The Outsourcing of America
Just a quick follow-up this morning on my earlier post about the flood of cheap, poorly made (and don't forget toxic) products washing up on our shores, courtesy of Red China.
I installed yet another "Pride of China" faucet yesterday, an aptly-named "Pfister" (a company now owned by Black & Decker), which my customer had purchased at the local Lowe's. Got it all hooked up, opened the valves underneath, turned the water on and off, and...
drip...drip...drip...drip...
Defective hot water valve.
It's not that I should have been all that surprised. Three of the last four Chinese-made fixtures and faucets I've put in have had significant problems that required either a return trip to the store for replacement parts, or a purchase of additional parts and added labor costs for proper installation.
The next time you're in a big-box home improvement store, see how many products you can find that were made in the USA. I went to buy an extension cord the other day, and Home Depot had two or three, out of dozens, that weren't made in China (made in the Philippines).
China is flooding the American marketplace with cheap merchandise, and we're making it all possible by buying it up, all because of (A) the lower prices and (B) there simply aren't a lot of these products being made in America anymore.
I won't pretend to be intimately familiar with all the intricacies involved in foreign trade, but from where I'm sitting, it would appear as if we are being "out-capitalismed" by the largest Communist country on the face of the planet!
All the while, the Democrats in Congress - and those running for president - are pushing a platform of collectivism, redistribution of wealth, and a massive expansion of centralized governmental power that would make Trotsky blush with pride.
To a man (for lack of a better term) they are all running on the promise of more corporate tax hikes, which will drive up the cost of doing business, make it even harder for American businesses to remain competitive in the global marketplace, and will bring about even more outsourcing of American jobs to countries that most certainly do not have our best interests at heart.
And, in cases where the manufacturer or service provider decides to stay in the country, just who do these big-government liberals think will be paying for this increase to their bottom line?
When the cost of oil goes up, what happens to the price of gas at thew pump?
When the orange crops get damaged by an early frost, what happens to the price of orange juice?
When regulatory and licensing fees are increased, on to whom will those increased costs be passed as a result.
Christ, people, my five-year-olds can understand this simple concept. Not too surprising, seeing how their mental capacity has that of the average liberal in beat by about two years. Then again, these are the same people who turn a blind eye to countries that imprison political dissidents, while they march in the streets of Berkeley wearing t-shirts calling America a terrorist nation.
Higher taxes hurt everyone and degrade the quality of life for all of us, regardless of socio-economic status (with the exception of over-bloated governmental bureaucrats and the hordes of people who they've roped into becoming dependent on their taxpayer funded entitlement programs).
But, then again, the quality of life of the average American has never been at the top of their priorities list.
Hear this...November '08 will be much more than just another election.
It will be a battle for the very identity of America.
Our national sovereignty and economic standing in the world are on the line, and I don't intend on surrendering one inch to the forces that would strip me of my freedom, my individual liberties, and my dignity.
Nor, will I ever purchase a faucet manufactured outside the USA.
I installed yet another "Pride of China" faucet yesterday, an aptly-named "Pfister" (a company now owned by Black & Decker), which my customer had purchased at the local Lowe's. Got it all hooked up, opened the valves underneath, turned the water on and off, and...
drip...drip...drip...drip...
Defective hot water valve.
It's not that I should have been all that surprised. Three of the last four Chinese-made fixtures and faucets I've put in have had significant problems that required either a return trip to the store for replacement parts, or a purchase of additional parts and added labor costs for proper installation.
The next time you're in a big-box home improvement store, see how many products you can find that were made in the USA. I went to buy an extension cord the other day, and Home Depot had two or three, out of dozens, that weren't made in China (made in the Philippines).
China is flooding the American marketplace with cheap merchandise, and we're making it all possible by buying it up, all because of (A) the lower prices and (B) there simply aren't a lot of these products being made in America anymore.
I won't pretend to be intimately familiar with all the intricacies involved in foreign trade, but from where I'm sitting, it would appear as if we are being "out-capitalismed" by the largest Communist country on the face of the planet!
All the while, the Democrats in Congress - and those running for president - are pushing a platform of collectivism, redistribution of wealth, and a massive expansion of centralized governmental power that would make Trotsky blush with pride.
To a man (for lack of a better term) they are all running on the promise of more corporate tax hikes, which will drive up the cost of doing business, make it even harder for American businesses to remain competitive in the global marketplace, and will bring about even more outsourcing of American jobs to countries that most certainly do not have our best interests at heart.
And, in cases where the manufacturer or service provider decides to stay in the country, just who do these big-government liberals think will be paying for this increase to their bottom line?
When the cost of oil goes up, what happens to the price of gas at thew pump?
When the orange crops get damaged by an early frost, what happens to the price of orange juice?
When regulatory and licensing fees are increased, on to whom will those increased costs be passed as a result.
Christ, people, my five-year-olds can understand this simple concept. Not too surprising, seeing how their mental capacity has that of the average liberal in beat by about two years. Then again, these are the same people who turn a blind eye to countries that imprison political dissidents, while they march in the streets of Berkeley wearing t-shirts calling America a terrorist nation.
Higher taxes hurt everyone and degrade the quality of life for all of us, regardless of socio-economic status (with the exception of over-bloated governmental bureaucrats and the hordes of people who they've roped into becoming dependent on their taxpayer funded entitlement programs).
But, then again, the quality of life of the average American has never been at the top of their priorities list.
Hear this...November '08 will be much more than just another election.
It will be a battle for the very identity of America.
Our national sovereignty and economic standing in the world are on the line, and I don't intend on surrendering one inch to the forces that would strip me of my freedom, my individual liberties, and my dignity.
Nor, will I ever purchase a faucet manufactured outside the USA.
