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Covid19 - Made In China

I think it was in the mid-60's when I first noticed Americans become willing to compromise - willing to accept lesser quality for lower prices.

It may have been K-Mart that brought the first assault on quality. Crappy merchandise, just enough employees to stock shelves and with zero knowledge to assist shoppers. The downtown department stores suffered, downsized or just closed forever.

And so it continued. Manufacturers responded to the market and many left the USA to foreign countries where the government policies produced workers willing to provide labor at a fraction of what they were used to paying. Even though their quality suffered, customers is the USA - the worlds largest consumer group, were still willing to accept crap for their hard earned money.

I have no axe to grind with the Chinese people - none. It's the Chinese Communist Party at fault. Just like any leftist government, the CCP controls everything. And, it's gotten worse as time passed. And now, the CCP has dropped covid19 on all of us. Killed hundreds of thousands of people and maybe just maybe the real target - destroyed world economies.

With that as the backdrop, my question is this - from this point forward, will you be more aware and less likely to buy ANYTHING Made In China? Will you opt to spend a little more for higher quality? And maybe most importantly, avoid helping to fund the CCP?
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Heartlander · 80-89, M
It's the game politicians play .... higher minimum wages, high taxes, welfare, government restrictions together make US products unaffordable, including making them unaffordable to the American people who see half or more of their income going out in some form of taxes.

So open the door wider for products made in places where there is no minimum wage, no worker protections, no pollution restrictions, lower taxes, and often no freedom. It's the modern manifestation of colonialism, but without having the trouble and expense of running the colonies. If the colony misbehaves, just pack up and find another colony.
4meAndyou · F
@Heartlander Don't forget that the Chinese have also manipulated their currency. And their people are so badly underpaid they eat bats.
Uncfred · 61-69, M
@4meAndyou It is suggested in the media that "Bats" may be the carriers whilst some dogs have eaten their meat.
Heartlander · 80-89, M
@4meAndyou

[quote] Don't forget that the Chinese have also manipulated their currency[/quote]

And they couldn't get away with that without collaborating with US lawmakers. Much like with US politically connected advisors, board members, lobbyist, advisors and agents selling their assistance to Burisma for $millions; you have to wonder about how China gets such one-way favorable trade and currency-exchange accommodations with the US?
4meAndyou · F
@Uncfred Wow. I am pretty sure that we will find out a lot more, soon. They have put our intelligence services onto it.
4meAndyou · F
@Heartlander Just ask the Clintons and George Soros and Mike Bloomberg.
JoeyFoxx · 51-55, M
@Heartlander none of what you said is supported by actual economic studies.
Budwick · 70-79, M
@Heartlander [quote] they couldn't get away with that without collaborating with US lawmakers. [/quote]

If only there were someone in DC to drain the swamp!
Heartlander · 80-89, M
@JoeyFoxx

US welfare pays better than what a typical factory worker earns in Mexico. Last I checked, the average factory worker in Mexico earns about $2.30 an hour.
Heartlander · 80-89, M
@4meAndyou

Yes, reflecting on how they facilitated the sale of contaminated blood from Arkansas prisoners, I'm prone to suspect less than honorable behavior there.
JoeyFoxx · 51-55, M
@Heartlander What the hell does welfare and Mexican factories have to do with this?

Have you ever owned a business? Have you produced products to sell?
Heartlander · 80-89, M
@JoeyFoxx

[quote] Have you ever owned a business? Have you produced products to sell?
[/quote]

Yes, yes. I grew up in family owned businesses, and after college and working for a half dozen companies in different industries that all went bankrupt, I started my own business. That was thirty years ago, and we're still in business; far outlasting any of the companies I had ever worked for.

I do owe a big thanks to all those businesses I worked for that failed. They provided me with the opportunity to see the world and business from a variety of view-windows. Add that to multiple positions in the military, here and abroad, plus military reserves and even a little time in civil service and I've had access to more than a few of those view-windows.
JoeyFoxx · 51-55, M
@Heartlander Interesting.

What in your experiences support this statement?

[quote]higher minimum wages, high taxes, welfare, government restrictions together make US products unaffordable[/quote]
Budwick · 70-79, M
@JoeyFoxx [quote]What in your experiences support this statement?[/quote]

Did you bother to read the comment you are responding to?
JoeyFoxx · 51-55, M
@Budwick I don’t recall asking for your input here.
Budwick · 70-79, M
@JoeyFoxx [quote]I don’t recall asking for your input here.[/quote]

You got a freebie!
You're welcome.
JoeyFoxx · 51-55, M
@Budwick oh gosh Don Pardo! I had no idea that I would win something that wonderful!

*jumps up and down excitedly*