WatchTechnology giant Apple is catching heat on blogs this week for its decision to drop out of an environmental certification program for electronics, called EPEAT.
"In making this move, Apple is signaling that it won't let future design decisions be governed by those seeking to uphold environmental standards," Erica Ogg writes for the GigaOm blog network.
When did Rush Limbaugh become CEO.
Next they'll be making a product called the iTard.
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47 male
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You're going to vote to abolish the EPA in November so what the hell do you care?
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It doesn't bother you that you're voting to undo every thing the "New Deal" era policy did for America and the middle class.
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CaptainShuddup says
Democrats are the closest legitimate party we have to New Deal policies. Democrats are the only ones pushing us back towards a progressive tax system. Democrats are the party of tariffs, government controls, and work programs. Democrats stand as the only barrier to a feudal society in which wealth is either inherited or not available at all.
So basically I have no idea what the hell you're talking about. Please list some specifics so we can talk about them.
(yeah right)
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Ruki says
Nope, not even close to progressive enough.
The fact that 50% of workers don't pay any income tax is a HORRIBLE commentary on our economy, not an indictment of tax policy. These are people putting in 40 hours a week working at WalMart and McDonald's. These are people who need a raise so they can participate in the economy instead of being slaves to it barely paying for food and shelter.
A disincentive for rich people to accumulate wealth and spread it around instead is sorely needed, (FDR) and the Democrats are the closest thing we have.
Republicans will just send us over the cliff and into 3rd world status.
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Apple is a "conservative"?
Who is Apple's BFF? Do we get to put them in jail if they speed?
I see you've bought hook line and sinker the nonsense about corporations being people.
I expect corporations to behave like psychopaths. Sensible controls should prevent them from turning into mass murderers. Worshipping them like gods, to be above all laws of men, that is the NeoCon credo not a "liberal value".
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iwog says
We dont have mfg like Laptops, PC, Telecom Equipment, and many other industrial jobs because of EPA and Unions.
FDRs New Deal has noting to do with this.. its all about Liberals blocking bread and butter jobs from existing in the US. Even the Mega Liberal Steve Jobs had finally realized all this. Other tech leaders have been saying this for 20 years.. but have been ignored.
Steve Jobs Biography Reveals He Told Obama, 'You're Headed For A One-Term Presidency'
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/20/steve-jobs-biography-obama_n_1022786.html
Jobs' Meeting With Obama
Jobs, who was known for his prickly, stubborn personality, almost missed meeting President Obama in the fall of 2010 because he insisted that the president personally ask him for a meeting. Though his wife told him that Obama "was really psyched to meet with you," Jobs insisted on the personal invitation, and the standoff lasted for five days. When he finally relented and they met at the Westin San Francisco Airport, Jobs was characteristically blunt. He seemed to have transformed from a liberal into a conservative.
"You're headed for a one-term presidency," he told Obama at the start of their meeting, insisting that the administration needed to be more business-friendly.
As an example, Jobs described the ease with which companies can build factories in China compared to the United States, where "regulations and unnecessary costs" make it difficult for them.
Jobs also criticized America's education system, saying it was "crippled by union work rules," noted Isaacson. "Until the teachers' unions were broken, there was almost no hope for education reform." Jobs proposed allowing principals to hire and fire teachers based on merit, that schools stay open until 6 p.m. and that they be open 11 months a year.
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thomas.wong1986 says
Bzzt wrong. We have a problem with this "Free Trade" nonsense, where we lower our tariffs and trade barriers and nobody else does. China for example makes it very hard to American companies to compete. They aren't stupid. Our people were gullible because the money men said it would make them richer.... and it does have a pumping effect in the SHORT term.
Sir James Goldsmith laid it all out, back in the 90's:
Frankly I couldn't give two figs what Jobs said to the President. Because someone seems to be a genius at one thing, doesn't make them a genius in everything. He was famous for his "reality distortion field" and in no way was he a Prophet.
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Not a surprise. Apple under Steve Jobs was always driven by putting out products that lived up to Jobs's vision. If that meant having suppliers that expose workers to toxic chemicals or forces mandatory 100 hour weeks, Apple doesn't care as long as those suppliers can meet Jobs's demanding deadlines and specs.
There may still be companies with a moral compass (Costco comes to my mind), but I don't think Apple has ever been one of them.
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Vicente says
No, its not wrong...I gave one of the problems we have .. you have provided a second equally important point caused by foreign govt...
BOTH of our points are correct and need to be resolved !
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astrid says
Apple doesnt make anything.. never did. Its the Motorola, Intel, Seagate, Connors, AMD, Sandisk, Cypress and a number of other real tech companies that created the guts for Mac and iToys like chips, storage, and some software.
Yes, it takes toxic chemicals and labor (day/night/swing sifts). So what! Thats what makes technology work..thats what made Silicon Valley, provided growth and prosperity
Billions that could have been made fueling US jobs..
Today, its mainly Samsung inside Apple products. And they are all too happy to get the business which fuels Korean and Chinese jobs.. You wont find anyone in Korea, China, or Japan complaining.
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thomas.wong1986 says
I have provided the only important point, and it's driven by Richie Rich.
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Vicente says
Typical liberals .. afraid of having US manufacture anything.
Keep US workers on food stamps and a DOG collar... all the while enriching foreigner workers and foreign governments. Just spread the US wealth around the globe!
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thomas.wong1986 says
Another Uprising Another June
Another bloody solstice moon
another season, another reason
for makin' Warlords
Alot of booze, alot of rice
the Patsy's nervous he answers twice
He's so willin' to do the killin'
oh makin' Warlords
Picture a little Hell hole
a bastion where democracy clings
picture the same damn hell hole
Think what a Civil war can bring
He's making wishes for a Dictator's coat
He's so ambitious he' killin' foes
but don't forget folks thats what you get folks
for makin' Warlords
Another year or maybe less
whats this I hear? Well you can't confess
the country's neglected and he's dejected
for makin' Warlords
He sits alone most every night
He doesn't pander he doesn't philander
he says he's busy but she say's "is he?"
He's makin' War plans
The UN can't be bought they don't take money
He'll go down in a international tribunal
some judge who thinks he's funny
says you'll sing at your own funeral
he says now judge suppose i fail
the judge says there wont be jail
you'll meet the reaper, it'll be cheaper
than makin' warlords
you'll meet the reaper, it'll be cheaper
than makin' warlords
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astrid says
I thought the moral compass for corporate persons always point to profits. Care for a discussion in meta-ethics?
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thomas.wong1986 says
On the contrary, I want US manufacturing. You want pots & furniture made in the USA, it's easy. Raise tariffs on those import goods.
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Tariffs are not necessary. I bought furniture made in the US because they offer superior value.
Imported furniture are usually cheap (and even more cheaply made) or very expensive (think Italy). You have to overcome the shipping costs so you need either meas market volume or very high premium.
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Peter P says
My parents retired to Hickory, NC. A place long known as the "furniture capital". One plant closing after another the last decade. Where is the made in USA furniture you have coming from?
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I think Vermont and Virginia.
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iwog says
Iwog, I think you have to keep in mind, is that these 'McJobs' are not, and should not be considered careers, or jobs meant for the 'head of a household'. It is a temporary place for immigrants/kids/part-time folks. In any argument over minimum wage, taxes, poor vs rich, I NEVER accept the premise of a McJob/Walmart/retail job as an example of 'look at the poor guy trying to make ends meet' argument. If they are an illegal, they should get out. If they are legal, they should find another job to support a family. There are better paying jobs than retail. The problem is, does welfare/Section-8, EBT/etc dissuade the lazy from bettering themselves, improving their skillsets in order to make a better wage. To me, that is the problem. The sooner we understand that McJobs/Retail should be seen as a 'transient' workforce job, the sooner we can address on how to get these workers out of this 'rut' and into a higher paying job.
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To close the loop on this thread, Apple is changing it's position:
http://www.apple.com/environment/letter-to-customers/
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thomas.wong1986 says
Nominated.
Typical right wing dim bulb. Identify a couple of almost related trends you don't like, and then claim them to be part of some liberal agenda.
Just think of all the things you have to work with that you didn't work in to this. Gay marriage, crime, rap music, the cost of health care, second amendment gun rights, the global warming profit conspiracy, teaching biblical evolution as a legitimate theory, the right of corporations to control government, the public sector unions problem, and so on.
Gosh. When I look at that list, it almost makes me wish I was a stupid and dishonest scumbag. There's so much money I could make with my very own talk radio program, weaving these things together as supposed liberal conspiracies.
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thomas.wong1986 says
THomas believes in capitalism and beleives that this sytem is best for all countries. Thomas believes in global capitalism and free trade.
And yet when one country has low wages that are a fraction of the wages in the US, attracting manufacturing to go over there, Thomas sees liberal agenda ?
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Vicente says
There's no "Do Over".
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@ Peter P - corporate persons should not exist in its current form. Its rights should be far more curtailed and it should be equity financed with minimal leverage. There should be substantial holding time for shares and shares should only be held and controlled by natural persons, not other artificial entities. The current form of corporations, especially mature corporations, is monstrous and should be cut down.
re discussion on wages
The wage issue is a red herring. Wages are a relatively small component of the cost of producing and marketing products, I believe sub-15% for most types of manufacturing.
Just look at Japan and Germany - they continue to export manufactured goods even though their workers are far more pampered than most American workers.
The biggest drivers of corporate outsourcing/in-sourcing decisions tend are taxation and access to resource/market.
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AverageBear says
Unfortunately the number of legitimate careers is decreasing and will continue to decrease due to automation and information technology.
For example I recently had a plumber pull out all the cast iron pipes and replace them with a brand new material called PEX. Unlike cast iron which can rust and leak or copper which requires torch skills and can wear out, PEX is literally a snap together system with a 25-year warranty. You LITERALLY run lengths of this pipe through your house and snap all the copper ends together.
Anyone can learn to install this stuff in a few hours of training. It is being installed by Mexicans for minimum wage and I guarantee it will put plumbers out of work.
Examples like this are everywhere. Doctors have been caught looking up nearly every diagnosis on the internet. Realtors are under assault by free listing services. We all know where the semi-skilled factory jobs are going, and it's only a matter of time before humans are replaced by more sophisticated robots.
In a controlled economy, this would result in more free time and less labor for everyone. Unfortunately it is resulting in billionaires and McJobs for everyone else. The trend CANNOT be repaired by the free market. We must transition towards a more planned economic system and be more like Europe, or I guarantee we'll be more like Mexico.
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@astrid
You are going to disagree with me but I think corporations are people too. Anyone can start his own corporations and/or LLC's. However, we need to end corporate welfare and curtail the rent-seeking power of large entities.
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@iwog
More like Europe? Huh? Like going down the drain?
Europeans need to wake up from their idealistic dreams and face reality. There is no right to jobs and/or retirements. Either they reset their expectations or it will be battle royale all over again.
Perhaps the "trend" of the widening "wealth gap" is just a reaction to the creation of a middle-class, an unsustainable social situation in the long run. In time, wealth will always flow from weak hands to strong hands. This is natural.
People cannot feel entitled to a "good" life. They must earn it. If someone must give it to them, who will start small businesses and turn them into big businesses?
That said, I believe a universal healthcare system is essential. Strangely, people become entitled to subsidized healthcare from their employers and they are too trapped to engage in entrepreneurial activities. This is not healthy. We need a single-payer healthcare system AND a parallel private system. We need choices. Those who can afford better options should be able to obtain them.
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Peter P says
Germany going down the drain? 6 weeks of mandatory days off for each German worker? Socialized health care? A strongly progressive tax code? Strong unions?
Or maybe you'd rather examine Denmark? Or Sweden? Or Switzerland?
Saying Europe is "going down the drain" is like looking at the economy of Mississippi and saying the USA is going down the drain. It's absurd.
Most of the economic problems Europe has right now are due to the really stupid idea of uniting every country under one currency and one central bank and NOTHING WHATSOEVER to do with government intervention in the economy.
Peter P says
This is true and is the nature of capitalism. What you need to also understand is that it's also the death of capitalism. Play Monopoly and find out. The ONLY way to prevent the inevitable end is for the government to redistribute wealth and make the economy a two way street.
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Switzerland is not part of the EU and UK will probably do fine. So will Holland and the Scandinavian countries.
Lets see how well Germany will do after Euro disappears. Can Italians afford to buy as much German goods with Lira? Perhaps they will still do fine with wealthy Chinese buying luxury cars, but it is only due to the success (for now) of capitalism in China. Also, Germany makes really expensive toys like $200M yachts. These vessels were unthinkable just a few decades ago. But thanks to the "widening wealth gap" Germany is selling them like hot cakes. So aren't they just "exporting" social "injustice"? Well, they build great things. More power to them.
There is not necessarily an end to capitalism. There is another way. It happened many times in history. It is called WAR.
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Apple: No wait, we're green again
"Calling its decision to abandon a green certification system for electronics "a mistake," Apple on Friday announced it would again submit its products for EPEAT certification.
"We've recently heard from many loyal Apple customers who were disappointed to learn that we had removed our products from the EPEAT rating system," Apple's senior vice president for hardware engineering, Bob Mansfield, said in a statement. "I recognize that this was a mistake. Starting today, all eligible Apple products are back on EPEAT.""
http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/13/tech/gaming-gadgets/apple-epeat-reversal/index.html?hpt=hp_bn5
How you like me nah!
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So people equate being in a rating system to being good.
What about AAA-rated Lehman bonds?
People are so lazy and empty that they want to outsource responsibilities.