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2021-10-22 Home Front: Politix
White House walks back Biden vow to use National Guard to untangle supply chain
Posted by Skidmark 2021-10-22 00:12|| || Front Page|| [11163 views ]  Top

#1 Biden says he is considering sending the National Guard in to fix the supply chain crisis and drive trucks at backed-up ports: Blames the problems and labor shortages on COVID
Posted by Skidmark 2021-10-22 00:41||   2021-10-22 00:41|| Front Page Top

#2 ....WAYYYYYYYYYYYY too many Union rice bowls wold be upended if the Guard started to pick up the slack. Plus, transportation units (which is where you'd get the drivers) don't just sit around waiting for things to do; they transport stuff. If they're hauling containers full of Chinese made fidget spinners, they ain't hauling the things the military needs.

Mike
Posted by Mike Kozlowski 2021-10-22 06:56||   2021-10-22 06:56|| Front Page Top

#3 This off-shore container ship anchoring is a bugger. But, let's see.... just permit me if you will, to jot down a list of current shelf shortages items. Just the obvious.

Let's begin with things like automotive chips, children's toys, meds, clothing and shoes, furniture and the like. Perhaps we can soon discover which items really need to be manufactured right here in the United States.

Probably an over simplification of the problem, but I have a simple mind.


Posted by Besoeker 2021-10-22 07:05||   2021-10-22 07:05|| Front Page Top

#4 So Guard will have to prove vaccinations. 350,000 military have been dishonorably discharged so far. This is a pipe dream. Tractors used are required to be no older than three years to work California docks. Original reason for refusing entry was because Biden didn't want them bringing in Covid. Suppliers I have talked to are saying shortages and prices are only going to get much worse. Don't believe what I have said here. Just watch and see as these things worsen.

I must say here that I spoke to an old timer GP Doctor still active in his practice. Exposure is the key. Natural immunity is the answer. While another FP Doctor says he takes 10 different antibiotics because he is so exposed to people. Difference is the FP Doctor is at least 30 years younger that the other GP Doctor.
Posted by Dale 2021-10-22 07:09||   2021-10-22 07:09|| Front Page Top

#5 Curious thing here that pharmaceuticals seem to be flowing fine. I spoke to a store owner Pharmacist about supply shortages. He has had no problems. That was yesterday. Long lines and hour waits at Pharmacies (CVS) giving appointment jabs however. Hour waits just to pick up prescriptions. That was local CVS. I suspect they want the Politicians cash cow healthy.
Posted by Dale 2021-10-22 07:19||   2021-10-22 07:19|| Front Page Top

#6 Interesting take.
Posted by Deacon Blues 2021-10-22 08:04||   2021-10-22 08:04|| Front Page Top

#7 #6, Yes, window dressing.
Posted by Dale 2021-10-22 08:28||   2021-10-22 08:28|| Front Page Top

#8 /\ Curious thing here that pharmaceuticals seem to be flowing fine. I spoke to a store owner Pharmacist about supply shortages.

Yes, "curious" indeed, or possibly not so.
Posted by Besoeker 2021-10-22 09:16||   2021-10-22 09:16|| Front Page Top

#9 Do they send pharmaceuticals by cargo container? They might go by airfreight.
Posted by rjschwarz 2021-10-22 10:24||   2021-10-22 10:24|| Front Page Top

#10 $3,800 per container is now $17,000 to ship a container and deliver to its destination due to long supply chain delays because of labor shortages because socialist Biden admin will pay people not to work.
Posted by Ebbomoger Speaking for Boskone4589 2021-10-22 11:57||   2021-10-22 11:57|| Front Page Top

#11 ^Above numbers are regarding containers from Asia.
Posted by Ebbomoger Speaking for Boskone4589 2021-10-22 11:59||   2021-10-22 11:59|| Front Page Top

#12 ^Perhaps air, McKessen being a big supplier. No inventories to speak of. Next day deliveries. Over 40% profit margin or used to be but could have been as much as 45% but that was years ago. Not lower than 40% for sure.
Posted by Dale 2021-10-22 12:02||   2021-10-22 12:02|| Front Page Top

#13 Offshoring manufacturing base because of low per unit cost even after transportation was the key factor in the rush to China. CUrrency manipulation by the CHinese kept the game going until our capital investment in factories and production facilities was complete and domestic equivalents were closed. Now, a few decades later, poof, the per unit cost is far, far, greater than a domestic version, but the sunk cost of capital investment makes re-industrialization inside the US risky if democrats and marxists remain in power frequently. So, we have become a client state to the Middle Kingdom. This is how the long game is played folks, and our leaders are either complicit through corruption, or just sophomoric thinkers, ignorant and unable to see that this has been planned and developed by China and its allies here.
Posted by NoMoreBS 2021-10-22 12:52||   2021-10-22 12:52|| Front Page Top

#14 Coupla points:
First, the TEU boxes have to be unloaded from the ships and stacked.
Then they get moved and sorted by forktruck into other stacks. Sometimes 1&2 get telescoped into one op, but that slows down ship unloading.
Third step, if it's local (less than say, 300 miles) it goes on a truck. There's a new Cal choke point here.
Alternately, and maybe also, for long range they have to be loaded on rail. In Cal, this is also a choke.
Meanwhile, the ships have to be reloaded with empty boxes to go back. The drop yards are full, and they're starting to park them on the streets. No kidding.
It ain't over by a long shot. Minimum 6 mos to clear this cluster.
Posted by ed in texas 2021-10-22 16:33||   2021-10-22 16:33|| Front Page Top

#15 Also, Is the NatGd gonna drive the cranes?
Because that's the key link in this chain. One guy has to move (lift) one box at a time. And due to the overhead reduction in the system, there's not much in the way of spare crate operators. They don't train 'em, because they don't want them.
Posted by ed in texas 2021-10-22 16:42||   2021-10-22 16:42|| Front Page Top

#16 it is time for solutions

"Here's a simple plan that @POTUS and @GavinNewsom partnered with the private sector, labor, truckers, and everyone else in the chain must implement TODAY to overwhelm the bottleneck and create yard space at the ports so we can operate again.

1) Executive order effective immediately overriding the zoning rules in Long Beach and Los Angeles to allow truck yards to store empty containers up to six high instead of the current limit of 2. Make it temporary for ~120 days.

This will free up tens of thousands of chassis that right now are just storing containers on wheels. Those chassis can immediately be taken to the ports to haul away the containers

2) Bring every container chassis owned by the national guard and the military anywhere in the US to the ports and loan them to the terminals for 180 days.

3) Create a new temporary container yard at a large (need 500+ acres) piece of government land adjacent to an inland rail head within 100 miles of the port complex.

4) Force the railroads to haul all containers to this new site, turn around and come back. No more 1500 mile train journeys to Dallas. We're doing 100 mile shuttles, turning around and doing it again. Truckers will go to this site to get containers instead of the port.

5) Bring in barges and small container ships and start hauling containers out of long beach to other smaller ports that aren't backed up. "
Posted by newc 2021-10-22 17:35||   2021-10-22 17:35|| Front Page Top

#17 ^ This is exactly the kind of focused, logistical plan that OrangeMan could have organized and driven to successful conclusion (cf the lightning-speed vaccine development in 2020).

It's folly to expect President Magoo and Governor Brylcream to drive this anywhere but into a ditch.
Posted by Merrick Ferret 2021-10-22 19:43||   2021-10-22 19:43|| Front Page Top

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