Using Our Strategy Against US

To understand China, we must look back over the learning of almost 60 years.  

This is where it comes from:

When I was barely old enough to see over the kitchen counter, my mother and I were having a discussion.  While I can't recall the discussion, I do recall this: 

"Robert, stop using my words against me."  [It's a gift.]

No more than a scant few years later, my Dad was chiding me for some minor infraction.  I offered my defense.  The conversation went like this:




To understand China, we must look back over the learning of almost 60 years.  

This is where it comes from:

When I was barely old enough to see over the kitchen counter, my mother and I were having a discussion.  While I can't recall the discussion, I do recall this: 

"Robert, stop using my words against me."  [It's a gift.]


No more than a scant few years later, my Dad was chiding me for some minor infraction.  I offered my defense.  The conversation went like this:

"Robert, do you know what you are?"

"No."

"Did you ever hear the expression, A Philadelphia Lawyer?"

"No."

"Well, that's what you are. You're a Philadelphia Lawyer."  
[I was so proud.]


This brings us to China:

It is not unpatriotic to say, 

"China will succeed because China will do as we did, not as we say."  ~ Slim Fairview.

The Quotations of Slim Fairview. Copyright © 2019.


Then and Now.

Then
**********************
Santayana said, 
"Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it."

Slim said, 
"Those who never learned history are doomed--Period!

Now
**********************
Santayana said,
"Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it."

Slim says,
"Those who remember history are able to repeat it.

**********************

China saw:  The Transcontinental Railroad
China said,  Belt and Road

China saw:  Manifest Destiny
China said,  South China Sea

China saw:  The Hoover Dam
China said,  Three Gorges Dam Project

China saw:  The Monroe Doctrine
China said,  TPP


"If you want to know where China is going, look at where America has been."  Slim Fairview
The Quotations of Slim Fairview Copyright © 2019.


Years before I heard the Chinese saying, 

"Face is more important than life."

My Mother taught me,  "Always give someone an out."

My Dad taught me, "No one agrees with someone else's opinion. Only his own opinion expressed by somebody else."


My Mom had a saying:  "I say yeah, but....."

Since then I've heard experts say that the Chinese are too polite to say no.  They simply smile and nod and when the deal does not go through, we don't know why.

They smile and nod, but....

I've already written  "The Media Doesn't Understand China"  

We see things through Western Eyes.

Here are some examples of how the Chinese see things.

The Chinese say,

"In the West, when you want privacy, you go into a locked room.  In China, when we want privacy, we go into an open field."

"A white horse is not a horse."

"Never underestimate the power of a symbolic gesture."

(Slim says, "Never forget, the power of a symbolic gesture resides with the person making the gesture." Slim Fairview.
The Quotations of Slim Fairview. Copyright © 2019.

Confucius said, "Life is simple. We make it hard."
Slim says, "Management is simple. We make it hard."

China is using our own strategy against us.

Henry Ford doubled his employees salaries from $2.50 a day to $5.00 a day.  He made it possible for his workers to buy Fords.  And after they bought a Ford, they could buy a washing machine, an ice-box, a radio, or save up for one of those Sears Roebuck houses. 


"The Middle Class took off 100 Years Ago--
Thanks to Henry Ford?" 
27 January 2014  NPR  All Things Considered.


When China elevated 500 Million people from Poverty to the Middle Class, China:

Created a consumer class
Created an investor class.
Gave the Chinese people a vested interest in the success of China's economy.

Today, in the US, we outsource to cut costs.

In plain English, you aren't going to sell a lot of Oldsmobiles in a country where people make $5.00 a day.

By outsourcing, we've destroyed 
The Consumer Class
The Investor Class
&
The Working Class is now the notoriously underpaid 
"Service Sector Class"

One reason we have less and less manufacturing, is because those working in the manufacturing industry can no longer afford to buy what they make so we make what they can afford to buy overseas.

Tax Policy to Increase Wages $5.00 an Hour. Now!


And there are more economic travails approaching.

Soon the G 20 will meet.  But that meeting is analogous to putting tires only on the front wheels of your car. Yes, they will drag your car down the road.  But your car will more faster and more efficiently if you have tires on all four wheels.  What does that mean?  You must invite the E 20 to the meeting.

Forming an E 20 Group of Nations

Solving the Emerging Nation Economic Crisis

The Future of the G 20 in Good Times & Bad

And for those looking to do business globally

Global Management: A shift in the paradigm of corporate America

Best of luck.

Sincerest regards,

Slim.

If you find anything here to be helpful, please don't hesitate to send me a really tricked out Mac Book and to tuck a few dollars into the envelope along with the thank you note.
Slim.

Bob Asken
Box 33
Pen Argyl, PA 18072

Copyright © 2019.  Robert Asken
All rights reserved.

African Economic Union

The window of opportunity is wide open for a major thrust in African Economic Development. Why is this so?

U.S. / China Tariff & Trade War.

China's rising labour costs.

Low interest rates.

Trillions of dollars in investment money looking for an opportunity in FDI.

Investors looking for opportunities outside China.

Africa's African Development Bank looking to supply capital for Africans to start their own businesses.

Everyone talks about growing the pie.  The secret is to own a piece of the bakery that bakes the pies.

Still, there are a few preliminary steps to set in place a structure to fend off those who wish to exploit Africa and the African People.

One proposal is the formation of what I called an E 20 Group of Nations.  The 20 is merely pro-forma.  It is a contrapunto to the G 20.  And the G 20 is not for the G 20 alone anymore.

There are measures to forestall exploitation and to enhance development.

Forming an E 20 Group of Nations 

Solving the Emerging Economic Crisis


With an Emerging Nation Economic Union, and a 
Union of Emerging Nation Economic Unions, the first benefit would be to create a baseline minimum wage.  With this, no company could exploit workers in any nation or exploit any nation by shopping around for the lowest wages. 

In addition it is not in the best interest for investors to do this.

The success of China in elevating 500 Million people to the middles class lies in the following:

China created a consumer class
China created an investor class
China gave 500 million Chinese people a vested interest in the success of China's economy. 
China created a national cohesion.

The is analogous to Henry Ford doubling the wages of his employees at the Ford Motor Car Factory.  He created consumers for the Fords that they made.  And after they bought Fords, they could spend money elsewhere and stimulate the economy.

The paradigm is simple.

Capital Investment + Economic Stimulus =
Economic Development + Growth

Slim's Paradigm

With this programme of baseline wages across emerging nations, the effects will be:

Higher Spending
Higher Sales
Higher Profits
Higher Employment
More Spending
Moe Sales
More Profits
Higher Wages
And so on.

With a rising Middle Class, Consumer Class, and Investor Class, Africa can benefit from the same paradigm or strategy used by China to become the Second Largest, Fastest Growing economy on the planet.

This will create cohesion among all Africans and benefit the entire continent.

Other Articles and Presentations

Emerging Nation Economic Union  The most read of all my articles.  

The top visitors are Singapore and Germany.  At one time, Singapore visited this article more times in four months than Germany did in four years. Germany has caught up.

The Future of the G 20 in Good Times & Bad

Global Management: A shift in the paradigm of corporate America.



Related articles on China:

Will China Implode?

The Media Doesn't Understand ChinaGlobal 

China. Economics. Diversification.



Best wishes for your success.

The Window of Opportunity is Open Wide.  
Seize the Moment!

Sincerest regards,

Slim.

Copyright © 2019  Bob Asken
All Rights Reserved.

China Does as We Did

"The many may oppress the few, but the few may not oppress the many.  Not for very long, anyway."

The Quotations of Slim Fairview.

Do you understand why the Chinese Government raised 500 million people from poverty to the Middle Class?

China created a Consumer Class
China created an investor Class
But most important (and not most importantly) China gave half a billion Chinese people a vested interest in the success of the Chinese Economy and a reason to work towards it.

"China will succeed because China will do as we did, not as we say."  Slim Fairview.

Remember these from our past?

Universal Public School Education
Manifest Destiny
The Trans-continental Railroad
The Monroe Doctrine
The Panama Canal
The Hoover Dam
The Labor Movement
The G.I. Bill
Affordable Single Family Homes

Capital Investment + Economic Stimulus =
Economic Development + Growth
Slim's Paradigm

How many of them has China implemented?

The Cultural Revolution
The Economic Revolution
Nicaragua Canal  (Pending)
Hydro-Electric Power Dam Project (Three Gorges Dam)
T.P.P.
South China Sea
Belt and Road

China appears to be emulating our history.

"Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it." ~Santayana

"Those who remember history are able to repeat it."
~Slim Fairview

The Quotations of Slim Fairview © 2019

Will China Implode? 

The Media Still Doesn't Understand China


If you find anything here to be helpful, please don't hesitate to send me a really tricked out Mac Book and to tuck a few dollars into the envelope along with the thank you note.
Thank you.



Sincerest regards,

Slim


Bob Asken
Box 33
Pen Argyl, PA 18072


Copyright © 2019 Robert Asken
All rights reserved.

Polish the Skin Off AAPL

In a frantic effort to polish the Apple, Tim Cook has polished the skin off the Apple and it's starting to brown. Acidulated water please.

While people are looking at earnings reports, sales figures, and charts and graphs, there are more important indicators of Apple's health that I call Markers.


MARKER ONE:

It all began with something Mr. Cook said that he should have said in his head before saying it aloud.

This is what I heard,

Apple is fine.  The problems come from 
The China slowdown
Tariffs.
The slowing global economy
The trade war.
But Apple is doing fine.

The Analogy?

General Motors is doing fine. The real problem is that people are buying fewer cars: Millennials are using ride shares and older people are keeping their cars longer.  But General Motors is doing fine.


MARKER TWO:

When Tim Cook said, I want Apple's legacy to be that we cared about people.  True, there is a major plus to the Apple Watch saving peoples lives.  But the success of this comes about only if Apple is in good health.  (Hold that thought)


Day 1.  What I heard: People don't have to worry about their information.  We are a manufacturing company. We make machines. We don't store data.

Day 2. What I heard:  We are going into the health care industry.  We will have access to all your personal health and financial information.


MARKER THREE

False Analogies:

What I heard:  General Motors saying to Jim Cramer, "We aren't going to release the number of units sold.  It doesn't make sense.  We make so many different brands at so many different price points.  We make Pontiacs and Oldsmobiles. We make Buick Electras and Skylarks.  We make the Chevy Impala, and the Caprice, and the Bel Aire.  We make the Cadillac Sedan Deville, the Coup Deville, the Eldorado, The Seville.  It doesn't make sense to release the number of cars we sell.  If you go to the supermarket and put food in your cart and get to the checkout, the cashier doesn't ask, how many items do you have in your cart.

Would you buy that?



MARKER FOUR

Some stuff various people said on CNBC when discussing Apple.

I-Phone growth is stagnant.  They will have to raise prices.

Apple won't always be the leader of the pack.

They said they will be moving into Emerging Markets.  People in Emerging Markets can't afford a $1000. phone.

We are selling services. Seriously?  With a flat growth curve in phone sales.

Apple is the first Trillion Dollar Company.
Apple was a Trillion Dollar Company.  Then, Apple dropped to $700 Million.

Jim Cramer said, "I used to pay a G for an EKG. Now I get it for Free.  [Shop at Crazy Eddie's. His prices are insane.] This reminds me of Ackman selling Penney Stocks.



MARKER FIVE


Tim Cook admits his mistakes.  He admits he missed the boat on Netflix.  He also missed the boat on Time Warner.  On CNBC it was reported that the Apple board discussed buying Time Warner in 2015.  Slim Fairview wrote the article saying Apple should buy Time Warner 11. February 2013.
Two year is a long time in Tech.


MARKER SIX

We are developing original content.
Everyone is developing original content.


MARKER SEVEN

Name calling.

The haters, the haters, the haters.
Seriously?  Anyone who has doubts about Apple is suddenly a hater.  Name calling is a weapon in the arsenal of a twelve year old.  Repudiate the reasons for concern.  Don't attack those who are concerned



Sometimes the analysis has more to do with numbers.

What happens when a Chinese Tech Wizard invents 
"The Pomegranate"?

I wrote in a review, if Ron Johnson had read only the first three pages of Sandy Richardson's Book, 
Business Results Revolution, he would still be CEO at JCP.

I also wrote, On pages 44 and 45 Richardson demonstrates how to address the issues confronting Tim Cook and Apple.

I was going to quote the second and third paragraphs on page 45.  Instead, read the review, read the book.  It's not that hard.


Sincerest regards,

Slim.


If you find anything here to be helpful, please don't hesitate to send me a really tricked out Google Pixelbook and to tuck a few dollars into the envelope along with the thank you note.  Slim

Bob Asken
Box 33
Pen Argyl, PA
18072

Copyright © 2019  Bob Asken
All rights reserved.