Buy American - Activism or Not

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   American_Choicesposted 13 years ago

   My wife loves french make-up and silk scarves, I love Italian loafer and foreign cars.  We try to buy right and have started to try to buy American.  Do you care?  Should we care?  Is buying American activism or protectionism?  Can we create American jobs IF we buy more American owned and operated goods and services?

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   1. 59

      Paul Wingertposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Sounds good, but won't happen. So who's fault is it that goods and jobs are shipped overseas? Is it the manufacturer's? No. Is it the government's? No. Is it the China and other foregn countries? No. It's our fault. The US comsumer. We want goods at a cheaper price. To meet this demand, US manufacturers had to cut costs. Why should a company pay some union employee (in cases whreer the employees are unionized) $20 an hour when the company can get the same thing done in China for a flat fee averaging less than $5 an hour, and not have to worry about OSHA, L&I, SS, benefits, etc.

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         logic,commonsenseposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         So you are saying that if the government and the unions get out of the way of business and we would keep more jobs here in the U.S.?

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         1. 59

            Paul Wingertposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            There will be need of government regulation or else we'll be experiencing the horrors of the working conditions of the industrial revolution 175 years ago all over again. Keep in mind it was the working class that brought gov't regulation and unions. Unions have ovrstayed their welcome and have become greedy. There are also technicalagical facors involved in the modern world. How one computer or robot can take the place of 10+ workers.

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   2. 60

      uncorrectedvisionposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      If something is less expensive and of equivalent or greater quality it would be a poorly considered economic decision to purchase that item just because of where it is made.
      
      Countries that produce all of what they consume and import nothing are very poor, produce poor products and have no real hope of progress.  Competition is essential for progress.  The "unfair" practices of some countries do them more harm than it does the countries with which they trade.  To sell something for less than what it is worth will result in, either, declining quality of the product as cost cutting must be done or, the second outcome will occur, the producer will go out of business.
      
      A profit of some kind is essential for the survival of the producer.  The more open and fair trade is the more profitable it is for all parties.
      
      If I can grow tomatoes of better quality, quantity and at a lower cost than you and you can grew onions better than I, it behooves me to concentrate on growing tomatoes to trade to you for onions.  It really is that simple.
      
      If one wants a high powered, reliable sedan and price isn't the issue, than Mercedes is a good choice.  If price is an issue and one is not driven by power, than a Ford might suffice.  We make decisions based on desires, wants and needs.  We are more likely to decide rationally than irrationally. 
      
      One reason why we choose imported goods is we don't make that item here.  It is good that we do not make some items here.  The intellectual capital being produced by America is far more valuable than much of the exported work being done in Vietnam or Sri Lanke.
      
      Think of the black smith, a hundred and fifty years ago he was indispensable, now he is an artisan making specialized goods for a specialized clientele.  Should we have resisted the extinction of that trade?  There are causes beyond mere consumption that have driven jobs out of the country.  Why buy an American made shirt if it costs three times as much without three times the durability or quality?
      
      Jobs moving out of the country is not inherently bad.  Unwinding much of the government interference in the economy would serve to keep jobs and products here.  Many corporations move production facilities over seas specifically to hold prices down and to serve their stock holders.  These are not nefarious purposes.
      
      The I-Pad, if built here, would cost three times as much.  The I-phone, the same story.  Cost cutting has made a communication revolution possible.  Externally imposed costs, like energy costs or regulatory costs, are a major cause for companies looking out side the US.

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2. 62

   Evan G Rogersposted 13 years ago

   Buying American is pointless.
   
   If "random location #57" is able to outcompete "random location #32", then you should get your money's worth.
   
   There are two ways to make a car:
   1) We dig up a bunch of steel, smelt it into the right way, train everyone with the know-how, and do everything completely American;
   
   or
   
   2) We grow a bunch of food, ship it across the ocean to a distant land, and a few months later, cars come to our land.
   
   Trade exists to increase wealth. Forcing yourself to buy inferior products at higher prices merely destroys wealth.
   
   It might give you a fuzzy feeling, but I doubt that "fuzz" is worth 5% of your income.

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3. 61

   Gail Anthonyposted 13 years ago

   We live in a global economy. Products can be purchased from American Manufacturers but who does that benefit when the manufacturers have outsourced the product to foreign labor. American automobiles and Progress Lighting have plants in Mexico. Nike has plants in the Far East as does General Electric and most large companies that compete on the world stage. Buying American made goods from manufacturers that rely entirely on American made raw materials is an extremely difficult task once you look beyond Ben and Jerry's Ice cream or Amish furniture.

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   1. 61

      Moderndayslaveposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I can't wait for my welfare check to get here so I can buy more foreign made crap.

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         Gail Anthonyposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         A few comments on welfare: Before you ever apply for and receive a welfare check, you must learn to write in broken English. Welfare checks aren't large enough to purchase Alfa-Romeos or Rolex's. You'll have to stick to American made Lay's Potato Chips and Hershey bars.

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4. 81

   lovemychrisposted 13 years ago

   I think it's a great idea! I can think of a couple of things right here where I live...Cape Cod Chips is huge. And this local scienc teacher invented a brass cleaner...wish I could think of the name...
   
   Yes, AV, that is a great idea.
   
   http://www.americansworking.com/

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