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'USA only' store does a booming biz


Via Garibaldi 8

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China is basically the United States in the year 1890 to the year 1900. Except it's a communist state, and the rights of the people are stamped on back there.

 

The rights of the people in the United States were stamped on in the latter part of the 19th century too.

 

The difference is the nation IMPROVED since then, and became the greatest in the world and the envy of most which is why so many Europeans are so excited to come here and visit STILL and why tourism is one of this country's greatest assets.

 

But the progress the nation made in the first 2/3 of the 20th century will have been for ABSOLUTELY NOTHING if we go back to the dark ages of Gilded Age politics and the spoils system, which we are a lot closer to doing than most people realize.

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They typical American consumer does not even think about it. Many goods it is actually quite difficult to find out where they're made. It's buried on a tag somewhere, or in fine print on the box.

 

I try to buy American where possible, but in a lot of cases it's NOT possible and that's part of the problem. So in that situation the tiebreaker will be buying from anyone who is NOT made in China, Indonesia, Singapore, or Pakistan.

 

It's not about customers being "unwilling" to pay more, it's about consumers who know nothing about anything seeing two seemingly identical goods on a shelf - one made with slave chinese labor, the other made with Indian labor - one for 2.99 and one for 3.49, and them not knowing any better choosing the chinese product which is likely to be defective or hazardous to their health.

 

The American jobs are already GONE. In case you haven't noticed, it takes a conscious effort to LOCATE American made items to buy. It's not like they're not just sitting around waiting to be purchased in the big box stores and customers are knowingly choosing cheaper goods. They're not even STOCKED because they are so RARE.

 

And THAT'S where the manufacturing base has gone.

 

You do have a point there. I am able to buy more American products simply because I seek them out and know where to find them, but the average American consumer is not going to go that far. They want what is convenient also and American goods in some cases take more work and patience to get. For example, there are some American made items that I now have made to order and shipped to me because I cannot get them in a regular store. made here.

 

It takes a good two weeks or so to get these products made from Maine maybe more depending on how backed up they are and they are not cheap, so yeah, the average American consumer is not going to go that far to buy an American product. In some cases I am forced to either buy from Italy, Germany, Japan or some other industrialized country known for making quality slave free products or I just have to refrain from buying the product altogether, so yeah I know what you mean.

 

I took me some years to actually find American made laptop bags and briefcases that I actually liked. For a while I was buying those Manhattan Portage bags because they were making those here in the U.S. (upstate NY I believe) and then they moved production to Asia. After some time of searching online I have finally found two places that I am going to buy from. One is in Minneapolis and the other is up in Washington. Prior to that I would have to buy them from Italy.

 

One of the places is reasonable and the other is a bit pricey but worth it.

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You do have a point there. I am able to buy more American products simply because I seek them out and know where to find them, but the average American consumer is not going to go that far. They want what is convenient also and American goods in some cases take more work and patience to get. For example, there are some American made items that I now have made to order and shipped to me because I cannot get them in a regular store. made here.

 

It takes a good two weeks or so to get these products made from Maine maybe more depending on how backed up they are and they are not cheap, so yeah, the average American consumer is not going to go that far to buy an American product. In some cases I am forced to either buy from Italy, Germany, Japan or some other industrialized country known for making quality slave free products or I just have to refrain from buying the product altogether, so yeah I know what you mean.

 

I took me some years to actually find American made laptop bags and briefcases that I actually liked. For a while I was buying those Manhattan Portage bags because they were making those here in the U.S. (upstate NY I believe) and then they moved production to Asia. After some time of searching online I have finally found two places that I am going to buy from. One is in Minneapolis and the other is up in Washington. Prior to that I would have to buy them from Italy.

 

One of the places is reasonable and the other is a bit pricey but worth it.

 

For laptop bags, briefcases, etc. buy from Timbuk2. 100% made in San Francisco. Yes, they are expensive, but this is REALLY quality stuff that you can beat the hell out of and it won't be any the worse for wear. And it WILL protect whatever you've got inside. A $100 bag from them will outlast a $50 cheap import bag by more than twice the life.

 

http://www.timbuk2.com

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For laptop bags, briefcases, etc. buy from Timbuk2. 100% made in San Francisco. Yes, they are expensive, but this is REALLY quality stuff that you can beat the hell out of and it won't be any the worse for wear. And it WILL protect whatever you've got inside. A $100 bag from them will outlast a $50 cheap import bag by more than twice the life.

 

http://www.timbuk2.com

 

These aren't "expensive" IMO. I normally spend a good $350.00 and up for my bags. I've seen these around and just assumed that they were "imported". Good to know. This is one brand I was talking about... These are great American made bags for the weekends too or just for the laptop and some of them are actually stylish... :cool:

 

http://www.tombihn.com/page/001/CTGY/_ABOUT

 

And some of these are the more high end bags that I want to get for when I'm going to the office.... These I'm not quite sold on though only because they're not as sleek as I would like, but I'm considering getting one of the computer portfolio bags. :cool:

 

http://duluthpack.com/

 

Duluth Pack is great because they carry other American items as well that are hard to find.

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[stuff]

 

*snicker*

 

Did you really bring Communist politics into this? lol. Someone's still stuck in the Cold War.

 

BTW, taxes won't do anything. The USA only has jurisdiction on its own companies. If taxes hurt business to the point of losses, companies will simply relocate to somewhere else with less taxes. (The cruise ship industry is a great example. They're all registered in Panama or the Bahamas because it is a huge tax burden to incorporate a ship-building-and-running company in America, even though they're still looked upon as "American" companies.

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*snicker*

 

Did you really bring Communist politics into this? lol. Someone's still stuck in the Cold War.

 

BTW, taxes won't do anything. The USA only has jurisdiction on its own companies. If taxes hurt business to the point of losses, companies will simply relocate to somewhere else with less taxes. (The cruise ship industry is a great example. They're all registered in Panama or the Bahamas because it is a huge tax burden to incorporate a ship-building-and-running company in America, even though they're still looked upon as "American" companies.

 

Avoidance of the content my posts is an indicator that you're running out of points to stand on.

 

Classic straw man argument.

 

Try again. I'm not bringing "communist politics" into anything...tell me why America still has and enforces economic sanctions on Cuba then? Because of events from 1962? But China runs amok, contrary to American interests and the very people elected to safeguard American interests don't seem to notice...

 

As for your final point, the United States has COMPLETE jurisdiction over US companies and ALL GOODS imported into this nation. Don't believe me? Try and bring European fruit into this country on a flight here and see what happens. Importers are subject to US regulations when bringing things here. Embargoes against nations have been done before and are nothing much to enact and enforce if the government had the balls to do it after reducing debt to china.

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Avoidance of the content my posts is an indicator that you're running out of points to stand on.

 

Classic straw man argument.

 

Try again.

 

The United States has COMPLETE jurisdiction over US companies and ALL GOODS imported into this nation. Don't believe me? Try and bring European fruit into this country on your flight here.

 

HA! They will just end up in Jamaica Bay.

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lol... I tell ya I bought shoes and other small items back w/me from Italy and I didn't bother declaring everything because I didn't want to pay any fees or anything for bringing those items back w/me. The hell with that. I already paid for those items with U.S dollars while the prices were in Euros, so I

m already losing out as it is. :mad:

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As for your final point, the United States has COMPLETE jurisdiction over US companies and ALL GOODS imported into this nation. Don't believe me? Try and bring European fruit into this country on a flight here and see what happens. Importers are subject to US regulations when bringing things here. Embargoes against nations have been done before and are nothing much to enact and enforce if the government had the balls to do it after reducing debt to china.

 

Yes they do, but there's two problems:

 

1) The American people want (or can only afford) cheap products.

2) The American company makes billions of $ on cheap production in non-American places.

 

Both directly play for the politician's favor and elect them accordingly. They will never bow to what is "right" or "patriotic" if they can't stay in office if they do. You either have to change the people themselves or the whole system. Your choice.

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The problem, my friend, is capitalism. The problem is a country full of such greedy jerkwad corporations so desperate to make a buck that they'll outsource our country to death. That's the problem. It's not the American people, it's the American corporation.

 

Actually it's a combination of the two. Plenty of American people want their goods cheap. If you don't think so just go over to Canal St. That whole scene disgusts me that folks care so little about where those cheap knockoffs came from. I see it in my own profession. Folks want a top notch translation and they expect to pay next to nothing for it, but they want to earn 6 figures. This sort of mentality is the problem. Folks want to get paid top dollar, but they don't expect anyone else to earn top dollar for quality goods or work.

 

I explain to them that we're professionals and we don't outsource our work overseas, hence the difference in price. I go on to tell them that they are free to go to cheaper sources, but they very well be back in my office paying the same amount for the translation after getting burned trying to get it on the cheap. There is nothing wrong with bargaining but I can't stand cheap people. There's a difference between shopping and just being flat out cheap and folks like that just piss me to the core. They will have a sh*t load of money and they will nickel and dime you to death. :mad:

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See, I've always had the policy that you shouldn't force the producer to change their ways since they'll always find a way around them. Instead, educate consumers on what is a better option to buy (American made vs. Chinese made for example) and give them the ability to buy them.

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See, I've always had the policy that you shouldn't force the producer to change their ways since they'll always find a way around them. Instead, educate consumers on what is a better option to buy (American made vs. Chinese made for example) and give them the ability to buy them.

 

I agree. If more American consumers made a stink about not having American products available you would see more American companies producing here. Instead ask the average American consumer what they care about when buying a product and they will say the price. Of course you have certain tiers of consumers (i.e. high end consumers willing to pay more for quality products) but that does not represent the vast majority of American consumers. Now European consumers are much more educated. They may buy some cheap Chinese products, but they know exactly where they're products come from and they also know that too much Chinese products overall hurts their economy. The average American consumer doesn't even look to see where their product is from because their main focus is getting it cheap. LOL

 

Now this can vary a bit from country to country because Northern Europeans generally are more willing to buy from China since they don't manufacture as much generally with the exclusion of Germany. Meanwhile countries like Italy, France, Spain and Portugal vehemently fight the exporting of manufacturing jobs in the EU because their economies depend on it, as does Germany's to a degree. Germany is Europe's #1 exporter of goods.

 

The funny thing is that American companies are coming back because transportation costs are becoming too high, along with the wages in China increasing that they are better off manufacturing here. Aside from that there are safety issues ,as well as the fact that American companies want their products turned around quicker to get out to the consumer and having their products made in China defeats all of that, so we will indeed be seeing more and more "Made in USA". :cool: :cool:

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Yes they do, but there's two problems:

 

1) The American people want (or can only afford) cheap products.

 

No they don't. They want affordable quality. The choice has already been made for the American public by the profiteering corporations, their rich executives, and the politicians they bribe.

 

Americans are not so stupid as to sell themselves out. Again you are making the false assumption that American goods cannot be priced fairly which they can. THE GOVERNMENT OWES THIS DUTY TO AMERICAN CITIZENS TO PROTECT THEIR JOBS.

 

People are inherently conditioned to seek low price, but not if they know what it entails. When a large number of common consumer products don't even HAVE American made versions sitting on shelves next to the knockoff chinese shit, the consumer does not have a choice.

 

Likewise, if government kept inferior chinese goods out by acting to protect American interests, those goods would not be an option for the American consumer. America can, and has in the past done this...most notably during wartimes, but it can and has been done.

 

Yes, the price sticker may cost more on first appearance, but the cost in the long run is a lot less when citizens are employed, when the dollar is worth more, and the economy is actually growing instead of being propped up by ever increasing consumer and government debt.

 

2) The American company makes billions of $ on cheap production in non-American places.

 

And that's a problem. America has never been a plutocratic society until recently and that's why things are so f***ed up. Companies exist to serve their customers, and any money they can make from doing this is the REWARD, not the goal. When executives make decisions that harm an entire nation and that nation's government does NOTHING you have a problem.

 

Both directly play for the politician's favor and elect them accordingly. They will never bow to what is "right" or "patriotic" if they can't stay in office if they do. You either have to change the people themselves or the whole system. Your choice.

 

It's not about patriotic, it is about right. If someone came around that stood up for this nation, believed in it, and could throw out the inbred privileged elitist swine that inhabit both chambers of Congress, things might get done about this problem.

 

The people WANT this in most cases. Most Americans resent chinese influence in their country and rightly so. This is AMERICA. Why the fvck should Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabo be able to dictate policy to this nation? Why the fvck should our leaders cave to their demands when they run contrary to what is beneficial to the US. ANYONE from either party that stands up and reduces chinese influence WILL win the day at the elections in the United States - key phrase coming - IF THEY GET RESULTS.

 

But all there is a lot of hot air and talk.

 

The people aren't the problem. The people don't have the ability to change anything right now because elections are elitist duchebag #1 vs elitist duchebag #2, neither of whom understands and cares about the real issues facing this country.

 

The problem is the system, because it is "pay to play" which ensures the will of the people will get trod upon by the f***ed up and self serving agenda of the super rich and their loyal-to-nothing-except-money corporations.

 

And legal cases that establish and expand the definition of corporate citizenship sure as shit don't help stop this...

 

We are doomed in the end if we do not act within our lifetimes. Maybe even sooner than that.

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The funny thing is that American companies are coming back because transportation costs are becoming too high, along with the wages in China increasing that they are better off manufacturing here. Aside from that there are safety issues ,as well as the fact that American companies want their products turned around quicker to get out to the consumer and having their products made in China defeats all of that, so we will indeed be seeing more and more "Made in USA". :cool: :cool:

 

I hope you are right about that last part. The future and security of this nation depends on it.

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If the problem is the system, go blow up the Capitol. See how much that changes things. Hint: It won't.

 

No because the SYSTEM is corrupt not a building. Even if someone did that, nothing would change because a whole row of new a-holes would be lined up to replace them.

 

Second, and equally importantly, no matter how incompetent and corrupt people are they don't deserve to be killed for what they've done. They deserve to be stripped of power and hit with the same financial penalties they've hit working and middle class America with. Taste of their own medicine.

 

Terrorism solves nothing.

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Most of the Revolutions of the world seem to disagree with you.

 

Successful Revolutions don't start with blowing up symbolic buildings. They start with protests and spread to the execution of corrupt leaders once those leaders refuse to step aside...then end by directly replacing those corrupt leaders with leaders of the Revolutions who support a new way of thinking.

 

Blowing up buildings creates fear and allows the existing system to stay in place. Or are you actually naive enough to believe that Jared Loughner and the guy who flew a plane into an IRS building actually accomplished anything (note: they didn't)?

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