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Made in the USA doesn't necessarily mean its all Made in the USA either, you have to be careful. Even with the REd Wing boots some you will see marked "Made in the USA" and other marked "made in the USA with imported materials"
Even if it is partially made in USA it's better than having it completely made in China.
I prefer to buy products imported from Mexico, India or S America to those from China since China uses more chemicals (and they are toxic), for their importation and manufacturing. They use formeldehyde in some textiles and it doesn't wash out. Remember the lead found in childrens toys made in China? Like that isn't still getting through. This is what we asked for when we accepted cheap goods with no regulation.
Many people put yes of course, but they are not educated on what is American made and what is from china. If they were standing in a store deciding on two different pairs of shoes that they liked equally, they would go with the cheaper one probably not thinking twice about where it was made. The first step is educating ourselves, then we have to strive to focus on paying attention to where items are made and purchase wisely. It may be more expensive in the beginning but eventually more companies will move their factories to the US, there will be more of a competition among american made products and prices would be quite reasonable. There would be more jobs, more money to be spent, etc. The things it would change for our country would be tremendous. People just have to take that first step. The reason prices are so high is because it is rare to find American made products and you pay a premium. Think about anything else that there is a more equal amount of products made in the US as imported. How about cars? I am sure we pay our employees more here than the places we import from, but the prices look pretty much the same for the same type of vehicle because the location the car was made is something that matters to the consumer more than where a shirt was made. If we cared about where everything is made as much as we do our car, things would change.
"things would change"
Yeah they would; in a heartbeat! Those countries your shareholder owned companies desire to sell goods to ~ like the billions of folks in China or India, just for two, would exclaim "you don't buy our stuff, we won't buy yours" .....ooopsy!
Those countries, who export to you, valuable minerals etc., required for the production of your stuff you wish to sell to them will raise the price of those required minerals, oils, base metals, precious metals, etc., to compensate for the lost jobs in their countries and guess what happens next....you cannot afford to buy the stuff you're making and neither can anyone else, ergo you go broke!
What country is gonna buy your latest whiz bang what-not if you don't allow their production into your markets. They'll simply go to another supplier such as China, Russia, yep, even Israel, for a stealth fighter, a weapons delivery system, a lap-top, a pair of work boots or a car.
Picture the city of Detroit repeating itself across the whole of the U.S of A.
If they are working at 7 years old it's because the other option is for them and their families to starve.
I work in manufacturing. We sell a lot of stuff overseas. So I see no particular reason to support American goods over any other. If I want them to support my products I should reciprocate.
And I'll let you in on a secret. The Western world has been buying goods from China since 1299 when Marco Polo went back to Milan. And the Chinese been buying from the West since then too.
And pretty much everything you buy is made in all different countries. Parts that go in a Samsung TV are made in the same factories as any TV made in the U.S. (if there are any made in the U.S.) It don't matter what the sticker says.
It makes absolutley no difference where the good is from. Hell, an American automobile has 20,000 parts on it and those parts are made in dozens of countries. It's all good.
Most of this "Made in America" stuff is marketing. Doesn't make a lot of difference in the grand scheme of things, as it is almost a certainity that some of it touched a foreigners hands.
If you really want to support American manufacturing you should lobby Congress to get rid of silly regulations, lower business taxes and outlaw unions. That's what drives companies overseas and it's what makes it hard for Americans compete.
We as a nation, didn't see this scale of a problem, until NAFTA & the China Free Trade Act
This is what we asked for when we accepted cheap goods with no regulation.
There's a flip side to that and an excellent example can be made with the lead. This was large companies like Mattel that were found with the lead and the knee jerk reaction is to require lead testing for all toys. This does not affect Mattels bottom line becsue the cost of those tests are spread out over tens or even hundreds of thousands of units. That's not the case if you're some woodworker making home made toys.
Those countries, who export to you, valuable minerals etc., required for the production of your stuff you wish to sell to them will raise the price of those required minerals, oils, base metals, precious metals, etc., to compensate for the lost jobs in their countries and guess what happens next....you cannot afford to buy the stuff you're making and neither can anyone else, ergo you go broke!
If there is one thing the US does not lack is domestic resources, there is very few things that cannot be mined or extracted from within our borders. What we don't have is an even playing field, for example about decade ago China started dumping rare earth elements on the market driving US mines out of business. Now they control the market. They do this with a lot of key things, don't be surprised if in the future you are buying Chinese cement which ironically may be produced with US coal.
I will hapily buy American made goods, if the other side of the equation is put in place:
1) high employment rates
2) higher job security
3) pensions and benefits (1970s style)
4) less people collecting unemployment and food stamps (i.e. lower taxes on the middle class)
"Every increased possession loads us with new weariness."
- John Ruskin, The Seven Lamps of Architecture (1849)
There is some commercial wisdom to the effect that it is better to be cheated in the price than in the quality of the merchandise. Likewise, it would be difficult to see the advantage of having a surplus of shoddy goods; but then, perhaps Wal-Mart knows what is best.
OhioRules;28644471]I could care less if it is made in America or China or Mexico or Germany or any other country.
Why do you want kids in China to starve to death?
WHAT?????
Let the Chinese citizens figure out how to get far pay for fair work. Dragging tht USA down to their work ethics and standards is insane and unnecessary. The Made in China crap is crap. I'd pay double to purchase Made in The USA....and I have. Better quality and sends a strong message. Buying from Germany is fine as their products rock. I'd much rather but from Mexico than China and all other Fair Trade places.
I will hapily buy American made goods, if the other side of the equation is put in place:
1) high employment rates
2) higher job security
3) pensions and benefits (1970s style)
4) less people collecting unemployment and food stamps (i.e. lower taxes on the middle class)
Overall a much better deal for 80% of Americans!
Sounds like a chicken/egg scenario.
70's style pensions went the way of the Dodo bird. No one is willing to pay a pension tax.
then I grew up...most things are made in foreign countries to begin with
most of them are higher quality than american
and its cheaper
I buy based on prices and QUALITY.and the made in the usa stuff, just doesnt cut it anymore
the best selling appliance company (currently) is LG....do you know what LG is....Lucky-Goldstar( formally just known as Goldstar) a Korean company
this has been happening for decades, since the 70's..and really increase in the mid 90's after nafta/cafta/gatt were signed in 1993
the only way to reverse it would be to:
1. make 100% import tarrfis on anything coming into the us...even frrom us companies like GE (hq'd in CT) that manufactures all their stuff in mexico/maylasia
2. reduce the corporate tax to ZERO
3. give companies tax exempt status for local property taxes
as long as wages, taxes, electric rates, and properties are cheaper overseas , and the cost to ship it in (import tariffs) are low, it cant change and will probably get worse
I dont see these changes that I just listed happening
were are now(since the 90's, it started in late 70's)) a global economy
look at things
we pioneered microwaves...not one is american made anymore
we poineered tv's............none are american made
the best selling appliance company (currently) is LG....do you know what LG is....Lucky-Goldstar( formally just known as Goldstar) a Korean company
even levi jeans are made overseas.
we lead the steel industry......not anymore
we lead the car industry.....not anymore...people would rather buy a foreign car........why is the number 1 and 2, 3 and 4 LUXURY cars in america NOT Cadillac, and Lincoln,.....why lexus (overprices toyota)...infinity (overpriced Nisson) and BMW, and Mercedes and acura(overpriced honda)
infact in the top 10 luxury cars only cadi places with the cts and the srx
my old boss (back in 1999) told me as (I was moving up the chain) that we have gone from a manufacturing counrty to a country of managers.....and it is true
most of the kids today dont WANT to work, at least dont want to work in a 'hands-on' kind of job, like factory or manufacturing..they all think about the 9-5 white collar job, just pushing buttons on a computer...most dont want to get their hands dirty
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