Posted on 07/05/2014 6:27:21 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
On Independence Day, celebrations across the United States depend on China.
The sparklers, bottle rockets and Roman candles you're using this Fourth of July almost certainly came from there.
So did the professional-grade pyrotechnics that was launched above the Washington Monument on Friday night.
Its a quirky exception to Buy American sentiments that are otherwise going strong and picking up steam in Washington and corporate America, especially around patriotic events.
After all, Congress passed a law this year requiring flags flown by the U.S. military to be made in America. Ralph Lauren, meanwhile, scrambled ahead of this years Winter Olympics in Sochi to make sure that Team USAs uniforms were all manufactured in the United States. And first lady Michelle Obama used U.S.-grown iris and quince blossoms at a state dinner for France in May, departing from the White Houses typical practice of using imported flowers.
But fireworks? No change there. Over the past 35 years, China has grabbed nearly the entire U.S. market with 98 to 99 percent of what consumers will buy this year being made there, as well as 75 percent of the display fireworks, which are used in big, public shows.
(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...
Leni
Haven’t most of our fireworks always come from China?
In times past, my daughter/son and I used to drive to Alabama and buy hundreds of dollars of fireworks. We’d congregate with all the family near dusk and barbeque and then shoot all the fireworks.
In my subdivision when I first moved here, everyone used to do something. Last night, I heard exactly three fireworks go off. Three. I didn’t celebrate anything because to me there was no reason. It is hard to celebrate freedom when you have tyrant who is showing his colors more and more every day.
I always thought that most of them came from china. They were expensive this year just the same. One item I always get every year...used to cost $1.50. They cost $6 this year. The same ones and a lot of times they’re duds. Won’t buy them anymore.
What a world we live in where in the land of the free you are not free to use fireworks (MA), but if you do, you light fireworks from the land of the un-free.
The bureaucratic red-tape and regulatory bullshit from our .gov would make such an endeavor nearly impossible to start up or get into. That’s not even considering the potential liability costs, insurance, compliance, and who knows what else when it comes to just operating as an employer for such a business.
While overpriced, fireworks manufacture is still very “low end” and seasonal. If it is not made in China, it has long been made in Mexico. Production in the US was mostly limited to a small number of family owned businesses, with large market regions, who would sell it themselves.
Yes, aside from some of the big professional stuff. The American fireworks manufacturing industry has always been tiny, just a few family-owned companies. They've had some costly, deadly accidents over the years, too. It wouldn't surprise me to see that go entirely offshore based on the manufacturing risk alone.
Last evening produced a resounding visible and audible sensation that the recession in East Tennessee is over. The population where I live spent untold sums on homegrown large and long pyrotechnic displays. Never before has there been such an effort.
For two hours or so there were continuous cracks and booms and crackles as all manner of fireworks exploded and dazzled. Never before have there been such fantastic back yard displays. The sound was like a war. Sharp distinct sounds of firecrackers and loud sometimes very loud booms of the aerial bombs. The large bombs at altitude reverberated and echoed off the surrounding ridges. The acrid smoke haze crept across the landscape.
My take was that the normal celebration of liberty was seized as the time, the moment, to release the recession fears pent up for years. It might not be universal, but here, the decree was published with extraordinary gusto and noise and dazzle and smell. Normal economic times are back
It was an extraordinary evening that all will remember and perhaps cherish
Can you imagine what it would take to set up a fireworks factory to produce products for consumers in the U.S.?
The regulations and insurance requirements would be staggering. I doubt they’d be in business for six months before they were sued because some drunk idiot blew his fingers off, and the media would have a field day with it.
Plus, they’d all have to be as large as sticks of dynamite to hold the required multi-lingual warning labels...
?
As others have pointed out China was firing off fireworks long before our rockets glared red.
not a big deal
China, in THIS case is not taking jobs from us. They have had those jobs for a long time
Seeing how the Chinese invented gun powder, this is no surprise.
We have unseasonably cool weather here in Kansas this year. Light winds. Recent rains to cool the drought and reduce the fire hazard. Add to that the fact that the 4th fell on a Friday. We sat on a hill on our farm and watched displays from the small municipality to our south plus the doc who lives to the north shot off probably $2000 worth of major fireworks. To the West about two miles there’s a small neighborhood that every year makes a huge display. And ours wasn’t too shabby - several of our friends showed up. It was wonderful. The nice ending was our tenant and his wife released their small red hot air balloon which floated high and to the northwest until it blinked out of site.
Fireworks purchased with EBT cards I am sure
Engineers and scientists and retired engineers and scientists generally don’t have EBT cards
Actually I almost did not even read this.
Since I was mentioned in the original post, I will just say fireworks have long been made in China, and I don’t have even one little issue with this, at all.
The big issue I have is we are exporting JOBS.
Jobs.
Bring back jobs to America. Sure I would be happy if firework manufacturing is brought to America, but my concern goes far beyond one manufacturing job, or another. China has for a very long time been involved with manufacturing fireworks. Almost forever.
What I am concerned about, is we are blindly exporting millions of American jobs to China.
We now import a huge amount of the things we buy right here in America.
Vacuum cleaners. Lawn mowers. Tools. Computers. iPads. You name it.
We import far, far too much of what we buy. America needs to bring back jobs.
That is what I am talking about. Bring back American jobs.
Jobs.
RE: I will just say fireworks have long been made in China, and I dont have even one little issue with this, at all.
So, no tariffs on imported Chinese fireworks products but tariffs on the rest?
:)
Sorry I’m not going to argue the issue here.
Just responding to your original post is all. Have a good one.
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