WAKE UP AMERICA!!!! Is trading with China "Fair Trade"? Not in the slightest! Last year's trade deficit was $180 billion dollars with China (to clarify that is 180 thousand millions just in one year). By the way... it's been increasing substantially every year. In order to boast these massive trade deficits, we barrow money in the form of government T-bills from the Chinese once again. Thanks to horrible trade practices and an idiotic war in Iraq, we now owe the Chinese over 5 trillion dollars (or 5 thousand billions), which is a substantial portion of our national debt.
Why we shouldn't trade with China under current circumstances:
They export products too cheap for their factories to produce to flood US and other markets to destroy local industries
Their currency is undervalued by approximately half of market value. This means that their exported goods are half as expensive as they should be in US markets (closing domestic industries) and US goods are double as expensive in Chinese markets (less incentive to buy imports in China).
The US rightly has a set of reasonable environmental and safety standards that the Chinese don't have to adhere to making our goods more expensive than theirs. In contrast many other nations adhere to strict environmental and safety regulations.
It costs a lot of energy to transport goods from China. We should be doing everything we can to reduce our trade deficit in oil consumption which is it at $400 billion dollars annually in oil imports.
Everyone is under the impression that we are a rich nation, when in fact we are an indebted nation with a dwindling job market and an increasing population. It's time to support our own country by making every effort to demand American products.
Cemartin, you are 100% correct! If I must purchase some product from China, because I can not find it American made I will buy it used, and keep the money local. That is getting harder to do though.
I know the feeling. It's tough to find some products that are even made in the states anymore. My boots are wearing out, but I decided today to take them in and re-sole them rather than buy a new pair. I guess this is the new reality of consumers. After all they're all made now in China.
I do alot of merger and aquisition work. A disturbing trend I'm seeing is local small energy companies selling out mineral rights to the Chinese and Arab money. They are scarred about being taxed out of existance, so they are puling the cord, selling their asstets and retiring. The long term implications of the chinese owning US natural gas, coal, and oil makes me nervous.
What a joke. Isn't much of NRS product made in China?
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At least once every human should have to run for his life, to teach him that milk does not come from supermarkets, that safety does not come from policemen, that news is not something that happens to other people. ~ Robert Heinlein
I like the idea of buying American goods, but the reality is it is hard to do all the time. Perhaps I do not try hard enough, or I want high quality goods. The reality is that China is producing high quality stuff. I am typing on a Chinese made Apple computer and I drive a Japanese Toyota 4runner.
I like the idea of buying American goods, but the reality is it is hard to do all the time. Perhaps I do not try hard enough, or I want high quality goods. The reality is that China is producing high quality stuff. I am typing on a Chinese made Apple computer and I drive a Japanese Toyota 4runner.
You might be missing the point of why we shouldn't buy Chinese goods. Some of their goods are very high quality while other goods aren't as good with respect to quality. However, I'm speaking mainly about their poor trade policies which make a very un-level playing field for the US. I personally drive a Honda Civic Hybrid because I wanted to send a message to US auto makers that it's time to become more efficient. The car was made in Japan. The Japanese are fair trading partners whereas the Chinese are essentially screwing us. The computer that I type on was obviously made in China.
My point is that we should as Americans demand that trade policies be on a level field with other countries. If not, you'll some day find that you don't have the money to buy any imported goods because you won't have a job or a domestic economy.
Thanks. I got the point about the trade imbalance, but kind of hijacked the thread and went off on a tangent about the quality issue. You are 100% correct about us becoming a debtor nation.
HAHA I new from the title that this had to be from Capt'n "C" Martin! (and no the "C" does not refer to the first initial!) Go honda! Mine was assembled in the US! unlike many of our American cars which are made in mexico! It has now outlived 3 lifespans of the average Ford. All ya gotta do is change the oil. Gonna drive it cross country once I am again laid off and homeless! Keep the faith brother! See ya around Turkey day.
FWIW - My toyota truck, along with most others, was built at New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. (NUMMI) in Fremont California. Tacoma production is now moving to San Antonio.
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At least once every human should have to run for his life, to teach him that milk does not come from supermarkets, that safety does not come from policemen, that news is not something that happens to other people. ~ Robert Heinlein
Hybrid Mode
