That other job thing is crap too. You go from making something to being a checker at Wal-Mart is not the same. You have pride, you are creating something for your neighbors, your family to use. Paper or plastic doesn't give you the same feeling of accomplishment.
Yep we can't grow coffee here so we better buy furniture from China. LOL
Here's a good example. We can't grow coffee here so lets buy all our oil from somewhere else.
We thank you for outsourcing that job.
"That other job thing is crap too. You go from making something to being a checker at Wal-Mart is not the same. You have pride, you are creating something for your neighbors, your family to use. Paper or plastic doesn't give you the same feeling of accomplishment." Maybe an improved vocabulary would be one of the job skills that would allow a worker to move up into a better job! Attitude is key, too.
"Tea grows better in India."
"In case something bad happens."
Not to worry, FYI---there is an island off the coast of NC (forgot the name)that has the climate needed for tea and a good deal of it is grown there. People clamor for this American tea.
Some of us farmers and ranchers grow tons of "tea." Technically, it's known as various infussions, but sometimes better than tea. Catnip, catmint,camomile, (these make one sleepy) choclate mint (tastes just like a York Mint Pattie), pineapple sage, etc, etc. There's almmost no flavor that a substitute has not been found for. Then there's Mormon Tea. It grows wild here in TX and is as good as tea. There are "coffee bean" trees that grow all over KS. The pioneers used them for coffee. There's also chicory for coffee. In LA they mix it with coffee and some won't drink coffee without it. For chocolate there's carob (my family can't tell the difference and it doesn't have the heart stimulants of Cocoa) For anyone who wants the stimulant, there is sasparilla root. People here used to drink it every spring as a "spring tonic." It's now against the law to sell it, due to that, but one can grow their own. It's what gives root beer it's flavor only now that flavor is made artificially, but the leaves are still made into what is known as file gumbo and used to make authentic gumbos. Sugar can be make from maple syrup and a number of other plants. Pepper is probably the least of our problems. So much pepper is grown in TX, that we have to plow most of it under.
I'd venture to say that we can find a good, or better,substitute for almost anything since we've been doing it for thousands of years. The only thing we now seem to lack is old fashioned "Yankee can do."