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.
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.I think that if "protectionists" are all about "protecting" (am I playing a parlor game? sorry), then they'd be trying to figure out how to boost those numbers without looking for government help.
What he’s doing is advocating an unrealistic plan with patriotic overtones while cashing checks for endorsing a foreign made product.
Oh no. Shirley you don’t mean?
The dreaded patriotic overtones!
(que: the “dreaded patriotic overtones” music)
Okay, I’ll phrase it another way — he bolsters his image as a patriotic icon with an editorial while fattening his bank account by hustling cheap imports on infomercials.
It’s ok for people to realize the mistakes of their ways. Ronald Reagan once, was a democrat.
A lot of conservatives and libertarians, were once liberals.
I respect Chuck.
I respect him even more, now.
You fail to note that the reason production was moved was because the business was no longer viable and could not continue if production was maintained here.
With the government imposition of rule after rule after rule, costs rose to the point the business no longer made sense. Then there is the subject of wages. Americans priced them selves out of the market. Even with the application of technology their industries were just not able to produce at a level where the product could be sold.
Business is to make a profit, not to employ workers. Jobs exist because employees are needed. When there is no need there is no job.
Obama has promised what you want. Socialism
He’s entertaining and a fine action actor. That said, I’m against all entertainers wading into political debate. Their microphone is too large and drowns out the folks who know what they’re talking about.
Yes, they certainly have the right to say what they say, but they should understand that the volume at which they say it is disproportionately high.
"It’s not over the top. Chuck is stating the truth."
OK, say all our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan were to be handed pink slips, got hired by the Iranians, and congress etc. retires and moves to Bermuda. That's when I would say America is "sold to foreigners and abandoned by the government." Chuck Norris would probably have to say something like "the universe has imploded and our Creator is now working at MacDonald's."
Word inflation; over the top.
LOL.
You have a way with words. :)
(oops, sorry you do too, but that “you have a way with words” was intended for post #48)
See post #27 and KMA
What has Shirley got to do with this?
“The U.S. is being infiltrated by illegals, sold to foreign powers, and abandoned by its government....”
Hey..that’s what happens when you’re dead broke and in hock to the rest of the world...
“He’s entertaining and a fine action actor. That said, I’m against all entertainers wading into political debate. Their microphone is too large and drowns out the folks who know what they’re talking about.”
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Where to start?
Who decides who “knows what they’re talking about”?
Importers?
And about that fine action actor bit:
In Chuck Norris’ case, that’s not acting.
The Cheap Crap Brigade rides again.
Prior: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2158908/posts
And, oops, Chuck: http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=2553318
We understand that’s your opinion. What else you got?
As for making products better, most protectionists are already doing just that. OK, they come up with goofy rants on these threads, but almost all of them are hard working good people that make and sell real value to the rest of us. Sure, we know the world would be a better place if they'd just STFU, but they're saying the same about us.
It's the government handout part. Like, I don't try to raise their taxes to make my job easier, why should they?
“Don’t mean he ain’t right.”
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Maybe not but he’s in the same boat with the guy I still remember seeing thirty five years ago with all the stickers; THE FEW, THE PROUD, THE MARINES and SAVE AMERICAN JOBS BUY AMERICAN TEXTILES and a big American flag decal. All were on the rear of a...DATSUN pickup truck.
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