Wednesday, April 22, 2009

An Impressive Weapon in the War Against the Middle Class

Want to know why most stuff is manufactured in China? There are over 1.3 billion people who want your job, and they are willing to work for a fraction of the average American wage.

And how are those goods transported to America? The Emma Maersk.






Some stats:

Country of origin - Denmark
Length - 1,302 ft
Width - 207 ft
First Trip - Sept. 08, 2006
Construction cost - US $145,000,000+
Engine - 14 in-line cylinders diesel engine (110,000 BHP)
Cruise Speed - 31 knots
Crew - 13 people
Typical Pacific transit time - 4 days
Net cargo - 123,200 tons, approx. 15,000 containers

Silicone painting applied to the ship bottom reduces water resistance and saves 317,000 gallons of diesel per year.

This is how Wal-Mart gets all its stuff from China.

According to an email I received "almost all of these containers are shipped back to China EMPTY! You heard that right. We send nothing back on most of these ships. What does that tell you about the current financial state of this country!"

As I said before, this decade may prove to be America's zenith. I predict that the economic mess will be the event leading to the emergence of Chinese economic and military dominance.