[Smokin' Joe]

Selling ranchettes to leftist Californians is not quite the same thing as selling factories here to the Chinese. The Chinese, imo are responding to the 'Buy American' swell that is getting traction in the US. Call it Xenophobia, call it realizing that the chemical and other standards over there are not the same as here, or call it keeping the waters clear when it comes down to whose pocket the money is going into. If the Chinese start making, well, crappy products in the USA, what happens to "made in USA"? It gets a bad rep for being a crappy product. Would the Chinese do such a thing? Recall if you will, that the principle of asymetrical warfare is to use unconventional means to cripple an enemy's economy, infrastructure, culture, and will to resist without using military means, and this is just one more tool which could be used.

The chinese have pretty much declared intent to bring the US down, and from many points of view, they are well on their way. If the plant is sufficiently good to operate in the US, or to be able to turn a profit, then there should be American investors who would be interested.

So, how would you feel if he sold it to Iranian nationals? Or North Koreans? Or is it just that the Chinese aren't quite as in-your-face about things (unless they are in a sub in the middle of your Carrier Group or flying fighters around your surveillance aircraft)?

Should we sell them the rope?

[sam_paine]

If the Chinese start making, well, crappy products in the USA, what happens to "made in USA"? It gets a bad rep for being a crappy product.......So, how would you feel if he sold it to Iranian nationals? Or North Koreans?

This is what I don't understand the focus of your concern.

Would you consider Taiwanese our allies? SOUTH Koreans? Japanese?

Let's just put that in order of stereotypes of poor quality....Japanese being best now, and Taiwanese the worst.

Would it be ok if all these Chinese purchases were being made by people from these countries?

How about Taiwanese-Americans with really crappy product quality ethics? What does it matter what ethnic group they're in?

To protect the "Made in USA" slogan, you would have some kind of what? Government mandated standards of quality for, like, what? Like machine tool tolerances like the USSR central committee doled out?

We should protect the American dream by turning into a totalitarian central economy where the state directs what to do or not do with the means of production? No thank you.

Should we sell them the rope?

All of your arguments could be used by the Chicoms about the USA undermining THEIR economy by assymetric means.

* American consumers demand factories for ultra-cheap WalMart goods.

* Chinese 'sellouts' open huge factories with govt money, pollute Chinese rivers, use Chinese energy and limited oil and natural resources like steel, and make ultra-low profit margins, keeping their workers at a subsistence wage.

* In return, Americans pay for this crap with inflated dollars which the Chicom govt must exchange for T-bills.

* So Americans get the stuff, and China gets the pollution and promissory notes.

If you were a Chinese National, you'd have to complain about China getting screwed in this deal.

Which is it?