Made In China: Pick Your Poison
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Let me think…do I want my kids ingesting lead paint or the date rape drug? Those seem to be the choices today with the junk we import from China. After months of hearing about the recalls on Chinese products I have a pretty obvious question, why do we still have so much Chinese junk coming into this country?
Greedy American Companies
The main reason is because the businesses who sell this junk are making truck loads of money. These people worship money to the point of endangering our children with poisonous products. It’s all about the buck. I guess you could argue that these companies are ensuring employment for the Chinese children who are making the products that are being imported into America. Oh wait, employment infers money for work; I think that these kids are on the work-or-else program.
American Consumers Are Guilty Also
That’s right, if we don’t buy it these retailers won’t carry it. As long as we continue to sacrifice quality and safety for price this junk is here to stay. I have been as guilty as anyone in the past, but in recent years I have been trying to pay attention to the products that we buy and only buy American made products. It’s even rubbed off on my kids. I have a six and a seven year old, and they check the “made in” information when we are shopping.
Some Trade Is Good
I realize that some international trade is good, but I also know that the United States has a huge trade deficit with China. In 2006 the total U.S. trade deficit with China was 232 billion U.S. dollars. Through September 2007 the deficit was $187 billion, which puts us on track for a $250 billion deficit for 2007. Let’s see if we can start spending some of those billions here at home.
Humorous note: I overheard my kids talking about where to put different toys. I moved in to listen ( as long as they are living in my house their business is my business, but that’s another artilce) and discovered that they were sorting toys by their “made in” information. My son said that he wants to have a collection of toys that are made in America. The funny part was when my son brought in a toy and exclaimed, “Hey, I found a toy that was made in Philippians!”
My daughter also gathered some items that she had made by hand and wrote “Made in USA” on them with a Sharpie.
You have some really cool kids. It’s hard to believe that they are way more mature than most adults. I don’t know if they are naturally that intelligent or if they were raised that way. Either way, it offers hope to the future of this country. If they can hold on to their convictions, I would be proud to live in a country that they were running. (I would also like to know where they stand on immigration, crime, gay marriage,and welfare).
Retailers sell what we, as consumers, will buy. It’s really that simple.
The problem is that although people like to talk about buying made in America products, their actions reveal that low costs, and not American loyalty, are the true motivations for their purchasing decisions.
There is no “quick fix”, but making a stand in order to create this great nation didn’t happen overnight either.
Look around. If you are doing the same thing as everybody else, then you are part of the problem. Make a stand, take a stand and let’s keep America great.