It's all about GREED!

OK, now that I have your attention, let me ask you a question. Do you have anything in your house that was not made in the USA?  It's OK, be honest. You aren't alone. Of course you do. Your computer was made in Malaysia, Singapore or China. Your car has 30% foreign content. Your flatware was probably made in China. Your TV was made overseas as well. So, whose fault is it that our country is losing jobs overseas? Well... it's yours!

Imagine this.  You need to repair a bad pipe. You go to Sears to buy a pipe wrench. Well, there are two on the wall. The first one is bright red. The machining is awesome perfect and the mechanism works flawlessly. You look on it and it says, "Craftsman - forged in the USA" ... yeah, that's right. Even the flagship Craftsman line uses foreign steel. Anyway, at least it's forged and finished here. The price is 25 bucks. Next to it is another wrench. It's bright red. the machining is awesome perfect and the mechanism works flawlessly. You look on it and it says, "Made in China". The price is 7 bucks. Do you reach for the Craftsman or do you reach for the Chinese wrench? You think... well, if I buy the Chinese wrench, I can also buy the Chinese screwdriver set!

Yup, there you go. YOU are the reason our jobs are going overseas. You might as well put 10 bucks in an envelope and address it to Peking, Shanghai, or wherever you want.

"Whoa!" you say. "They don't make TVs in the US anymore so I have to buy one from China.." Uh... no you don't. You don't NEED a 60" flat screen TV. You don't NEED that new tool. Search for items made in the USA and pay the price of labor... your labor. If enough people refuse to buy overseas, manufacturers will make things here... if there's a market.

There was a time when people would save for something they wanted. But easy credit and our "I want stuff and I want a lot of stuff and I want it now!" mentality drives us to buy overseas. There are manufacturers in the US for things like jeans and shirts. Sure they cost double... but... what? You can't afford US made goods? You can get 2 pair of chinese jeans for the same price? Well... there you go. You did it again.

A most interesting event occurred awhile back. I pulled into Harbor Freight... which sells nothing but Chinese stuff... and as I walked into the store, I passed a pickup truck with a "Proud to be Union AFL-CIO" sticker on the back of the cab. This dude was in Harbor Freight.  See what I mean?

So, next time you bitch about your job going overseas, take a look your watch... your Chinese watch.

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