News, Florida City Tries to Ban Chinese Products. (Christmas: agriculture, income)

[John1960]

Made in China. These three words appear in virtually every household, office or school.

But one Florida city is considering stopping, or at least slowing, the flood of computers, coffee makers, artificial Christmas trees and other Chinese-made goods its residents buy each year.

ABC News: Florida City Tries to Ban Chinese Products

[macguy]

Originally Posted by John1960

Made in China. These three words appear in virtually every household, office or school.

But one Florida city is considering stopping, or at least slowing, the flood of computers, coffee makers, artificial Christmas trees and other Chinese-made goods its residents buy each year.

ABC News: Florida City Tries to Ban Chinese Products

Moderator deleted. Are they prepared to throw away their cellphones or Blackberries or laptops? China and other countries manufacture products right to the level of quality the buyer is willing to pay for and orders. The same factory that produces cheap crap is also build the most high end products because that is what the buyer wants. I have a friend who has cues made over seas. They are high end and the quality is superb. They are made to his specs with him suppling all the raw materials. those sellers who are professing ignorance about some of the recent happenings are not innocent at all.

They tour those factories and know exactly what is going on. They place orders based on price and don't care how that low price is acheved, as if they don't know. Want to boycott somebody, boycott Toys r us or Walmart who ordered and brought this cheap junk into the country. And forget "Buy only American made". You could never afford anything when you have American workers who want to be paid $30.00 an hour to place a box on an assembly line and take one off, essentially overpaid unskilled jobs. Nothing makes me more mad then hypocrites, which is what you have with that story.

[tallrick]

They do not have the ability to regulate interstate or international commerce like that. One lawsuit and the law goes away.

[NSX1990]

When I was a shoe salesperson in high school, old Floridians would routinely complain that all their shoes were made by "those Chinese" and "what ever happened to good ol' Made in the USA?"

Then they would go on and complain about how expensive their $39.99 shoes are.

...

It took an extreme amount of self-control not to tell them how stupid they are; your shoes would be a whole lot more expensive if they were made domestically.

[sunrico90]

Should WE only purchase US made products?

Will our manufacturing industry come back to life?

Will our economy improve?

How can we do it?

[Lilybeans]

Originally Posted by macguy

They tour those factories and know exactly what is going on. They place orders based on price and don't care how that low price is acheved, as if they don't know. Want to boycott somebody, boycott Toys r us or Walmart who ordered and brought this cheap junk into the country. And forget "Buy only American made".

You are making a huge mistake here.

Do not equate goods imported from China with goods imported from other countries. There is nothing wrong with imports. There is something hugely wrong with imports from China. It's China that's the problem. Don't get confused.

China uses slave labor. China is our enemy. China sells firearms and other weapons to Iran and Al-queda. If you buy Chinese goods, you are funding the very weapons that are used to kill our troops.

As far as boycotting Wal-Mart-absolutely. Right on the money. I haven't been inside a Wal-Mart in over 5 years and don't plan on ever going back. Wal-Mart is a direct conduit of dollars to China.

[mainship]

If I find it on the label, I refuse to buy it, food is the only place I can say I can afford any other country. Why would I do this, I don't trust a country that has been caught senting poisons and carcinogens in paint, plastics and medicines. Who tests food! USDA and state agriculture agencies at about 1%

[NSX1990]

Oh I just love the naive idealism of certain posters here.

Study economics.

If China sank into the sea tomorrow, our economy would collapse. Not only do so many consumer goods come from China, so do many raw materials that are used by American industries in our factories.

I am all for more careful international regulation of labor practices, quality control, and safety. But good luck boycotting everything that says "Made in China" lol.

And Lillybeans, hate to burst your bubble, but many of the weapons our enemies in Middle East use are actually American. Iran-Contra ring a bell? Did you know Bin Laden received funding and weapons from the CIA to fight the Soviets in the 80s? Much of that equipment is still around. China is hardly to blame.

[Ten]

I import, proudly, premium-quality products from China. My industry depends on China for something in the area of 85% of its total inventory in North America. I refer to items that cost upwards of $10,000 each and fuel hundreds of millions of dollars of quality US commerce.

I get amused when I hear the horror stories about Chinese labor. Frankly, the Chinese are vastly more dependable, honest, productive, and generally likable than their US counterparts. Today a local US firm, who's 4 years of business with my company I elected to suspend in favor of a competitor, actually had the gall to grille me about their failings. One of my Chinese vendors, on the other hand, just emailed me about our business relationship with complete courtesy and professionalism. The former just lost six figures in income. The latter keeps seven figures.

I have yet to have a single negative experience with my valued Chinese friends and I am as welcome in their own homes as I am in mine. In 26 years in business, I know of virtually no US counterparts would begin to extend my company that level of civility.

Try not to call the Chinese national either corrupt or enslaved because neither has a shred of credibility to it.

Back to the topic, this law is utter rubbish. We need less nanny government, not more. Grow up Florida City, and realize that you're only hurting yourself, and on more ways than one. Trade restrictions are racist and they are bad economics. The Chinese deserve no less a standard of living than we do, and we got ours by unfettered capitalism, not rubbish government.

[tallrick]

Government regulations and taxes killed US business. Big corporations have so much expense on the management side that its convenient to get the goods cheap from overseas and mark them way up and reap the profits.