Imports force Hooker's downtown factory to close

The Raleigh News & Observer ^ | Thursday, August 7, 2003 | The Associated Press

[Ramius]

I'm not categorically against modest tariffs, sensibly imposed.

I'm not, however, sure that it would be enough to really do much to stop the flow of business out of the U.S. I also don't buy the argument that it is labor cost that it driving business out. Sure, labor is a factor, but I think more than anything we are regulating U.S. companies to death.

[oceanview]

all of a sudden? 3 years ago, this wasn't happening, has there been some surge in regulations in the last 3 years that has prompted this move against white collar employees?

[Brimack34]

We lost 42,000 manufacturing jobs since 2001 in Minnesota. There is only 4.8 million people here. Someone has too wake up. The left here needs too wake up, they are pissed we did not raise taxes on business!! So much so there are trying too smear the Gov.

[dirtydanusa]

A friend of mine is constantly going to China because his job is moving there and they are paying him to train the Chinese. He says the factory construction in Shanghi is incredible, mostly American name companies cashing in on cheap labor, no healthcare or retirement. He says his company pays the chinese $0.20 an hour, 96 hrs a week straight pay. He told me that a Walmart factory is in the process of moving one of it's factories out of Shanghi and into a small rural town where they will house and feed the people in instead of paying them.

[Cacophonous]

We are running a trade deficit. That means that we are importing more than we are exporting. Which means we are paying people more than they are paying us.

[Cacophonous]

At the very least, tariffs should be imposed to protect those businesses vital to national security. Why this notion is troublesome to people, I don't know. Even those that call themselves conservatives oppose this. Perplexing.

[LibertyAndJusticeForAll]

"The plant was built in the late 1800s."

It survived several previous recessions and cycles, but not this one. This one is different.