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North Central Illinois | China has not been bullying. They have been giving the American consumer exactly what they want. Cheap crap! When labor costs began to overwhelm COP on American made goods back in the 70's and 80's China and other countries like Taiwan, Vietnam, Japan, Mexico and a host of others geared up and took advantage of it. They started supplying goods that while maybe not of the same quality as American made were much more affordable. Thus began the exodus of companies and jobs out of the USA. There is more to it than that but it really boils down to the fact that consumers made it clear what they wanted. Cheap crap at low prices. When you can go to Walmart and buy a box fan that is made in China and costs $16 how do you propose that an American company is going to be able to produce that same fan and have it cost close to the same? They can't. The people making the fans would be making at least $10 an hour along with any benefits and associated payroll costs. I am guessing for a company to make that fan in the USA it would cost at least $50.
I laugh when everyone on NAT gets all patriotic and demands that we bring the jobs back, buy American and what not. You can go over to the Machinery page and see them talk about going to Walmart, Sams, Costco or somewhere like that to buy hydraulic fluid and tractor batteries. We are all guilty of contributing to this mess but it is going to be a tough if not impossible cycle to break. | |
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I've been waiting for .....
