Trump Tariffs Hurt American Workers

Thanks, Trump #SMH.
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  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,431 admin
    I guess this is your concern:

    https://duckduckgo.com/?q=trump+tariffs&atb=v122-1__&iar=news&ia=news

    Tariffs are always a double edge sword:

    https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/429571-solar-jobs-fall-amid-trump-tariffs

    The solar power industry in the U.S. lost more than 3 percent of its jobs last year as it attempted to adjust to President Trump’s tariffs on imported solar panels.

    The Solar Foundation said in its annual National Solar Jobs Census released Tuesday that the industry employed 242,343 people last year, down about 8,000 jobs, or 3.2 percent, from 2017.

    It was the industry's second straight year of job declines. The foundation is blaming both the tariffs Trump imposed last year in an effort to protect domestic manufacturers and growing uncertainty over state-level solar incentives in key states like Massachusetts and California.

    https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/talking-points/2019/02/11/steel-restart-construction-idled-plant-crediting-trump-tariffs/mhM2DjRJ1nhfZrVSF9AD7I/amp.html

    US Steel to restart construction of idled plant, crediting Trump’s tariffs

    US Steel Corp. will restart construction on an idled manufacturing facility in Alabama, and it gave some of the credit to President Trump’s trade policies in an announcement Monday. Trump’s ‘‘strong trade actions’’ are partly responsible for the resumption of work on an advanced plant near Birmingham, the Pittsburgh-based company said in a statement. The administration’s tariffs have raised prices on imported steel and aluminum. The manufacturer also cited improving market conditions, union support, and government incentives for the decision. Work will resume immediately, the company said, and the facility will have an annual capacity of 1.6 million tons. US Steel said it also will update other equipment and plans to spend about $215 million, adding about 150 full-time workers. The furnace is expected to begin producing steel in late 2020. The 16,000-member United Steelworkers praised the decision to resume work, which followed an agreement with the union reached last fall. — ASSOCIATED PRESS

    And there is nothing like being the "little" guy in the room while the elephants dance:
    https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/business/article226149015.html
    WASHINGTON 

    President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he might let a March 2 deadline slide in trade talks with China if the two countries get close to a deal.

    The U.S. is scheduled to raise import taxes on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods March 2 if the U.S. and China can't resolve their differences.

    Trump said he's not inclined to extend the deadline, but he might let it "slide for a little while" if talks go well. Earlier, the White House had called March 2 a "hard deadline."

    U.S. negotiators began mid-level talks with their Chinese counterparts in Beijing Monday. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin are scheduled to step in Thursday for two more days of negotiations.

    Countries have always used Tariffs to protect local industries.
    https://www.export.gov/article?id=Canada-Import-Tariffs
    Last Published: 12/14/2018
    Although Canada eliminated tariffs on all industrial and most agricultural products imported from the United States under the terms of NAFTA, tariffs and tariff-rate quotas (TRQs) remain in place on dairy and poultry tariff lines. Canada announced the elimination of MFN tariffs on baby clothing and athletic equipment (valued at C$76 million annually) in its 2013 federal budget. Canada proposed to permanently eliminate tariffs on mobile offshore drilling units in its 2014 federal budget.
    Trump renegotiating NAFT (North American Free Trade act) seemed to be very reasonable vs what was in place for the last few decades:
    https://www.thebalance.com/donald-trump-nafta-4111368
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  • softdown
    softdown Solar Expert Posts: 3,812 ✭✭✭✭

    Tariffs are historically bad for economic growth and opinions will vary all over the place. I am of the opinion that something must be done to encourage US manufacturing viability. Most of the developed countries have mostly manufactured debt as China and India have parlayed the weakest economies into global powerhouses.


    The power elite are all over the Chinese hybrid of hyper capitalism and state communism. The proles are so very affordable and controllable.

    First Bank:16 180 watt Grape Solar with  FM80 controller and 3648 Inverter....Fullriver 8D AGM solar batteries. Second Bank/MacGyver Special: 10 165(?) watt BP Solar with Renogy MPPT 40A controller/ and Xantrex C-35 PWM controller/ and Morningstar PWM controller...Cotek 24V PSW inverter....forklift and diesel locomotive batteries
  • littleharbor2
    littleharbor2 Solar Expert Posts: 2,036 ✭✭✭✭✭

    So where do these monies go? I would hope the bulk, if not all goes directly to the industries that are being affected by the imported products. Kind of doubt it though.

    2.1 Kw Suntech 175 mono, Classic 200, Trace SW 4024 ( 15 years old  but brand new out of sealed factory box Jan. 2015), Bogart Tri-metric,  460 Ah. 24 volt LiFePo4 battery bank. Plenty of Baja Sea of Cortez sunshine.

  • softdown
    softdown Solar Expert Posts: 3,812 ✭✭✭✭

    I would almost guarantee the government will simply keep any funds that may be left over after their bureaucracy has wined and dined.

    First Bank:16 180 watt Grape Solar with  FM80 controller and 3648 Inverter....Fullriver 8D AGM solar batteries. Second Bank/MacGyver Special: 10 165(?) watt BP Solar with Renogy MPPT 40A controller/ and Xantrex C-35 PWM controller/ and Morningstar PWM controller...Cotek 24V PSW inverter....forklift and diesel locomotive batteries
  • BigRockr
    BigRockr Registered Users Posts: 1

    Duh! War is bad. You can avoid it but you do it for an outcome. Letting China be the only major power float their currency and still be a member of the World Financial Community is a joke. They dominate any market by BEING artificially cheaper. They innovate... NOTHING! Yeah, I would definitely quote "The Hill","Business Insider" etc. to prove a point...Grow up. Both are sponsored "news" sources. Good grief! Read a book.

  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,431 admin
    edited April 2019 #7

    BigRockr,

    Welcome to the forum.

    Please feel free to post links/articles/other information to better educate everyone here.

    Unfortunately (or just reality), is all information sites are pretty much sponsored by "somebody". News, university, government, etc.

    Sincerely,

    -Bill

    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
  • Marc Kurth
    Marc Kurth Solar Expert Posts: 1,142 ✭✭✭✭

    I am a free market guy by nature. Since the tariffs were put in place, my cost (at the distributor level) for Fullriver batteries is now higher than Concorde on certain of the heavier batteries.This has resulted in a large shift in sales to the American made Concorde product lines. Concorde is now running two shifts in California and their Georgia plant is running at full speed. Yet they are lagging a little behind for larger orders. I am quite sure that many of our large customers will stay with Concorde when the tariff's expire.

    Is this an artificial manipulation of market forces? Yes, of course it is. I suspect that Concorde's big increase in business is viewed in a positive light in their boardroom.

    Marc

    I always have more questions than answers. That's the nature of life.
  • mcgivor
    mcgivor Solar Expert Posts: 3,854 ✭✭✭✭✭✭
    1500W, 6× Schutten 250W Poly panels , Schneider MPPT 60 150 CC, Schneider SW 2524 inverter, 400Ah LFP 24V nominal battery with Battery Bodyguard BMS 
    Second system 1890W  3 × 300W No name brand poly, 3×330 Sunsolar Poly panels, Morningstar TS 60 PWM controller, no name 2000W inverter 400Ah LFP 24V nominal battery with Daly BMS, used for water pumping and day time air conditioning.  
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  • Dave Angelini
    Dave Angelini Solar Expert Posts: 6,728 ✭✭✭✭✭✭

    Why China of course the home of Full River!

    "we go where power lines don't" Sierra Nevada mountain area
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  • Marc Kurth
    Marc Kurth Solar Expert Posts: 1,142 ✭✭✭✭

    Yes, indeed. Fullriver batteries are manufactured in China. The design of the popular DC Series is based on a design developed by engineers in the USA.The corporate HQ for Fullriver USA is in Southern California

    (Hi Dave!)

    Marc

    I always have more questions than answers. That's the nature of life.
  • Dave Angelini
    Dave Angelini Solar Expert Posts: 6,728 ✭✭✭✭✭✭

    Hi Marc !

    Plenty of evenings this very nasty winter here I raised a glass to that picture of the boat on the lake in Tejas!

    "we go where power lines don't" Sierra Nevada mountain area
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  • outwestbound
    outwestbound Registered Users Posts: 38 ✭✭
    edited June 2019 #13
    Short term American gratification must be foregone to better our trading relationship with China. Longer term, the imbalanced relationship will severely damage US interests. The best time to have a trade spat is when our economy is strong and theirs is weak, which is the current case. The short term pain is trivial, compared to the longer term disadvantages the US will face unless China is reigned in on its inappropriate trade policies. 
  • Dave Angelini
    Dave Angelini Solar Expert Posts: 6,728 ✭✭✭✭✭✭
    We just got back from Costco and purchased (too much) real mexican salsa Cholula brand. 
    It is good but frankly the salsa from SoCal Senior Tapetia or Pico Pica is much better B)
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  • littleharbor2
    littleharbor2 Solar Expert Posts: 2,036 ✭✭✭✭✭

    New York City! Get a rope!







    For those younger viewers this line is from a Pace Picante commercial.

    2.1 Kw Suntech 175 mono, Classic 200, Trace SW 4024 ( 15 years old  but brand new out of sealed factory box Jan. 2015), Bogart Tri-metric,  460 Ah. 24 volt LiFePo4 battery bank. Plenty of Baja Sea of Cortez sunshine.

  • boB
    boB Solar Expert Posts: 1,030 ✭✭✭✭
    edited June 2019 #16
    MidNite Solar manufactures our products here in Washington on the west side of the mountains from REC...  We buy as many of our parts as we can from US and local suppliers.  However some parts, like electrolytic capacitors and  some other electronic components that are not made in the USA have to come from other countries.  Electrolytic caps are one particular component that now has a 25% tariff, among other parts.  Nobody is going to be making these in the US anytime soon.  All of our infrastructure to make these things has gone overseas many years ago.  Actually, there WAS some snap-in electrolytic caps made here by Panasonic but that is long gone from here now.  So, we had to increase prices of our products because of these tariffs.
    Now the funny thing is that, in our market, things like charge controllers, if completely built in China, do NOT have any tariffs on them !  What kind of sense does that make ?  It makes us think about wanting to have our complete product built in China !  We are NOT going to do that of course but it sure would make sense at the moment.  We can only hope that tariffs on complete products from China will happen and us electronics manufacturers are not penalized for actually employing US workers by these preposterous tariffs.

    It is also VERY difficult to find technical people here to hire so we have to train a lot of workers.

    Components from Japan, India, Taiwan, Korea and some other countries don't have any tariffs for components and complete products.
    I understand the basic idea of trying to get us to manufacture things here again but Trump doesn't know how his "plan" is being implemented and has no idea what is even on his list of tariff items.  He says that China is actually paying us these billions of dollars so I guess that he does not even know what a tariff is ?

  • Estragon
    Estragon Registered Users Posts: 4,496 ✭✭✭✭✭
    IMHO, the level of a given economic metric isn't all that important.  Inflation, for example, could be 2%, -2%, 20%, or whatever annually.  As long as the number is stable, the number itself is just a number on a speadsheet.  People can plan and make decisions.

    If the number averages whatever over a number of years, but varies widely (say inflation at +20% to -18%, averaging 2%, not so much.  Now the spreadsheet has to account for the risk around the number, which changes the end result considerably.  Those of us of a certain age might remember a time when inflation was so unpredictable that getting a firm future quote on material required for production was impossible.  It was "prevailing price" , 30/60/90 days forward.

    Without getting into the politics of US trade policy, it seems to me that there's a dead-weight cost to ad hoc imposition of tariffs by tweet.  The tariff itself is just part of the cost, there's also the cost of figuring out exactly how the tariff applies, and whether/how to pay it, whether it will apply 30/60/90 days from now, and/or how to avoid it.  And the cost could be sunk if the Tweeter-in-chief tweets differently tomorrow, then changes his mind the day after.  @boB comment seems to confirm this view.

    Mostly an observation.  I  have no dog in the fight that is US politics.
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  • westbranch
    westbranch Solar Expert Posts: 5,183 ✭✭✭✭
    I believe you are 'on the Button' Estragon.....The tariff itself is just part of the cost, the fact that he believes that China is paying the the tariff.  Or is it a Duty?.  That is unclear by the pronouncements from ''on High'...
    Maybe someone will tweet the covering text of the legislation for  confirmation?... >> I am not holding my breath....
    I would like to see an end to the manipulation of high level  ''Negotiations ", that are stymied, by the leader of one of the negotiating countries saying ''we'' will only ''sign off ''  when the other (Countries)  negotiators  STOP Illegal immigration into MY country.....  
    I just don't understand the temerity of mixing Immigration with Trade issues...
    Thank our lucky stars that he has only been here ONCE  or he would start telling us we will be annexed soon...
    Maybe WE can build a wall...

     
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  • Dave Angelini
    Dave Angelini Solar Expert Posts: 6,728 ✭✭✭✭✭✭
    The temerity of mixing trade and the onslaught of completely undocumented aliens crossing the southern border, in record numbers, is it might get the Congress to do their job. It is a very slight chance that a congress with less than 20% approval rating will do anything.

    My crystal ball says next year is an election year and both Mexico and China will be "done" one way or the other. ;)
    "we go where power lines don't" Sierra Nevada mountain area
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  • WaterWheel
    WaterWheel Registered Users Posts: 375 ✭✭✭
    edited June 2019 #20
    I bought a set of Apple  Ear Pods directly from Apple last month.    I bought directly from Apple to avoid the chance of buying an unlicensed copy through a aftermarket vendor..    A guy I know bought a set through Amazon which had some people complaining that some of them were underperforming copies. 

    I love my authentic Apple ear pods.      My friend hates his illegal copies packaged as :"Apple Ear Pods" but were illegal here in the US (not in China) copies of the Apple design.

    China must stop stealing technology  US based companies paid to develop this technology and China's barely regulated companies are producing cheap poor copies.

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  • Estragon
    Estragon Registered Users Posts: 4,496 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I doubt governments will ever be able to completely get rid of "fakes".  Brands need to continually demonstrate the value of the "real thing", and give consumers a way of telling the difference.

    Japan went through a period of making cheap fakes, and not long later made better fakes, then "fakes" better than the "real thing".  Interesting times.
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  • Dave Angelini
    Dave Angelini Solar Expert Posts: 6,728 ✭✭✭✭✭✭
    It really is the company that must take steps to protect their product. I think Waterwheels XW was made there? You should see what is done to protect an XW from theft of IP. The XW is also made in the Philippines and India. Some is made in Burnaby and US also.

    When I worked for HP in the 1980's we opened China for business. You can blame Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard but they made some excellent products there. The IC's were often custom with theft protection and hidden traces under chips that were sometimes open and sometimes jumpered for different production runs.

    Interesting times for sure! Alot of amazing Canadians hit that beach today 75 years ago. On one beach they were up to seven waves of men before they broke thru. The first 6 waves had over 80% casualties.
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  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,431 admin
    Cannot forget what Canada did in WWII (as well as the rest of those hitting the beaches on D Day (my Dad was a bit two young for D-Day, but was in the 82 Airborne for many that followed--Operation Market Garden at "a bridge too far", not many of his friends survived; Battle of the Bulge):

    At the end of WWII Canada had the 3rd largest navy

    They had the 3rd largest navy and 4th largest airforce at the of WWII.

    And regarding Mexican tariff "threats" by Trump, seem to be getting Mexico off of dead center a bit:

    https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-trump-mexico/mexico-meets-migrants-at-southern-border-with-armed-forces-idUSKCN1T62YC

    MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican soldiers, armed police and migration officials blocked hundreds of migrants after they crossed the border from Guatemala in a caravan into southern Mexico on Wednesday, and detained dozens of them, a witness from a migrant aid group and an official said.

    ...

    “That many sailors and military police, yes, it’s new,” Cruz said, by WhatsApp, from Metapa, in the southern border state of Chiapas, where the vast majority of migrants from Central America cross into Mexico. Many are asylum seekers fleeing violence and poverty in Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador.

    ...

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
  • Dave Angelini
    Dave Angelini Solar Expert Posts: 6,728 ✭✭✭✭✭✭
    I remember you saying that about your Dad ! My Father joined after Pearl Harbor. He had to get his mother to sign as he was 17.

    Thanks for the good news on Mexico. It really is not that hard to solve this Immigration/migration problem. You probably remember the guest worker program we had. Just reinstate it and give some perks. If you entry visa in for 6 months, cross out back to the country of origin, then you get 9 month visa the next time. 

    The problem is politics, as usual....Almost happy hour ;)  Hey, have you seen the movie Green Book ?  
    "we go where power lines don't" Sierra Nevada mountain area
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  • Estragon
    Estragon Registered Users Posts: 4,496 ✭✭✭✭✭
    My father was also too young.  I think he felt a bit left out, and had huge respect for those who served.  Pretty amazing to think there were ~1.1 million under arms from a total population at the time of ~11 million.  Not many left now.  Gone, but not forgotten.
    Off-grid.  
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  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,431 admin
    My Dad was 16 (born 1925)... I forgot what he did to get in (tricked his Mom or what). When he enlisted, he expected to die.

    There was no sure victory at that time...

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,431 admin
    https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mexico-immigration-finmin/mexico-freezes-bank-accounts-in-widening-migration-clampdown-idUSKCN1T72LC

    MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - The Mexican Finance Ministry said on Thursday it blocked the bank accounts of 26 people for their alleged involvement in human trafficking, as Mexico broadens its migration clampdown under intense pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump.

    The ministry’s Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) said in a statement it froze the accounts due to “probable links with human trafficking and illegal aid to migrant caravans.”

    ...

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
  • Dave Angelini
    Dave Angelini Solar Expert Posts: 6,728 ✭✭✭✭✭✭
    Finally some nice news for once on Mexico! One of my favorite places. Thx.!
    Mine was born in 1924 and is living in alot of pain/dementia. Sunk by a Kamikaze in Leyte Gulf in 1944.
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  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,431 admin
    President Tump's 75th anniversary of D Day speech:

    President Macron, Mrs. Macron, and the people of France; to the First Lady of the United States and members of the United States Congress; to distinguished guests, veterans, and my fellow Americans:

    We are gathered here on Freedom’s Altar. On these shores, on these bluffs, on this day 75 years ago, 10,000 men shed their blood, and thousands sacrificed their lives, for their brothers, for their countries, and for the survival of liberty.

    Today, we remember those who fell, and we honor all who fought right here in Normandy. They won back this ground for civilization.

    To more than 170 veterans of the Second World War who join us today: You are among the very greatest Americans who will ever live. You’re the pride of our nation. You are the glory of our republic. And we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. (Applause.)

    Here with you are over 60 veterans who landed on D-Day. Our debt to you is everlasting. Today, we express our undying gratitude.

    When you were young, these men enlisted their lives in a Great Crusade — one of the greatest of all times. Their mission is the story of an epic battle and the ferocious, eternal struggle between good and evil.

    On the 6th of June, 1944, they joined a liberation force of awesome power and breathtaking scale. After months of planning, the Allies had chosen this ancient coastline to mount their campaign to vanquish the wicked tyranny of the Nazi empire from the face of the Earth.

    The battle began in the skies above us. In those first tense midnight hours, 1,000 aircraft roared overhead with 17,000 Allied airborne troops preparing to leap into the darkness beyond these trees.

    Then came dawn. The enemy who had occupied these heights saw the largest naval armada in the history of the world. Just a few miles offshore were 7,000 vessels bearing 130,000 warriors. They were the citizens of free and independent nations, united by their duty to their compatriots and to millions yet unborn.

    There were the British, whose nobility and fortitude saw them through the worst of Dunkirk and the London Blitz. The full violence of Nazi fury was no match for the full grandeur of British pride. Thank you. (Applause.)

    There were the Canadians, whose robust sense of honor and loyalty compelled them to take up arms alongside Britain from the very, very beginning.

    There were the fighting Poles, the tough Norwegians, and the intrepid Aussies. There were the gallant French commandos, soon to be met by thousands of their brave countrymen ready to write a new chapter in the long history of French valor. (Applause.)

    And, finally, there were the Americans. They came from the farms of a vast heartland, the streets of glowing cities, and the forges of mighty industrial towns. Before the war, many had never ventured beyond their own community. Now they had come to offer their lives half a world from home.

    This beach, codenamed Omaha, was defended by the Nazis with monstrous firepower, thousands and thousands of mines and spikes driven into the sand, so deeply. It was here that tens of thousands of the Americans came.

    The GIs who boarded the landing craft that morning knew that they carried on their shoulders not just the pack of a soldier, but the fate of the world. Colonel George Taylor, whose 16th Infantry Regiment would join in the first wave, was asked: What would happen if the Germans stopped right then and there, cold on the beach — just stopped them? What would happen? This great American replied: “Why, the 18th Infantry is coming in right behind us. The 26th Infantry will come on too. Then there is the 2nd Infantry Division already afloat. And the 9th Division. And the 2nd Armored. And the 3rd Armored. And all the rest. Maybe the 16th won’t make it, but someone will.”

    One of those men in Taylor’s 16th Regiment was Army medic Ray Lambert. Ray was only 23, but he had already earned three Purple Hearts and two Silver Stars fighting in North Africa and Sicily, where he and his brother Bill, no longer with us, served side by side.

    In the early morning hours, the two brothers stood together on the deck of the USS Henrico, before boarding two separate Higgins landing craft. “If I don’t make it,” Bill said, “please, please take care of my family.” Ray asked his brother to do the same.

    Of the 31 men on Ray’s landing craft, only Ray and 6 others made it to the beach. There were only a few of them left. They came to the sector right here below us. “Easy Red” it was called. Again and again, Ray ran back into the water. He dragged out one man after another. He was shot through the arm. His leg was ripped open by shrapnel. His back was broken. He nearly drowned.

    He had been on the beach for hours, bleeding and saving lives, when he finally lost consciousness. He woke up the next day on a cot beside another badly wounded soldier. He looked over and saw his brother Bill. They made it. They made it. They made it.

    At 98 years old, Ray is here with us today, with his fourth Purple Heart and his third Silver Star from Omaha. (Applause.) Ray, the free world salutes you. (Applause.) Thank you, Ray. (Applause.)

    Nearly two hours in, unrelenting fire from these bluffs kept the Americans pinned down on the sand now red with our heroes’ blood. Then, just a few hundred yards from where I’m standing, a breakthrough came. The battle turned, and with it, history.

    Down on the beach, Captain Joe Dawson, the son of a Texas preacher, led Company G through a minefield to a natural fold in the hillside, still here. Just beyond this path to my right, Captain Dawson snuck beneath an enemy machine gun perch and tossed his grenades. Soon, American troops were charging up “Dawson’s Draw.” What a job he did. What bravery he showed.

    Lieutenant Spalding and the men from Company E moved on to crush the enemy strongpoint on the far side of this cemetery, and stop the slaughter on the beach below. Countless more Americans poured out across this ground all over the countryside. They joined fellow American warriors from Utah beach, and Allies from Juno, Sword, and Gold, along with the airborne and the French patriots.

    Private First Class Russell Pickett, of the 29th Division’s famed 116th Infantry Regiment, had been wounded in the first wave that landed on Omaha Beach. At a hospital in England, Private Pickett vowed to return to battle. “I’m going to return,” he said. “I’m going to return.”

    Six days after D-Day, he rejoined his company. Two thirds had been killed already; many had been wounded, within 15 minutes of the invasion. They’d lost 19 just from small town of Bedford, Virginia, alone. Before long, a grenade left Private Pickett again gravely wounded. So badly wounded. Again, he chose to return. He didn’t care; he had to be here.

    He was then wounded a third time, and laid unconscious for 12 days. They thought he was gone. They thought he had no chance. Russell Pickett is the last known survivor of the legendary Company A. And, today, believe it or not, he has returned once more to these shores to be with his comrades. Private Pickett, you honor us all with your presence. (Applause.) Tough guy. (Laughter.)

    By the fourth week of August, Paris was liberated. (Applause.) Some who landed here pushed all the way to the center of Germany. Some threw open the gates of Nazi concentration camps to liberate Jews who had suffered the bottomless horrors of the Holocaust. And some warriors fell on other fields of battle, returning to rest on this soil for eternity.

    Before this place was consecrated to history, the land was owned by a French farmer, a member of the French resistance. These were great people. These were strong and tough people. His terrified wife waited out D-Day in a nearby house, holding tight to their little baby girl. The next day, a soldier appeared. “I’m an American,” he said. “I’m here to help.” The French woman was overcome with emotion and cried. Days later, she laid flowers on fresh American graves.

    Today, her granddaughter, Stefanie, serves as a guide at this cemetery. This week, Stefanie led 92-year-old Marian Wynn of California to see the grave of her brother Don for the very first time.

    Marian and Stefanie are both with us today. And we thank you for keeping alive the memories of our precious heroes. Thank you. (Applause.)

    9,388 young Americans rest beneath the white crosses and Stars of David arrayed on these beautiful grounds. Each one has been adopted by a French family that thinks of him as their own. They come from all over France to look after our boys. They kneel. They cry. They pray. They place flowers. And they never forget. Today, America embraces the French people and thanks you for honoring our beloved dead. Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you. Thank you.

    To all of our friends and partners: Our cherished alliance was forged in the heat of battle, tested in the trials of war, and proven in the blessings of peace. Our bond is unbreakable.

    From across the Earth, Americans are drawn to this place as though it were a part of our very soul. We come not only because of what they did here. We come because of who they were.

    They were young men with their entire lives before them. They were husbands who said goodbye to their young brides and took their duty as their fate. They were fathers who would never meet their infant sons and daughters because they had a job to do. And with God as their witness, they were going to get it done. They came wave after wave, without question, without hesitation, and without complaint.

    More powerful than the strength of American arms was the strength of American hearts.

    These men ran through the fires of hell moved by a force no weapon could destroy: the fierce patriotism of a free, proud, and sovereign people. (Applause.) They battled not for control and domination, but for liberty, democracy, and self-rule.

    They pressed on for love in home and country — the Main Streets, the schoolyards, the churches and neighbors, the families and communities that gave us men such as these.

    They were sustained by the confidence that America can do anything because we are a noble nation, with a virtuous people, praying to a righteous God.

    The exceptional might came from a truly exceptional spirit. The abundance of courage came from an abundance of faith. The great deeds of an Army came from the great depths of their love.

    As they confronted their fate, the Americans and the Allies placed themselves into the palm of God’s hand.

    The men behind me will tell you that they are just the lucky ones. As one of them recently put it, “All the heroes are buried here.” But we know what these men did. We knew how brave they were. They came here and saved freedom, and then, they went home and showed us all what freedom is all about.

    The American sons and daughters who saw us to victory were no less extraordinary in peace. They built families. They built industries. They built a national culture that inspired the entire world. In the decades that followed, America defeated communism, secured civil rights, revolutionized science, launched a man to the moon, and then kept on pushing to new frontiers. And, today, America is stronger than ever before. (Applause.)

    Seven decades ago, the warriors of D-Day fought a sinister enemy who spoke of a thousand-year empire. In defeating that evil, they left a legacy that will last not only for a thousand years, but for all time — for as long as the soul knows of duty and honor; for as long as freedom keeps its hold on the human heart.

    To the men who sit behind me, and to the boys who rest in the field before me, your example will never, ever grow old. (Applause.) Your legend will never tire. Your spirit — brave, unyielding, and true — will never die.

    The blood that they spilled, the tears that they shed, the lives that they gave, the sacrifice that they made, did not just win a battle. It did not just win a war. Those who fought here won a future for our nation. They won the survival of our civilization. And they showed us the way to love, cherish, and defend our way of life for many centuries to come.

    Today, as we stand together upon this sacred Earth, we pledge that our nations will forever be strong and united. We will forever be together. Our people will forever be bold. Our hearts will forever be loyal. And our children, and their children, will forever and always be free.

    May God bless our great veterans. May God bless our Allies. May God bless the heroes of D-Day. And may God bless America. Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you very much.

    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
  • Dave Angelini
    Dave Angelini Solar Expert Posts: 6,728 ✭✭✭✭✭✭
    That was great! I got to see it on the youtube.

     There was an interview with a 97 year old who had the job of quickly burning the bodies (with honor) so the next wave would not see them. What an outstanding example of humanity. He was paid 20 dollar a month more for being able to take the gruesome task. He said, that was a lot of money then.....
    "we go where power lines don't" Sierra Nevada mountain area
       htps://offgridsolar1.com/
    E-mail offgridsolar@sti.net

  • t00ls
    t00ls Solar Expert Posts: 245 ✭✭✭
    so...economics is hard to figure out

    you think by lowering the price of something wouldnt hurt the economy, when in fact sometimes it does

    bob said that capacitors were on the tariff list ...so they had to raise the cost of their product to profit.....but what he doesnt realize is that more people can now afford a higher price because the job shift from overseas to avoid tariffs in manufacturing

    there is a period where adjustment is necessary and the end result cant be seen till the adjustment is over....but overall the tariffs will work for the american worker, which will be good for a worldwide market