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I changed to Long Beach in my post, thinking I made an error. So Longview is port of Portland and China has a 99 year lease on it? And Long Beach is the port we've been discussing in CA? And China used to own it but Trump made them sell it?
 
I changed to Long Beach in my post, thinking I made an error. So Longview is port of Portland and China has a 99 year lease on it? And Long Beach is the port we've been discussing in CA? And China used to own it but Trump made them sell it?
Yes, and no! Trump didn't try to make China sell ( that I know of!) California ( and the other states) Sold those long term leases to get out of paying for their upkeep and modernization, it is seen a YUGE cash cow, they collect the lease, taxes, tariffs, and all that, the the states don't have to spend a single penny! China is on the hook for every thing, the TSA, Customs, Homeland, plus all the infrastructure! On top of all that, they are heavy invested in the city/county/state to subsidize such costs as new Fire boats, new Tugboats, dredging, signals and all sorts of other things too numerous to list! Other cities and states saw this and the light bulb went off, YUGE profits and almost no expense! Pretty much why the U.S sold the Panama Canal to China, let them pay for the upkeep and expansion while securing a strategic agreement that U.S Flagged ships don't pay for passage, which means U.S Warships, as everything else is pretty much flagged foreign!

The back side of this, Cali ( or any of the other states) has not forced China to upgrade those port facilities, nor have they forced them to bring them up to current volumes, so this has compounded the issues we currently have, I'm told 16 cranes in Long Beach and Oxnard are non functional, and China has not repaired or replaced them, and there are no operators ether! L.A has yet to be dredged to depth to handle the newest ultra large ships, which means Long beach and Oxnard are also screwed, Seattle, and the Bay area have also not been dredged, and nether has the Columbia River! What's even worse, those ports in the gulf, have not been dredged ether, and there are now 7 new ultra large container ships that cannot enter U.S Ports!

Were not even talking about Post Panamax or Cape Size ships or Ultra Large Crude Tankers and LP ships, that's a whole nother YUGE issue were gonna start to feel soon!
 
The Long Beach container terminal is no longer owned by China. It's owned by an Australian investment bank.

Orient Overseas, Hong Kong based, had owned and run the port for decades. So the container terminal was presumably acquired by OO while Hong Kong was British controlled. Then in 2017 OO got bought by COSTCO Shipping, a company essentially owned by the Chinese government. And Hong Kong itself is no longer British controlled. After a security review by US, COSTCO Shipping was forced to sell OO and agreed to in 2018. In 2019 they sold it to Macquarie Infrastructure Partners, which is owned by or part of the Macquarie Group, which is an Australian Investment bank.

from articles:
"U.S. Forces China Out of Long Beach Terminal Ownership, by Jared Vineyard and a
Wikipedia entry on Port of Long Beach (in the history section).
 
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Costa Rica is all like, whatever, man..

".1920 regulation that requires that goods shipped from one American port to another be transported on a ship that is American-built, American-owned, and crewed by US citizens or permanent residents."

They wrote the book on screwed.
 
From the article…

"We need to start looking at this as a national security issue and need to be more reliant on American-made products so we aren't beholden to ports, shipping lines, and China,"

Well seems to me the evil orange man was doing just that, but the democrats don't want America to be independent nor sovereign nor energy independent…. Remember that next time you cast your ballot.
People have extremely short memories and are dumb as hell. All the politician has to do to get the lemmings to follow is play the "free stuff" tune.
 
From the article…

"We need to start looking at this as a national security issue and need to be more reliant on American-made products so we aren't beholden to ports, shipping lines, and China,"

Well seems to me the evil orange man was doing just that, but the democrats don't want America to be independent nor sovereign nor energy independent…. Remember that next time you cast your ballot.
Actually, the Biden administration is following the Trump policy with respect to trade as well as China exactly. They have even doubled down on the anti-China, with a specialist in sueing China (Katherine Thai) as the US trade rep. Trump negotiated a trade deal with China, but China actually never complies with such deals, and Trump let them get away with it. Of course, Biden administration is not admitting that its Trump's policy they are following or giving him any credit. (I say "Biden administration" because I have no idea who is running the show.)

So you are correct that the "evil orange man" was in fact trying to make America more self reliant with respect to trade and China. You were wrong in saying the dems don't want America to be independent, as they are following Trump policy on both trade and China. They are simply refusing to give Trump credit, which is how both parties behave. As for energy independence, the dems have done a few things that make it seem like back steps on energy, but will actually have little or no real effect on the energy supply. (We don't need new leases on federal land for shale oil, which is being piped almost totally from private lands.)(and we don't need Canadian oil any more either.) As for the dems not wanting US to be solvent, Trump didn't either if you go by actions rather than words. Neither gave us a balanced budget.

I'm pleased to find out "evil orange man" prevented China from taking over Long Beach container terminal. I hope Biden administration will continue limiting their efforts on promoting green energy and badmouthing oil to verbiage and actions that give press but have little impact. Holding my breath though.
 
From the article:
China's increased control in ports also increases the country's influence over other nations. It also gives them strategic advantages should conflict arise.

It should also be noted that on top of gaining operational control in ports around the world, 6 of the world's 10 busiest ports last year were in China itself, according to South China Morning Post. I doubt China is relinquishing control of those ports to other countries.

There's a certain global dominance China is striving for in international shipping and global business. The U.S. should be wary of giving China that dominance at the ports.

 
Costa Rica is all like, whatever, man..

".1920 regulation that requires that goods shipped from one American port to another be transported on a ship that is American-built, American-owned, and crewed by US citizens or permanent residents."

They wrote the book on screwed.
Not following. Where does Costa Rica come in? Who got screwed? How? Who wrote the book on screwed?

1920 was before WWII. Before Breton Woods agreement right after WWII that created a trade alliance between US and almost everywhere setting up world trade guaranteed by our navy with access to US markets under favorable terms for everyone who would be on our side against the soviets. Presumably all US shipping laws got superceeded by Breton Woods, as did everyone's shipping laws who were members. That was even before containers and container ships were invented.
 
The Long Beach container terminal is no longer owned by China. It's owned by an Australian investment bank.

Orient Overseas, Hong Kong based, had owned and run the port for decades. So the container terminal was presumably acquired by OO while Hong Kong was British controlled. Then in 2017 OO got bought by COSTCO Shipping, a company essentially owned by the Chinese government. And Hong Kong itself is no longer British controlled. After a security review by US, COSTCO Shipping was forced to sell OO and agreed to in 2018. In 2019 they sold it to Macquarie Infrastructure Partners, which is owned by or part of the Macquarie Group, which is an Australian Investment bank.

from articles:
"U.S. Forces China Out of Long Beach Terminal Ownership, by Jared Vineyard and a
Wikipedia entry on Port of Long Beach (in the history section).
That's great info, thanks for digging it out and sharing, it helps!
 
(We don't need new leases on federal land for shale oil, which is being piped almost totally from private lands.)(and we don't need Canadian oil any more either.)
I thought you were wrong. Prompted me to look for sources. US oil prod dropped in line with the price drop (pandemic). It's now ticking back up as price rises. Doesn't look like capacity has been reduced.

Bah, I hate this bubblegum, every word is now propaganda. If I scan (headlines, talking head sound bites) then the Dems have destroyed our energy independence. If I look and read (time consuming) then it doesn't seem that way.

No I'm not talking equivalence (especially in 2A). I get people are stupid. Mobilizing/motivating the troops. The big game/picture. Every voice heard, all that. I don't doubt other people's "vision" is antithetical to the way I want to live, and they'll take power to make their "vision" reality.

This morning I just miss what I think I remember when thoughtful discussion in the media with opponents was a respected thing.
 
Florida. On the west coast, Mexican ports. Trucks are shipping tons of cocaine, meth and democrat voters across the border daily.
It's another 2-3 weeks transit to sail through the Canal and up to the Gulf Coast ports IIRC... and last I knew Ensenada was still open for container business without all the BS regulations.
 
Not only that, but they have to work with the port owners ( China) to convince them to allow it all! They then have to negotiate with the union to bring on additional employees for a set term and all that!

This problem didn't just crop up over night, it's been a serious and growing issue since the Covid lockdowns, and unless and until something changes bigly, it ain't going to change at all, no matter what Biden says or orders!
..Or his supply of Chinese made adult diapers runs out.

Their mantra is "don't let a good crisis go to waste". The supply chain system has been struggling for years. This is giving them the opportunity to exploit it for "change". They know that a large number of people are beginning to suffer fauci fatigue syndrome, not necessarily from the disease, but from the incessant 24 hour news cycle. After pumping that well for a year and a half, this is their new catastrophe.
 
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Not following. Where does Costa Rica come in? Who got screwed? How? Who wrote the book on screwed?

1920 was before WWII. Before Breton Woods agreement right after WWII that created a trade alliance between US and almost everywhere setting up world trade guaranteed by our navy with access to US markets under favorable terms for everyone who would be on our side against the soviets. Presumably all US shipping laws got superceeded by Breton Woods, as did everyone's shipping laws who were members. That was even before containers and container ships were invented.
 
Brandon has decreed that hence forth there will be 27 hours in a day, and that this declaration has the potential to be a "game-changer" in turning the corner of the supply chain crisis, but only if workers agree to work 29 hours a day...30 hours every third Tuesday after his butt's been wiped.


Proof that 24 hour days are a social construct…. :rolleyes:
 

Right @Soli . The traditional news is increasingly useless and frustrating. For everything related to trade, China, and energy I get my info from YouTube videos by Peter Zeihan. He's a geopolitical strategist who advises business people on international and national trade, politics, energy, etc. Very entertaining speaker. His talks are all available. Has three books out too. Give him a try. I think you will find him very refreshing.

For the big picture economics I like videos by Thomas Sowell. He's a black conservative economist, now 80 and at the Hoover Institute and going strong. A couple dozen books, many or most available as free audios on YouTube, along with many interviews. The level of scholarship is extraordinary. For example, in his book showing that minimum wage laws cause lost jobs, lost businesses, and overall detrimental impact on the lowest paid part of the work force he presents info on minimum wage laws everywhere in the world through history, not just a few cases in US. I listened to his Memoirs last weekend. Really interesting and inspiring. Started in segregated South. Incredible what he went through and how he managed. Tremendous courage. No whinging, either. Laughs a lot. Fascinating.

Hoover institute has lots of interesting people. Another Senior Fellow there I like a lot is Victor Davis Hanson, classicist and military historian. When he talks about politics and strategy his references and knowledge go all the way back to the Peloponnesian War.

I also check in with The Rubin Report fairly frequently to find interesting stuff going on that the legacy media is covering up.

Perhaps my all-time favorite is Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson. The most intense interesting speaker I've ever heard. He's infuriated the legacy media by fighting Canada's law trying to compel people to refer to transgendered people by the pronouns of their choice. Including weird new pronouns I'd have zero hope of remembering at all let alone who they were supposed to go with. Peterson has nothing against transgender people. But he is against a law compelling speech (illegal in US) that is also trying to establish a theory of sex which is counter to biology. He thinks men and women are actually different and gender is not totally a social construct and people can't actually change their sex by just declaring it. Oh, shock! Everything available on YouTube. mostly about psychology. Very rigorous analysis, unlike most stuff in the field. Lovely to see that there is at least one North American university prof in the social sciences with courage enough to call BS BS.

These folks also write books. But I need to spare my eyes for my work, and go with videos I can just listen to or podcasts for random info and entertainent these days. And these folks are all much more entertaining than legacy media. And as best I can tell, none of them ever lie about or cover up anything ever.
 
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Right @Soli . The traditional news is increasingly useless and frustrating. For everything related to trade, China, and energy I get my info from YouTube videos by Peter Zeihan. He's a geopolitical strategist who advises business people on international and national trade, politics, energy, etc. Very entertaining speaker. His talks are all available. Has three books out too. Give him a try. I think you will find him very refreshing.

For the big picture economics I like videos by Thomas Sowell. He's a black conservative economist, now 80 and at the Hoover Institute and going strong. A couple dozen books, many or most available as free audios on YouTube, along with many interviews. The level of scholarship is extraordinary. For example, in his book showing that minimum wage laws cause lost jobs, lost businesses, and overall detrimental impact on the lowest paid part of the work force he presents info on minimum wage laws everywhere in the world through history, not just a few cases in US. I listened to his Memoirs last weekend. Really interesting and inspiring. Started in segregated South. Incredible what he went through and how he managed. Tremendous courage. No whinging, either. Laughs a lot. Fascinating.

Hoover institute has lots of interesting people. Another Senior Fellow there I like a lot is Victor Davis Hanson, classicist and military historian. When he talks about politics and strategy his references and knowledge go all the way back to the Peloponnesian War.

I also check in with The Rubin Report fairly frequently to find interesting stuff going on that the legacy media is covering up.

Perhaps my all-time favorite is Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson. The most intense interesting speaker I've ever heard. He's infuriated the legacy media by fighting Canada's law trying to compel people to refer to transgendered people by the pronouns of their choice. Including weird new pronouns I'd have zero hope of remembering at all let alone who they were supposed to go with. Peterson has nothing against transgender people. But he is against a law compelling speech (illegal in US) that is also trying to establish a theory of sex which is counter to biology. He thinks men and women are actually different and gender is not totally a social construct and people can't actually change their sex by just declaring it. Oh, shock! Everything available on YouTube. mostly about psychology. Very rigorous analysis, unlike most stuff in the field. Lovely to see that there is at least one North American university prof in the social sciences with courage enough to call BS BS.

These folks also write books. But I need to spare my eyes for my work, and go with videos I can just listen to or podcasts for random info and entertainent these days. And these folks are all much more entertaining than legacy media. And as best I can tell, none of them ever lie about or cover up anything ever.
My favorite Sowell quote, everyone should heed:
"It is bad enough that so many people believe things without any evidence. What is worse is that some people have no conception of evidence and regard facts as just someone else's opinion."
 
Ahh, Brandon's on the case, what a relief!

Made in the USA. Ordered early Sept. Shipped Sept 28. Would arrive Oct 4. lol

View attachment 1050500

Stuck in Troutdale. Finally got a hold of a co-operatve person at FedEx, and coaxed him into spilling the beans. Actually the phone folks at FE were always very professional, they just have to stick w/ their script; I don't yell at drones having been one myself. Finally got one to go off script and tell me that yes, it's not in BF Kansas or lying in a gully in Colorado or been stolen somewhere. It's languishing in Troutdale.

So yeah... get on those ports Brandon, that'll do it.

Let's Go Brandon!
LetsGo.jpg

These are in stock. But they will probably be lost in the Troutdale black hole.
 
What kind of upside-down world is this that any nation would give control of its ports to a foreign nation? This is seriously a national security issue. I am shocked and disgusted.
 
Problem now is that the cell providers keep changing standards to force you into new devices. Just yesterday was contacted and told that the phones I bought (not rented or via payment plan) three years ago would not be supported on Jan 1 and I had to get new ones. I called. We had a chat, New replacement phones are on their way for free, no plan changes, or obligations.
No longer supported does NOT mean that the standard changed or that your phone will stop working. It just means that the Operating System and some of the provider supplied applications will no longer receive updates.
 

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