Made in China

[venomballistics]

It is not just cheap prices for asian goods....any of you try to start a business? You'll have a wave of bureaucrats telling you why you can't do it. After you manage to get past them and all of their legalease and fees then they start with the taxes....now Obama wants a value added tax.
What will a VAT do? I mfg and sell a product here in the US that sells for $8. When I sell this item to German customers the final cost is $40 after VAT is added on. The US government entities, city/county/state/federal is just plain unfriendly to US business and especially US manufacturing.

I qualify US business and US manufacturing because we have had some asian manufacturers set up factories in our area and the politicians fell all over themselves giving tax abatements and other freebies to these foreign companies while trying to come up with reasons my company (machine shop) might be detrimental to the community.

As a matter of fact ... yup, and I know of others as well.
While we seem to have a lot of entitlement mentality out there based in system exploitation. we do have a few honest entitlements ... like the American birth right to pull yourself up by the boot straps and take a crack at business.
Unfortunately, the collective is fighting for all the wrong entitlements.

 

[Pasifikawv]

Apple juice in every store I've been in - Chinese apples!
It has to be printed on the container, btw.
But Chinese apples? What in the world is going on here?

You really have to look at a lot of bottles to find USA apples in your apple juice. Motts will have USA apples in it one week and China or a South American country's apples another.

Apples are very important to my region. From numerous family-owned orchards to an apple processing plant that provides good paying jobs, apples are a way of life. We have spring "blossom" festivals and fall "harvest" festivals that draw in thousands visitors with cash in their pockets to spend locally.

But the apple industry is treatened. There is not suffiecient local population to handle the harvest and not enough legal migrant farmworkers are available. The failure to address comprehensive immigration reform with workable Guest Worker Program as Pres. Bush fought for is devistating the family growers.

Responsible growers are forced to either close up shop or look the other way if their migrant workers don't have papers. With the border crackdown resulting in a 50% reduction in illegal crossings, fewer farm workers are entering without papers than ever before. Those that used to come and go for seasonal work now just stay home as they can't get across the border legally or illegally. Or worse yet, they no longer go back and forth and just stay in the US - afraid to go home and never be able to get back in... The border crackdown without comprehensive reform is resulting in more migrant workers staying around to become undoumented immigrants.

China does have plenty of farm laborers. If something isn't done to update and reform an out-of-date and inefficient federal immigration policy so that our farmers can get enough help for harvest, all you will find is apple juice from China. The current system for ag workers is so disfunctional it isn't even funny. There is no shortage of pickers in China and they grow apples too. Some California farmers are now selling their US farmland and leasing land in Mexico. Since they can't get enough legal workers here, they are moving to where the workers are...

The locally owned orchards in my area will cease to exist (all but one in my County is already gone), the nearby apple processing plant will be shuttered and hundreds of good jobs lost, and our deeply-rooted traditional festivals celebrating the spring apple blossoms and the fall apple harvest will be no more.

I hope politicians move away from the heavy rhetoric and follow the example GW Bush advocated: Comprehensive immigration reform that includes border security and an updated and workable Guest Worker Program. If not, the apple industry will just be another outsorced to China...

Also: buy White House brand apple products whenever you can! That's who local growers here sell to...

 

[DeadAye]

buy White House brand apple products whenever you can!

They are on my list of stuff to watch for - Thanks!

 

[Jst1mr]

Recently started a small manufacturing facility in Wisconsin. Not much, but does account for twenty some direct jobs and perhaps another fifty or so indirectly - it all helps in a county with 15% unemployment. But I have to say I agree with many previous posters - the bureaucracy and taxes are an incredibly strong disincentive, and lets remember one other factor: If the general public had to jump through the dozens of environmental hoops/ barriers/regulations that even a small manufacturing facility must, there would be a revolution in short order.

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

That's the "Global Economy" for you. On the other hand I've read the PRC is a very big purchaser of US agricultural products, especially wheat. Their Achilles Heel is that they have never been able to achieve self sufficiency
in food production.

 

[NCTexan]

Boy... I'd love to buy a 21" TV made in the USA by good ol' union hands under Federal supervision. I bet I could even get one for under $5000.

 

[n4zov]

What upsets me more than imported merchandise, etc is the shift to imported food. Our local supermarket carries an extensive line of seafood, and they are required by law to show the country of origin. Most is from Bangladesh, China, Vietnam and other Asian countries. With seafood from the Gulf of Mexico soon to be shut off, we are going to see more and more of this imported stuff that is raised under Heaven knows what conditions.

The same is true of oranges and apples. Take a look at the label on your favorite orange or apple juice. Chances are good the juice is made from a concentrate from overseas. It's like we don't even raise apples and oranges in the U.S.!

 

[S&W-Keeper]

I think that you will find that most of our toilet tissue, and paper towels are American made.

 

[mac2]

We priced ourselves out of our manufacturing capability. It is not that it is so much cheaper to make products overseas. The problem is that it is so much more expensive to make products here

Labor costs: Here is where the flame suit comes in. Unions had there place in history and still do to a certain extent. Mostly, though, modern unions have just as much blame for the poor manufacturing base in our economy than any other factor. They got greedy. Pure and simple. They keep demanding more than the market can bear and then complain about layoff and the loss of manufacturing base. Personally, I am morally opposed to the idea of unions. I am unwilling to cede any of my earning potential to the "greater good." But that is just me. I am an extremest on this issue, and recognize that fact. I think unions reward people who would otherwise not achieve high success on their own. I think that is wrong on it's face.

I think companies and the general public are willing to pay a small premium for US made products, knowing it helps the country. There comes a point, though when the cost outweighs the good.

erm...yes and no. Here in the UK (in the 19th century the workshop of the world) current recent wisdom states it's only worth manufacturing in the far east if you want to make a profit, but this contradicts my experiences and observations.

Look at Germany - world's top exporter in 2007 and full of skilled union labour (union officials sit on the board of directors), although this is by no means the only example, and a big old welfare system too. I'm a cyclist and they make lot's of lovely cool kit - expensive but worth it to those who understand that you get what you pay for. But this isn't confined to specialist markets - look at their cars, not just leaders in quality either - Volkswagen intends to be the top volume producer of cars by 2018. There's many examples of German companies establishing new markets and leading them, whilst if consumers don't own their goods, they aspire to.

I don't mind Chinese goods WRT cheap household ones, but I will not buy a premium brand made in China (unless it was some kind of China heritage thing or something). I bought a Brooks B190 saddle - it's a masterpiece and made here like all their saddles, but their expensive (several hundred dollars) retro luggage is made in China - it shouldn't be - not if you make a big deal out of your history, heritage & tradition etc, reminding everybody of dates and sponsor bike rides where everyone wears costumes from 100 years ago.

Looks like someone else shares my view if you look at the criticisms on their website:

BROOKS ENGLAND LTD

 

[PDL]

About the only products 'made' in America that sell well these days is beer. And even the American brewers are foreign owned in a lot of cases. (no pun intended).

 

[RPM2DAY]

Baby girls.

Try to tell that to my BIL and his wife. Couldn't conceive so they imported. All my respect though because he's an LEO.

 

[Springfield Bob]

What gets me is that the nice looking folding belt knifes that the NRA has are all made in China. Went to a NRA banquet and that's what they had. Several of us complained but Wayne wasn't there to hear us. Oh well.

 

[CZBrian]

I think more people just need to be aware of the labels when they are buying stuff. I went to buy socks at Target the other day and found some made in USA by Hanes. I looked at each manufacture's package for the style i was buying before i found that the Hanes ones were made in the usa. For a different style of socks they had, the Hanes were made somewhere else but one of the other brands was made in the usa for that particular style. It takes some effort but you can still find a lot of things made here. I also preach made in the usa to friends and family so that they will pay more attention as well.

 

[ncy54]

I bought a Brooks B190 saddle - it's a masterpiece and made here like all their saddles, but their expensive (several hundred dollars)
Looks like someone else shares my view if you look at the criticisms on their website:
BROOKS ENGLAND LTD

Minor thread drift................
Thanks for the trip back on memory lane. I still remember everyone taking their ball peen hammers to their Brooks saddles in order to break them in faster than the six months it usually took. Once they were broken in, though, they were the best. We've just fitted some of the current Brooks production on a couple of our retro fixed gear bikes. They are beauties. I just had to explain to one of the young mechanics what "on the rivet" means.

 

[cp1969]

It's not just "made in China" and the economic impacts of imbalanced multinatinal trade. The loss of the US manufacturing base in general is a real threat to our future stability.

I think of the Greatest Generation and WWII. It was not only the GI's that won the war, but also the hard work on the homefront by women, temporary guest workers, and the seniors of the time. Our factories were re-tooled to meet the war effort and supply our forces. If such an emergency arose today, we would not have the manufacturing base to rely on to meet our production needs in a national emergency...

Worse yet, the ability to tool up for manufacturing in a wartime situation is gone. Virtually all of the machine tool manufacturers have moved overseas.

Without machine tools, you aren't going to make anything.

 

[judge]

You and I have a choice. When you go into any store, if it says "made in China", you don't have to buy it. Not only don't buy it, but tell the store manager why you refuse to buy it. Mr. Ross Perot explained all this to the public years ago - they thought he was crazy. He knew exactly what he was talking about - these so called treatys for open trade will kill this country. The top management here will be fat and happy, while the workers are dumped out on the side of the road. Result, more unemployment and more crime. Look at the textile industry, the shoe companys, the TV's, radios, cars, tools, etc. - you can't compete with someone who makes $2.00 an hour. You still have a choice - use it.

 

[Doc Mark]

Where to begin? Probably by putting on my flame suit. I think I'll need it.

We priced ourselves out of our manufacturing capability. It is not that it is so much cheaper to make products overseas. The problem is that it is so much more expensive to make products here. What's the difference, you say? A lot I think. The main issue being that we did it to ourselves and not from external factors.

As alluded to above, oppressive tax systems for successful industries, higher than warranted labor costs, and yes, the big box store mentality.

High taxes: The quickest way to stifle innovation and success. Time and again it has been proven that lower taxes bring more revenue because more people are willing to invest in growth and capital.

Labor costs: Here is where the flame suit comes in. Unions had there place in history and still do to a certain extent. Mostly, though, modern unions have just as much blame for the poor manufacturing base in our economy than any other factor. They got greedy. Pure and simple. They keep demanding more than the market can bear and then complain about layoff and the loss of manufacturing base. Personally, I am morally opposed to the idea of unions. I am unwilling to cede any of my earning potential to the "greater good." But that is just me. I am an extremest on this issue, and recognize that fact. I think unions reward people who would otherwise not achieve high success on their own. I think that is wrong on it's face.

I think companies and the general public are willing to pay a small premium for US made products, knowing it helps the country. There comes a point, though when the cost outweighs the good.

Big Box Stores: Our family regularly shops at WalMart. There is good and bad to these retailers but I think the good outweighs the bad.

Hey, Forester,

You are right on the money, Sir! Well thought out and well written!! I was a member of the Musician's Union for many, many years. Even back then, that Union was only about getting money from me, and the other working players. In all my years as a member, they never stepped up to the plate to help most of us, and in fact, did things that were detrimental to our work situations, most of the time. Today, it's far worse, of course. Where is a good Union-busting President when you need one??!!!! Again, 100% correct, IMHO. Thanks for offering such a cogent argument for one of the main reasons for all our financial troubles. Take care, and God Bless!

Every Good Wish,
Doc

P.S. I was just in Greece, and that place must be seen to be believed, these days. Unfortunately, we seem to be heading down that same dark path.....

 

[roarindan]

Can anyone find something to buy that doesn't say "made in china"???? President Bush said it best. "More and more of our imports are coming from overseas". It was a funny speech. I miss all of those humorous speeches.

WE were buying bedroom furniture last week,and I found something not made in China.........it was made in VIET NAM!!!!!!!!!

 

[Hermann]

I was all proud when I bought my 627 Performance Center, felt good to have an American Made large frame 357 Mag in my collection again. . . . .but guess what the sticker says on the bottom of that fancy aluminum case????????

Really. . . .c'mon Smith

Same here, I sold this rather cheap looking chinese aluminum case and rather store the gun in a "Bore-Store"
I mean a 629 "Perfomance Center" gun in a cheap Chinese aluminum case, no thanks - I do want the gun, but this 3$ case - not so much.

 

[Hermann]

What upsets me more than imported merchandise, etc is the shift to imported food. Our local supermarket carries an extensive line of seafood, and they are required by law to show the country of origin. Most is from Bangladesh, China, Vietnam and other Asian countries. With seafood from the Gulf of Mexico soon to be shut off, we are going to see more and more of this imported stuff that is raised under Heaven knows what conditions.

The same is true of oranges and apples. Take a look at the label on your favorite orange or apple juice. Chances are good the juice is made from a concentrate from overseas. It's like we don't even raise apples and oranges in the U.S.!

We have this situation over here in Germany, too. Apples from South Africa or China, as if we couldn't grow apples here anymore.
Our OJ comes from Israel, I don't mind this since our climate doesn't allow to grow oranges here, but apples and pears ??
I simply avoid these products as good as I can - I prefer fresh quality food and I am willing to pay the extra money for this.