Just how do you BUY AMERICAN?

[Scooby074]

These sentences were nothing more than token penalties doled out to BS the world that China is dealing with the problem. These examples were not done with the intent of getting Wang Chung Enterprises executives to tow the line and be responsible corporate citizens.

Of course the sentences aren't so token if you are the unlucky one singled out by your Gummint to receive them.

I agree 100%. I just made the above post for clarification. Nothing will change.

 

[IslandTractor]

These sentences were nothing more than token penalties doled out to BS the world that China is dealing with the problem. These examples were not done with the intent of getting Wang Chung Enterprises executives to tow the line and be responsible corporate citizens.

Of course the sentences aren't so token if you are the unlucky one singled out by your Gummint to receive them.

Certainly there is always PR value in death sentences. Why do you think we carry them out in the USA? However, it is not like China never executes criminals for other reasons. I believe they execute more criminals than any other country, maybe more than all others combined. And they have in the past decade executed government officials who were taking bribes etc that had no particular Western focused PR value too. It's unfair to say they are just executing these melamine crooks for a little extra CNN coverage.

China doesn't yet have even the type of FDA infrastructure we have and ours is far from perfect. You pays your money and you takes your chances. They are capable of putting a man into space but they are also perfectly capable of producing as shoddy products as some marketing guy wants to order. Often that marketing guy is a US citizen and in that case who is really the villain?

 

[stevem5215]

I have a Steiner 4wd sub-compact tractor. I'd have to say that these will do most anything you ask of it with all the attachments they have. And they are made in Ohio. They are not cheap though and therein lies the problem. Good, cheap, fast. Which two do you want ? I went used to keep it "cheaper". But it's still good. They are amazing machines. I have the power brush for clearing the snow on the driveway and it really eliminates the need for salt (unless it's a ice storm of course). Everytime I use it i'm amazed at how well it works.

Steve

My DeWalt tools are ALL Chinese made. Delta is Chinese. Just today I was puttering in the shop and found an invoice for repair parts sent to me by Delta for free to fix an engineering/manufacturing defect in their infinitely variable speed bench top drill press my wife won as a door prize. All the parts had COOL (Country Of Origin Labeling) and all the parts were Chinese. Even when I have tried to buy American (and was not fully informed) I failed. My Dodge 1 ton dually with Cumins diesel was HECHO EN MEXICO!

Even if your tractor is assembled in the US it is likely (darned good chance) from large sub assemblies imported from overseas. It is cheaper to ship tractors disassembled as they take up less volume. So big deal... your tractor was bolted together from a few crates of foreign built subassemblies, is that made in the USA. Not in my book.

So, how do you buy American? Even a car built in Detroit is chock-a-block with foreign built parts and assemblies.

I don't think it is prudent or practical, if possible, these days to ONLY buy American.

What do you think?

Pat

 

[Builder]

Steiner makes great stuff, not exactly stylish, but high quality long lasting equipment.

 

[patrick_g]

So, I get an email from a catalog store in South Dakota offering some Westinghouse brand solar powered landscaping lights. Great close out price so I bought a bunch. The order came in yesterday and today I opened it up. The boxes have the old recognizable "W" logo and the decades old catch phrase, "You can be sure...if it's Westinghouse." The instructions and warranty paperwork is printed in China. The plastic bags in which each diffuser is wrapped is marked made in China. Reading the paperwork I find the product is by Westinghouse International Development Corp.

Got me again! Thought I was buying American (WESTINGHOUSE NAME, SLOGAN, AND LOGO) but nope it is CHINESE GOODS. We've come a long way baby, since Westinghouse sponsored "Mr. Wizard."

I think the feeling of helplessness, not being able to trust the brands of your childhood and decades after, and a certain chagrin at being fooled yet again tends to breed a backlash of resentment.

We are not necessarily powerless as a nation and the Chinese are not omnipotent just apparently smarter than we are in aggregate. They can only do to us what we let them do. Divide and conquer is a time tested tactic. Appeal to individual greed and sway a nation to do what is clearly in aggregate not in its best interests. I get the feeling we regret, en mass, the relative positioning of the US and China in the macroscopic view but as individuals want to get the good cheap deal more bang for our buck and hope someone else will fix the problem that we participate in producing.

ARGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pat

 

[queen of spades]

There is an American made equivalent for just about every product on the market. I stopped trusting name brands years ago.. just read the news and see how many plants have closed and been offshored.. that was proof enough.

 

[jk96]

Here's a website that may be of interest. Sorry if its already posted. Too many post to read.

madeinusa.com - understand the power of patriotic spending

Here's a quote from there site as well.

"There are 293 million people living in the United States. If each one would shift $20 a month in spending from foreign made products to American made products, that would create 5 million new jobs."

 

[Scooby074]

Westinghouse, Malibu , moonrays ,pretty much any of the Home Depot/ walmart brands are going to be made in china.

If you want something made in the USA your going to have to pay a heck of a lot more. I got sick and tired of chasing problems with cheap moonrays so i upgraded to these : Nightscaping - Footliter (Pathlighter) They're made of solid brass and copper and have been excellent in a salt air environment. no corrosion issues that plagued my previous install. The transformer is in a Nema rated stainless enclosure. Can you get this for $39.95 at HD, nope, but if you want quality its worth it.

 

[patrick_g]

...and the beat goes on... My wife recycles, i.e. reuses cardboard boxes and did so with the box my Christmas present came in. The present is a Meade Optical Company product. Meade sells telescopes and astronomy stuff. I got a "MySky" device that knows the location of over 30,000 celestial objects, can point a 'scope at them, and does other neat stuff. Just a little while ago I noted the reused box and the large label, CHINA!

I just got off the phone with the seller of the landscaping lights and made the guy aware that COOL (Country OF Origin Labeling) would sure be a step in the right direction.

Pat

 

[J_J]

This is just one way that China gets away with labeling.

You guys so know that China can legally put Made in USA. on some of their products. Yep, sure can, it seem like China has a town called USA, and they label all the products . Made in USA.