Miller Hobart

This is what I was told by a Hobart rep:

Hobart will be building all the smaller machines, 250 amp and under no matter what name appears on the case.

Miller will be building all the machines over 250 amp, all enigne drives and all 3 phase machines.

I don't know how much has been done on this change over thus far but if you look at the wire feeders (not the welders, just the feeders) you'll note that the suitcase ones are identical except for the name sticker.

Lincoln and ESAB are now one and the same.

Praxair has acquired TAFA and Eutectic has recently been sold to Messer GMBH. (MG, which is owned by a much larger European giant.)

Thermadyne now owns Victor, Tweco/Arcair, C&G Systems, Thermal Arc, Turbo Torch, Thermal Dynamics, and Stoody.

The list goes on with many mergers and acquisitions throughout so many different industries. For the sake of debate, can this be good for the consumer long term? What will be the outcome from an employment standpoint as the work force faces more uncertainty than ever before? Are the days of working for one company until retirement all but gone? Those old enough to look back to a time when local businesses where independently owned and operated have a basis for comparison. Is the independent family owned business an endangered species?

I agree with Ray in that becoming more than politically active, politically agressive, is needed. But, first the population needs to wake up, reach down there, pull their heads out, think it thru real careful, and then get out and work for the political party they feel best represents their interests.

I said "work"! Yeah, I know, it's a "four letter word" for many... I emphasize work, as compared to doing big cash donations and then hoping they were big enough... Work, as in knocking on doors, talking with friends and neighbors, passing out handbills, putting up and taking in yard signs, etc., etc.

Yes, apathy is a problem. But, I see the apathy as caused by people seeing and believing it don't make any difference which party they vote for, so why bother? We here know why, but a big percentage of the population don't!

Long ago I advocated that all election tallys would begin with the total number of registered voters credited to "none of the above". As people voted the numbers would be subtracted from none of the above and added to the candidates voted for. If any candidate couldn't get 51% of the vote the election would be re-done 'till somebody did get a genuine 51% majority.

If people ain't registered to vote they are just plain out of it!

That way, if the slate was generally un-acceptable, or un-attractive, it would stand out for all to see as no good.

Check out the link here for some thoughts that seem to be in tune with many things said in this thread. The Iowa Libertarian Party convention is Saturday 17 MAR 01, at the ISU Memorial Union in Ames. Clik my e-mail link if you would like a personal & private reply and more info.

Thanks for hearing me out, IHank in Iowa

• Libertarian Party positions, a good read

Too many people expect the government to solve their problems. Nothing good will come from that long term. I believe we are already living in a police state as it is easy to see that more value is placed on the life of a politician than on yours or mine.

As far as unions are concerned, they have done alot of good in this country. I had a neighbor that was in the service in the European theater during WWII. He told me a story about a man in his outfit that had depressions in his face that he described this way "You could put a BB in them and shave over it." After living and fighting together over a period of time their relationship was such that my neighbor finally asked the man what happened to his face. The man replied "I worked on the assembly line in an automobile factory soldering roof joints. They kept speeding up the line and speeding up the line until we worked so fast that I didn't have time to wipe the acid off my face." The unions would not have allowed that. But having said that, I will concede that any good thing can be taken to extremes.

At the same time we must be aware of the fact that we are in competition with people in third world countries where labor is sooo cheap. At the same time, those in a position to take advantage are allowed to do so. This only compounds the problem in my view. I'm certainly not smart enough to say that I have all the answers.

I do believe that many people will agree with you in regard to your political views. Fully half of the registered voters in this country did not participate in the last election. I understand the apathy. There probably isn't a nickels worth of difference between the two political factions in control right now. If we continue to treat our democracy as if it were a spectator sport, our soveriegnty is in great jeopardy. Those who fought and died in WWII did not intend for us to ruled by the U.N. Change will not occur at the top levels but at the local and state levels. I do hope people will use their computer to find out who their state and local officials are and what they are all about and then vote like they mean it.
Steve

Wait, didn't they used to build DeVilbiss compressors?

Devil?

OMG.

Get a grip BOTTOMLINE...