Buy American

[Eddie_T]

Diane Sawyer is hitting hard with her buy American campaign. She just exposed a catalog sweetheart deal between colleges, universities and a catalog company. She has also checked out homes for made in America content. Now I'm thinking Diane needs to visit her local WalMart and report on what she finds there.

Now that being said, I confess that I just procured prescription eyeglasses which were made in China. Why? Because the price was more realistic I received multiple coated, tinted, bi-focal glasses with clip on shades for less than $50 with shipping. I contend that eyeglasses should not cost as much as a digital or SLR camera just because a prescription is required.

[MRB]

Been wearing reading glasses for years now and usually get them in full framed style as I spend alot of time going over large blueprints. I've found that it's not the uber high teck lens that costs me but rather the high fashion, ultra light, titanium frames that cost the $$$$$$.

Lost that pair of reading glasses last year that I had the frames for 11 years prior. Found the original reciept for the lost titanium ultra light frames and discovered that I had paid $412.00 for them in 1999. That was the frames only.

The optometry shop that I go to had re lensed these frames a few times since I had got them new. Went to optemtrist shop to get exact copy of frames and script lenses and they no longer carried that brand. They were American made.
They said that since the recession was on that no one was buying that high of dollar frames and they dropped that line and all other spendy lines of frames. I got a cheap temporary pair of frames and script lenses from them and went on a 2 month search for something at least somewhat close to what I had.

Finally I found a set of ultra light titanium frames at some obscure high end shop and had new script lenses made to fit the new frames I had bought. Lenses cost the same as the inexpensive place and the frames actually cost just under $350.00. I know kind of stupid spendy but these frames are exactly what I want and weigh only 1.7 oz. Like the ones I lost they are so light I can't even tell that I have them on. Also I can wrinkle them up in a ball and they return to their exact original shape.

Now that being said, I buy only for high quality and don'tr care where the product is made or what it costs if is the highest quality made. Alot of American made products are of the highest qaulity but not so much as 20 years ago. I've found that at least as much of off shore products I've bought over the last 20 years have been of equal or even better quality in the same offerings of American made stuff.

Also, you'll never see me in a Wal Mart as the obease women wearing spandex with 8 unruley brats in tow severely depress and scare the shat out of me.

[RedJeepXJ]

the whole buy "made in america" campaign is stupid, any 1st year economics student knows that, the real issue is that we need some method to adjust for countries with no labor or environmental protections as they are not competing fairly, at least to an extent that their harming of the environment affects us. But then again if we did that america would likely have some heavy tariffs against us for our hatred of any type of workers rights

[Eddie_T]

Stupid is a harsh word, I don't even use it to describe Obama. He just makes bad decisions as he lacks real world experience. However he is rapidly gaining the qualifications for good judgement. Good judgement comes from experience and experience comes from poor judgement.

[BCboy]

Simply charge a 100% tax on products that are not North American.
Canada, Mexico, and the USA just need to agree and sign it off as law.
But of course the brain dead monkeys in charge of our countries are clueless and would never use logic and common sense.

[blucher]

Originally Posted by Eddie_T

Stupid is a harsh word, I don't even use it to describe Obama. He just makes bad decisions as he lacks real world experience. However he is rapidly gaining the qualifications for good judgement. Good judgement comes from experience and experience comes from poor judgement.

No, stupid aptly describes getting into tariff wars. It's been tried in a number of guises and it doesn't work. Reinventing that wheel won't happen because it's bad economics. I had some clown in front of me yesterday with 3 or 4 stickers about buy American and colors not running all plastered on the back of his Hyundai.

The problem with grass roots movements is it includes the grass roots.

[YelloJeep]

Originally Posted by BCboy

Simply charge a 100% tax on products that are not North American.
Canada, Mexico, and the USA just need to agree and sign it off as law.
But of course the brain dead monkeys in charge of our countries are clueless and would never use logic and common sense.

Like Redjeep said (basically anyway), If we do that, what do you thik those other countries will do to the products we export to there??

I am not sure what the answer is but I can tell you that making our stuff even MORE expensive isn't going to help (ie raising production costs...). The fact of the matter is that we as a whole prefer to purchase the less expensive products if they are comparable quality....

[blucher]

The fact of the matter is that we as a whole prefer to purchase the less expensive products if they are comparable quality...

I've owned perhaps 25 cars in my life. The Rabbits, bugs and Hondas were cheap to fix but the Detroit iron rusted faster and cost more to repair mechanically.

[HiHood]

Originally Posted by RedJeepXJ

the whole buy "made in america" campaign is stupid, any 1st year economics student knows that, the real issue is that we need some method to adjust for countries with no labor or environmental protections as they are not competing fairly, at least to an extent that their harming of the environment affects us. But then again if we did that america would likely have some heavy tariffs against us for our hatred of any type of workers rights

YES!! one of the BIGGEST whiners out there about global warming is now not complying with the same things it was stressing that WE do. Not to mention China's name, but they are now realizing, (unlike Americans) that it is not possible to compete in the global economy and still comply with clean enviromental issues. If EVERYONE did it? It would knock the small buisnesses out who don't have much eccess cash to regroup/retool for compliance. Basically, we're screwed.

[Eddie_T]

Any government action would in the long run compound the problem. I think consumer awareness and voluntary buy American is the answer. However American workers need to quit scalping us. It seems that GM wants to buy out some long term employees in order to save $30 per hour.