major supplies and eliminating competitiors by mergers or plain starving, they will controll.....................what the consumer is buying,

In the meantine they contrinute heavily to a negative balance of trade with the far eastern countries.

[Chris Ryser]

I just had to bring thiis thead back to the top. I jave never seen that many viewers in a period of 5 day an a thread was was topping the list for that long.

The thread side tracked heavily...............actually with the additions of labs and distributors the company is acting like a spiders web. You got an in,.............but you have no way out.

Once they have achieved their goal.................and who knows what their final goal is....................we can only guess....................the optical world will not be able to breath unless they let you.

[impact500]

Steve Machol: <<China (who holds the largest amount of our debt)>>

They do hold a lot and it is growing but Japan holds 48.5% more than China as of April 2007 per the US Treasury Dept.

At this point the US and the Fed is trapped. If buyers of our government bonds start to reduce their purchases, our interest rates would have to jump up and the economy would slow. We need them to continue to buy as long as we import more than we export and run government deficits.

Also of note, China merchandise trade surplus in the 12 months June 2006 to May 2007 was $216.7 billion, the US merchandise deficit was $829.9 billion in the May 2006 to April 2007 period. This data is from UK based magazine The Economist. Also of interest, Germany had a slightly larger trade surplus than China.

It is easier to blame China - and there are substantive issues there - but Americans also need to look in a mirror.

It is interesting to read the history of the economic evolution of the US. It was not perfect with many negatives for workers and great wealth accumulated by a few. The Europeans were not very happy with the "unfair" practices of American industrialists. A similar sequence is now playing out in China, India, Russia and even places such as Vietnam. It is not a straight line and it is often not pretty. It is however the nature of the early evolution of capitalism.

As one travels the poor areas of China, it is a sad and emotional event. They are in the early stages of advancing their lives and as they state, enabling a better life for their children. They are doing the same things we did, we are just on the other side of the street. If we were born in China, we'd be doing what they are doing.

$830 billion under water vs. $217 billion above water. Who has the worst problem and whose fault is it?

Mike Schaus

[Chris Ryser]

$830 billion under water vs. $217 billion above water. Who has the worst problem and whose fault is it?
Mike Schaus

For sure an interesting post.............................

At this point the US and the Fed is trapped. If buyers of our government bonds start to reduce their purchases, our interest rates would have to jump up and the economy would slow. We need them to continue to buy as long as we import more than we export and run government deficits.

Question...............how much would the economy slow, when the Fed will raise interest rates, which they will have to do in order to prop up the Dollar at some point ?

[impact500]

Chris Ryser: <<Question...............how much would the economy slow, when the Fed will raise interest rates, which they will have to do in order to prop up the Dollar at some point ?>>

You raise the key issues. Predicting how it plays out is beyond my ability. The FED faces a very tough problem. No good solutions. The political interactions make the tough solutions less likely and hence the problems tend to get postponed and sadly become worse.

There is an interesting moderately offsetting factor. China, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea and the Middle Eastern countries have probably made a mistake in putting too much of their financial assets into US$s. They now are hit as the US$ falls. They are rebalancing new asset flows away from the US$ and more into yen and euros, but they likely will continue putting a meaningful amount into US$s.

The key actions will have to be taken here with reduced spending and more saving - both at the personal and governmental level. I fear the odds are not good, however. Hard to predict how it plays out, but with only four meaningful currencies in the world now, so if the US$ does fall dramatically, the euro, yen and at some point the yuan may become more valuable to American investors.

It is interesting to note the shift in mix away from US customers and towards European customers by frame companies listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange. They are making more selling to Europeans in euro than selling here in US$s. The exchange rates are changing the world dramatically. I suspect it is just beginning.

But one never knows. Things can change again fast. But it does not look good for us right now.

[Chris Ryser]

....................., so if the US$ does fall dramatically, the euro, yen and at some point the yuan may become more valuable to American investors.

The key actions will have to be taken here with reduced spending and more saving - both at the personal and governmental level. I fear the odds are not good, however.

Things can change again fast. But it does not look good for us right now.

In the past during hard economic times it has always been the dental and the optical industries that got hit first.

If you are an optical employee or the owner, you will want the survival of your job or business.

So how are we going to handle a possible economic crisis :hammer:

[impact500]

Chris Ryser: <<So how are we going to handle a possible economic crisis>>

No way to know how it will play out. Many moving parts, each controlled by different players and many unpredictable future events.

The best odds on the future - we'll take nominal action and pass a growing problem to future generations. As long as we are the largest economy in the world and we still are, the mega crisis will hopefully be delayed.

We'd be better off taking more meaningful action now but it is painful and thus will likely not happen.

Foreign exchange rates are very volatile but from a long term view, the US$ will be the key variable for us with it's movement having significant impact on interest rates as we have a more difficult time funding our debt. It will play out over a long period with business cycles confusing the data. Most readers here will be OK, but kids and grandkids will likely be given some serious problems. The fact that most commodities are priced in US$s will increase the inflationary impact on us. Those countries not tied to the US$ will benefit as the US$ falls in value. The large number of European tourists in NYC buying at the big designer shops is a good illustration. They love the US$ when shopping here.

[Chris Ryser]

The best odds on the future - we'll take nominal action and pass a growing problem to future generations. As long as we are the largest economy in the world and we still are, the mega crisis will hopefully be delayed.

I have read some predictions that over 1,1 Million homes will be repossessed this year by the banks because people default on their mortgages.

How about the credit card debt which is in the trillions ?

Those are internal problems that have to be solved and can not be passed on to future generations.

[Chris Ryser]

U.S. 2007 first-quarter GDP growth up 0.7 pct
June 28, 2007 08:34 AM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. economy grew at a 0.7 percent annual pace in the first three months of this year, the weakest in more than four years as businesses sold off inventories but consumer spending remained strong, a Commerce Department report on Thursday showed
Full Article

[Florida Optician]

I don't know about you all but my nightmare is that Luxotica and Essilor will merge. I am afraid a whole bunch of us can just go home then.

[Chris Ryser]

I don't know about you all but my nightmare is that Luxotica and Essilor will merge. I am afraid a whole bunch of us can just go home then.

Your nightmare could very well become a fact sooner or later.

The way the 2 monster corporations are steamrolling ahead on a world wide basis, it could even be sooner than later.

Question.................What do you think would be the result, if it actually would happen ?

[Chris Ryser]

Actually I am surprised that this thread with that many viewers has stopped getting comments on a matter that seems very serious to this profession.................if owner or emplyoee............because now you now are facing 2 identities that are trying to put you out of business:

1 the economy...........................

2) the multinational corporations....................

[gemstone]

Yes. I think there has to be some type of record here. Maybe for bumping your own thread. ?? I guess it's as good a place as any for that. You know you can go blind....