Re: Too...

[farna@xxxxxxx]

On May 20, 2005 Tom Jennings wrote:

> I choose to ignore the irony of writing this in a mailing list for
> old American cars.
> 
> The thing is, the kids in LA (and probably elsewhere) don't have
> this problem, software-driven import cars, computers, turbo tech,
> plastics, LEDs, it's all great. They're having fun with what a lot
> of us grumble about, and are doing the great American thing.


Yes, with fewer and fewer American made cars. I hate to say it, but to keep foreign competition from entirely wiping out US heavy industry we're going to have to start with tariffs and/or import limits again. It's a band-aid, but may have to be done. It will hurt everyone in the short run by driving prices of some goods up. We're used to $30 12V battery drills and such now, and those will go up or away. I refuse, by the way, to pay $50 for the equivalent Black and Decker battery drill when it has "Made in China" or "Made in Taiwan" stamped on it. I'll just go ahead and buy the Chinese name brand and save the $20. An American distributor and warehouse workers get some money either way. I just don't like a foreign product masquerading behind and American name. I can see no added value in purchasing a name tag! At least if it says "assembled in China with US made parts" someone in the us is making a little more off of it, though quality may or may not be better.

There's only a few things that I really think Bush screwed up on. One of the first big things he did after coming in office the first time was to give China "preferred trading partner" status. That means little or no tariffs or other restrictions on items imported from China. Wally World became China Mart shortly after. Old Ben Walton has to be rolling in his grave! That's when the "xxx American Jobs Were Saved Becasue We Buy These Products From XXX Co. in XXX,XX, USA" signs came down. Anyone else remember seeing those everywhere?? I shop Wal-Mart LAST unless it's just a quick stop. Wish everyone else in the US would do the same. 

I don't mind seeing SOME foreign products in a store. We're not isolated and there needs to be a certain amount of trade amongst nations. We've been trained by our own greedy corporations to be consumers though. Throw things away and buy more, don't conserve, recycle, or repair! Now it's turning on them as foreign products are so much cheaper. I'm not paying top dollar for something not worth repairing! I don't mind buying a $30 battery drill and using it up in a year. Of course unions have a big hand in that -- but no more than the "upper crust" management glut in many of the bigger US corporations (like GM). 

Another problem is we've become a non-working nation, with the "higher classes" living off the sweat of the lower. This has always been the case to a degree, but in the US the "higher" class is mid-to-upper middle class now, and almost anyone can invest and make some money. The stock market is great, but there has to be workers, and no one wants to work anymore -- just get paid. There used to be pride in doing a hard days work and getting paid fairly for that work, now it's considered a right to get paid, and the boss is damned lucky if you do an honest days work. Imigrants, legal and illegal, don't take jobs from Americans for the most part. They compete mostly with each other for jobs the typical American won't take unless they absolutely have to. But they will dig that ditch, wash those clothes, or sweat over that sewing machine just for the privelege of being allowed to work. THAT'S why they get jobs -- they WANT TO WORK! I don't mean sit and get paid, I mean actually WO!
 RK, even under poor conditions and with poor pay. Americans used to want to work...

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