Posted on 01/08/2009 4:25:05 AM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
The U.S. is being infiltrated by illegals, sold to foreign powers, and abandoned by its government. But are Americans enabling the dissolution of our economy and country as well by continuing to buy foreign goods?
America literally is being sold out from underneath Americans. According to the 2008 Economic Report of the President: "The United States is both the single leading recipient and leading source of foreign direct investment in the world. In 2006, total cumulative FDI in the United States was almost $1.8 trillion, 15 percent of the world total." In 2006, foreign-owned assets in the U.S. totaled roughly $16 trillion.
And where does all that foreign investment go?
As Paul Craig Roberts, who once was the assistant secretary of treasury under President Ronald Reagan and associate editor of The Wall Street Journal, wrote seven years ago: "Very little of the foreign money flowing into the United States is for the purpose of building Toyota and BMW plants. Eighty percent to 85 percent of direct investment by foreigners in the U.S. economy goes into mergers and acquisitions. In 2000, 97 percent of direct investment by foreigners went for the purchase of existing U.S. assets." And those assets include U.S. government securities and liabilities, including our national debt, which is mounting into the teens of trillions.
We all know China serves as an example of this vicious cycle. American companies, from agribusinesses to Wal-Mart, have proliferated markets with so many "Made in China" labels that our nation has one big tag dangling from the toe of Florida -- "Sold to China." And do the Chinese mind their material and monetary dominance over America? Of course not. In turn, they take the money that we pay them for their goods and invest (lend) it back to us via our government as one of the groups of "foreign investors" in our national debt. And why? Lately, the reason has been so Congress can bail out more American industries and deepen our bondage (and ownership) to countries such as China.
In the same 2002 column, Roberts eerily predicted: "The United States is on its way to becoming a country whose corporations are foreign-owned and foreign-based. The United States will decline as a consumer market, as there will be no high-productivity jobs to support consumer demand. The United States is importing a new population that will help it on its way to Third World-ism. Every year, millions of poor and uneducated immigrants, both legal and illegal, pour into the United States from alien lands. … Today, 20 percent of the U.S. population is foreign-born or children of foreign born. This massive influx drives up the demand for income-support programs, while driving down the taxable wages in retail- and service-sector jobs, where Americans are forced to seek employment as higher-paying automotive, electronic, textile and manufacturing jobs leave the country. The United States is still a superpower, but it is a country with very little, if any, control over its future and its destiny, a country whose time is running out."
It's time to realize that we're all together in this boat called America, that the boat is sinking, and that government is not our salvation. Our hope is not in Congress or even a political-messianic deliverance through the presidency. The only economic stimulus plan they should be preparing is the one that rewards manufacturers and consumers who promote and purchase American-made products and services. Our government doesn't need to dole out more bailouts and drown us deeper in debt. We don't need more bad trade agreements, such as NAFTA, or to provide tax relief incentives for corporations that are outsourcing. We need fair trade, not free trade. And we need a fair tax, not a flowering system of taxes.
Let's be honest. Justifications abound for purchasing foreign goods, and many of them make perfect sense. Reasons range from price to quality, but, as we have with gas prices, maybe we will continue to enable foreign dominance in commerce and beyond by paying the prices and not coming up with alternatives. We say we can't afford to buy American, but maybe it's time to say we can't afford not to. By supporting our homeland, we not only are investing in America and boosting the economy but also are helping to reverse staggering unemployment rates and keeping companies from going under. We all can do our part to bail the water out of our sinking ship by buying American goods and services.
But be careful with labels, as there's an obvious difference between "Made in USA" and "Assembled in USA." And some labels lie, so do your homework. Take some time to understand what it means for a business to comply with the "Made in USA" standards (www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/business/adv/bus03.shtm). And check reputable consumer Web sites, such as MadeInUSAForever.com and StillMadeInUSA.com, to search for domestically manufactured goods and services.
The good news is that, according to a Gallup Poll, 72 percent of Americans today are more concerned with the geographical origins of products they purchase, and 50 percent even are willing to pay more for American-made products. For many, "Made in USA" labels represent an increased concern for work and environmental conditions, quality and consumer safety. Buying American is also a way to rekindle patriotism.
If you're old enough, you'll remember when "Made in USA" was a badge of honor. Well, I'm proposing a buyers' revolution in which we all economically win that medal of valor. If the government isn't going to help us by securing our borders, reducing outsourcing, or ceasing debt caused by bogus bailouts and out-of-control spending, then we the people have got to take back the financial future of our country. The buck stops here -- in America. One resolution we all should make in 2009: Buy "Made in USA." Don't just go green; spend green -- in homemade products and services. If just half the country followed suit, our downturned economy would turn around in half the time.
> LOL!!! Boy, you have REALLY drank the liberal kool aid, haven’t you?
> You have no idea at all what you are talking about, but you sure do know how to repeat the leftist talking points on command.
Rather than being insulting and obnoxious, why don’t you simply prove me wrong? Show me an organization that has a unionized workforce that has never done anything ever to deserve it.
You won’t because you can’t.
I used the word in terms of international trade.
Closing our borders to all imports is obviously out of the question. Opening the borders to all imports is equally foolish. We have to strike a balance. And there is no bumper sticker ideology that can accomplish that...it’s a complex subject with complex solutions.
Not at all. I buy American whenever possible. At the same time, I realize many folks cannot afford to “buy American.” Chinese made goods are the only option for them.
Chuck?
Has Pat been making your Koolade?
Well, no. We’re not “trading”. That would imply a two-way exchange. The current situation is not trade, it is simply a sellout.
We’re selling out. Or more accurately, being sold out. A very few people are becoming incredibly wealthy, by selling America’s capabilities to hostile foreign powers.
Enough!
Meanwhile, Americans by the millions and millions have jobs that depend on export trade.
When you view the world in a mirror with closed eyes, you miss out on reality.
There's an attempt to emasculate Americas ability to protect herself by destroying our manufacturing capabilities. If we ever need to fight a global war, where this global economy is non-existent, we're screwed.
In that respect, we need to start PROTECTING ourselves, NOW!
OOOPS ! No more MADE IN USA tvs Chuck . Guess we can’t watch your lousy movies any more .
“Meanwhile, Americans by the millions and millions have jobs that depend on export trade.”
A greater number of jobs have been shipped over seas. Where’s the balance?
Like I said, we need to strike a balance.
“Closing our borders to all imports is obviously out of the question.”
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Closing our borders to imports is not “out of the question”. It might be inconvenient for you as an importer but it is certainly not, out of the question.
In fact that is looking more and more, like the solution.
Close our borders. Yes.
Close them to imports.
Then we negotiate. From a position of strength.
I’m not an importer.
Name a developed country that has closed borders to imports.
I’m not going to get wrapped up in your “free trade” parlor games.
Time to take a firm stand.
America first.
It’s not a “parlor game,” it’s the way the world works. America can either be governed by slogans or governed by tough pragmatism and international negotiation.
and for the record, I believe in “America First” as well, but that means getting the best deal possible for our country and not becoming a hermit kingdom like North Korea.
So the plan he describes in this article, if successfully implemented, might significantly hurt sales of the Total Gym that he endorses and markets? Meaning, he's advocating actions that would work to reduce his value, and income, in the marketplace?
Wow, that's some debunking you've done.
(And that's sarcasm, painfully so, in case you weren't sure.)
The Soviet Union might have tried it, but I'm not sure.
“Not at all. I buy American whenever possible. At the same time, I realize many folks cannot afford to “buy American.” Chinese made goods are the only option for them.”
or saving up... Or buying used, or fixing what they have, or doing with out. Most of the stuff from China is just plastic crap we don’t need any way.
I bought a pair of boots made there a couple of years back for $60. Three months later they were leaking, and killing my feet. I tossed them and bought Red Wings for $120, and they have lasted 2.5 years. I will be sending them back to the factory to be resoled some time this year. It would be penny wise and pound foolish for me to purchase non USA made work boots.
Nope, they traded regularly with the Soviet bloc countries and Cuba.
I own Red Wings as well. An excellent product. Alden is another excellent shoe manufacturer — all USA made — and I’d put them up against any British or Italian manufacturer of shoes. Unfortunately, they are pricey.
Allen Edmonds is another ALL USA MADE shoe manufacturer. Slightly less expensive than Alden, but still an excellent product. If cared for properly, they will last 20 years or more.
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