mowermech wrote:
I would like to "buy American", so I did a little research several years ago.
Of course, we all know about the "W" stores, often referred to as "Chinamart".
So, I went to Kmart. Most of the stuff made overseas (NOT just China, by the way).
I tried Shopko. Most of the stuff made overseas (much of it from Viet Nam!)
I tried Costco. Same thing.
I checked the gift shop at Cracker Barrel. Same thing.
I tried a locally owned and operated Native American shop. Less than half of the items in stock were made on U.S. Native American Reservations, the rest was made overseas.
I checked Tractor Supply Company. Same thing.
Big R Ranch supply? Same thing.
You drank the cool aide. Don't blame the American worker,blame the American Corporations. The worker performs the work a sspecified by the corp. the worker does not design or set assembly line rate of travel.
To say the American worker is less capable or motovated than a worker in some offshore shop is fully spouting the roght wing talking points bad worker bad union only sweat shops will save America at less than living wages. Lower teh American wage to that of a Chinese worker. $5.00 per day and where would you get the money for your RV toy?
Actually, with the exception of certain "specialty" items (Carhartt work clothes, furniture, things like that) they all had pretty much the same assortment of stuff, most of it from overseas.
Wranglers, Levis, Dickies, Carhartt, Blizzard-Pruf, parts for Ford N series tractors, furniture made from pressed sawdust, etc., all from overseas.
Is the CEO to blame? Perhaps, but he has to answer to the Board of Directors, and they have to answer to the stockholders. Who are the stockholders? Well, the majority of them are YOU guys! (not me, I don't own any stocks, and I have no "retirement funds" that are invested in the stock market.)
So, WHO sent all that manufacturing overseas? IMO, a sizable portion of the blame goes to the American worker, who incessantly wants more money for the same amount (or less, in many cases) of work. When it becomes cheaper to send the raw materials overseas, fabricate the goods, then ship the finished product back to this country, than it is to manufacture the product here, there is more than enough blame to spread around, starting with the janitor in the plant and going all the way up to government regulations and taxation.
Yes, the CEO carries part of that blame, but there is MUCH more to it than his/her desire for profit (to keep his/her job?) and the bonuses the Board voted for him/her!
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