Anybody check the lead market lately? The main reason I point it out is that one of my auto part suppliers is getting almost 30% more for his battery cores customers turn in. He is making a profit, albeit almost unnoticable, but every penny counts when you are an independent business.

Why has it risen? The same reason as steel for the most part. The Chinese are buying a lot of lead for their nation and Europe has a hand in it as well. My supplier's battery vendor didn't have a lot of details but he stands to make a decent buck as well. Both markets stand to do well for a while at the sellers end, sucks if your a steel buyer such as myself.

Oh well it works both ways, send out my dead batteries and scrap sheet metal and put the extra $ towards some new higher priced stock.

Craig

heh... so china is buying a lot of lead, and steel.

any chance they might be buying MRE's, diesel, and BDU's from us too?

I say we cut out the middle man and start selling them tanks, ships, planes and bombs directly. there's gotta be a hell of a profit margin on those items and who cares if they later get used against us? <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/angry.gif" alt="" />

er, I guess I might as well curse a lot too, since $5 says this post gets deleted like last time <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

any chance they might be buying MRE's, diesel, and BDU's from us too?

Valid questions. Maybe they are striving for the American dream and spending all of their moola on military items. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I say we cut out the middle man and start selling them tanks, ships, planes and bombs directly. there's gotta be a hell of a profit margin on those items and who cares if they later get used against us?

Wouldn't be the first time something similar to this has happened. Ain't capitalism great? I am glad to see you thinking more mainstream. There has to be a buck to be made somewhere. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

er, I guess I might as well curse a lot too, since $5 says this post gets deleted like last time

Give me some credit. Your other post was MODified, not deleted. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> I'll PM you and addy where you can mail that $5.

In a last ditch, last chance to bring this back to some resemblance of being within the topic of this forum, if this is indeed true (links would be nice, not just second hand info from the battery guy), then it could very well affect us. Higher battery prices, would probably be the most noticeable, although, I am not sure exactly where recycled lead re-enters the consumer chain (i.e. is it good enough to be used for batteries?). I also cannot believe the demand is that great to ship something as heavy as lead (scrap steel and machining waste are bad heavy enough) across the Pacific Ocean.

To zoom out one more step, and take a bigger look at the picture, we will see what the general effect China could/may/will have upon the world. It has been predicted for years that once they get their stuff organized (infrastructure is a BIG problem) then they will not only be major producer of all products (ag to whatever), but also a major consumer of many goods.

This will have an effect upon us all. While it is the way the world turns, it may also produce some very un-nice effects. It also has the ability to produce some good things. We are talking Wal-Mart style of providing products at a cheap price. (We can bash Wal-Mart and some of their practices, but they are providing exactly what the consumer wants; cheap goods, cheap prices).

Michael

heh.. yeah... capitalism, making a buck, cheap goods... all of these things are worth.. you know, "un-nice things"

hmm... this global economy thing is pretty cool. I think I'm gonna go roll a bank so I can go get my transmission fixed, then mug the trans guy on his way home and get my money back. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

well china has like 1.6 billion people there and they make all the crap that we buy in all the mega ginormous walmarts and k marts. they are having to build giant city-buildings to solve housing and space issues in congested major cities. Just something to think about.

with lead paint, and lead plumbing <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

maybe they gotta make a bunch of those wheel weights. maybe they are building a big lead wall so that superman can't see through <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I think I heard that Superman drives an Isuzu 4x4. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/pfft.gif" alt="" />

my secret identity has been revealed! :whoosh:

heh.. yeah... capitalism, making a buck, cheap goods... all of these things are worth.. you know, "un-nice things"

Yes, but...it is the way the world works. We can discount or discredit it, but we should pay enough attention to how it works to know why it works and how to therefore "fix" it so it works like we think it should work.

That said, I think capatalism is a grand scheme. Great incentive to do well. But...it has been bastardized and therefore it produces the greed we see. The result is places like Wal-Mart, where people by cheap stuff at low everyday prices. They do not stop (because they are not forced to) and think what the concequences are of them supporting such an entity.

I laugh at the current suggestions of how to "fix" the gas price crisis. (Can we say "Pandering for Votes" kiddies?) We can talk about how corrupt the system is or how we "should" find alternative sources or even who is at "fault".

So what? Want an answer? Tax the heck out of it, let capatalisim work its magic and someone will see an incentive to find an alternative. Remove the regulation side of the equation (subsidies, tax breaks ect) and just make it more affordable (and profitable) to develop another energy source. It solves the problem by using human nature and not meddling in the daily activites of people and industry. Money (and inherently, value) drive it all. Change the values and change the system.

with lead paint, and lead plumbing

Yeah, but it makes such pretty colors of paint. Can you say Fiestaware? <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Michael