Chinese poison

[staggerwing]

I always try to avoid buying junk from China. Last week I paid $129 for a blender just to get one that wasn't made there. A few months ago, I bought an English toaster for $250. The best I could do for a coffee pot was made in Mexico for $50, but at least it wasn't Chinese. Yea, it's alot of money, but I'd rather pay for products made by folks who get paid a living wage (well, maybe not the coffee pot) and perhaps get something that will last for more than a week in the bargain. The problem is, there are some things for which threr does not seem to be any alternative.

 

[HadleyH]

Don't like it one bit!

Yes, it's sad isn't it?
95% is all disposable poison! [huh]

 

[dhermann1]

The export of manufacturing jobs is sort of inevitable. A hundred years ago the British were saying the same things about cheap American goods. Britain had been the manufacturing exporter to the world, but then the Americans did it cheaper and better. Some day it will happen to China. Indian or African goods will underprice Chinese goods. The thing that's really disturbing is the perverse sense of ethics, or total lack thereof, that seems to be the norm in China. My in-laws used to have manufacturing (garment) done in China, and my mother-in-law said that this is very deeply embedded in their culture. Like the robber baron morality of the 19th century, but much worse. Well, we can vote with our wallets. We can find reliable quality and stick to it. Eventually they'll get the message. I have a British toaster and had a British vacuum cleaner (you know the brand). They were good stuff, not cheap, but high quality. We can't get away from the fact that it's a world market, but we can still make our own choices about what we buy.

 

[HungaryTom]

D?©ja vu

Decline of western civilization, due in part or all by the U.S. being lazy, having too much money, buy buy buy. Land grab, greed.
Look no further than farms in the U.S. You what to know why milk prices are so high? Farms being sold to make way for new homes, import all goods, products from China. The American way? :rage:
One day unless we (western USA) change, will owe everything, lock stock and barrel to China. What would happen if China cashes in her chips? “Give us California” Why make war when you can over a period of time silently over take the whole country?

Very sharp eyes - Bravo.

Merkantilism-France did produce all luxury goods for Spain which wasted its fortune in the endless wars and luxury spending. See where did they end up in 1800.
Learn history and learn the lessons. It should be USA and not USC - the United State of Corporations that (ab)use politicians just as an instrument of their power. Those corporate leaders don't have any strategy but making money. Sorry for the wrong formulation: less 'Shareholder value'. And unfortunately they are not elected can not made to resign - only if they make less money. But not if they hurt national interests.
You chase terrorists and neglect the idiocy of corporations.
They finance the election campaigns.
And if this can happen with a superpower - what should other countries do? The Corporation should be a compulsory book. Anonimity and 0 accountability of decisionmakers and movers has never been productive.

On the other side of the Pacific they have strategy - and they have the strategic power in the hands of politicians.
And those never outsource production in the hand of concurrence.
Do you believe that the Soviets or the Nazi would have also gladly have your aircraft industry production outsourced to their countries or they would have gladly translated all your top secret correspondence for free - they would even have paid for you for that?
But since Churchill, FDR & Co. were strategic thinkers and had sufficient power they did not let this happen. Which company is currently operating the largest US harbors? Not more the British originated P&O. The new owner comes from the Gulf States.

Chinese have a 5000+ years old history. Another thing: democracy and civilization are not the same. In China and Asia they always had civilization but never democracy. Hierarchic society. The leader is making the decisions. Merchants just make the money.
Decision makers should be the statesmen - the cream of politicians.
Politics is a science and art in itself! Please respect this.
Politics should not be just the playground of some fooling around ex-corporate guys!!!!!

Both countries are approx. same big: half of China is the Gobi desert or the Tibetan plateau: will never be inhabited. Plus they have 1300 million people to feed vs. 300 million in the US.
Different rules.

Ballad from the 16th century - a war between Habsburg (Western)and Ottoman (Asian) superpower: A Turkish leader promised a Hungarian officer in the 16th century so much gold that he will have it even under his skin. And once they conquered the fortress due his treason: the traitor was skinned alive and that skin was filled with gold. The Ottomans naturally killed the Hungarian commander but burried him with tribute. Money doesn't come always fist.

Conslusion?
The USA will not be able to grow in consumption forever -too much debts.
China will be also stopped one day in its dynamics by the pollution and poisoning of its environment. And they can not go lower with prices.
India too: 1,5 billion people – simply not enough ecological space –or simply drinking water- to sustain those vast populations especially if they have too many who want to consume on Western Levels.
Africa has not such an attitude towards manufacturing.
9-12 billion consuming oriented people will be too much. A correction or something alike will happen some day.

 

[Twitch]

Today it was reported that 20% of Chinese kids have toxic levels of lead in their systems. This is sorry stuff

 

[nyx]

When you get in bed with communists, what do you expect is going to happen? I know politics are banned, but this is simply too obvious I think.

Actually, I'm not sure how this is really related to the topic? I think there are far too many things having an influence on these problems than to blame it all on one simple thing--"communists". I think people have made some valid points about American consumerism and also about businesses cutting costs by shipping work out overseas. As someone mentioned earlier, Upton Sinclair wrote The Jungle--in which the bad guy was our own American capitalist government and the businesses running the meat-packing industry. Poor or deliberately lax oversight in an industry happens all over the world and will probably happen again.

 

[JMADSENK]

Still, a large majority of people on this site have no problem running over to Wal-Mart to buy Chinese made goods. Unless American consumers demand better and safer products, American manufacturing companies will continue to suffer having to compete with $0.47 a day wages.

 

[Hemingway Jones]

This was an interesting topic and we let it go on for a while, despite the inherently political nature of the topic. I hope that everyone has had their say. If not, please carry it on through PMs.

Since this isn't really relevant to a forum about The Golden Era, I am going to close this one down now.

Thank you for your understanding.