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It must be all those patriotic Americans buying domestic products, right?
I don't buy that claim. People are still going out and about... and spending a great deal. In spite of political circumstances, the economy is doing fine and so is the American consumer.
Ummm... you DO realize that years back, when Wal-mart was taking over and growing at a huge rate, most of their stuff WAS made in American, right? And that because of popular demand - you know, by those "sell out" consumers you so hate - they are working to bring back made in the USA products...
Funny - seems to me that the consumer is willing to pay for USA products... too bad big business is still has no problems getting rid of jobs... but that is the "sensible thing to do" of course.
As for the economy, we're still trying to crawl out of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, so we're not "doing fine." Maybe YOU are, and as I've learned around here, for most people, that's all that matters.
Ummm... you DO realize that years back, when Wal-mart was taking over and growing at a huge rate, most of their stuff WAS made in American, right? And that because of popular demand - you know, by those "sell out" consumers you so hate - they are working to bring back made in the USA products...
Funny - seems to me that the consumer is willing to pay for USA products... too bad big business is still has no problems getting rid of jobs... but that is the "sensible thing to do" of course.
As for the economy, we're still trying to crawl out of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, so we're not "doing fine." Maybe YOU are, and as I've learned around here, for most people, that's all that matters.
And you realize that one of the articles that you posted only proves my point, right?
From the second article you posted:
Quote:
This isn’t Walmart’s first crack at a Made in America program. An earlier one fizzled, amid some bad publicity, because Walmart couldn’t get enough low-priced merchandise to sell. Americans may love their country, but they will buy Chinese if the price differential is too high.
Like I said before, American consumers don't buy American and then wonder where all the factory jobs have gone.
"If we choose to farm our work out to someone willing to work for less, that's a sensible business decision."
Then, you turn around and blast the American consumer (who just had their wages reduced by your "sensible business decision") for buying cheaper products.
I agree, both business and consumer in your example made the correct decision.
Again, free market principles. Why is it "bad" for employees - unionized or otherwise - to try to maximize their profits (take home pay) while it is "good" for corporations to do the same by laying people off, sending jobs overseas, etc?
I have no issue with them asking, and no issue with corps offshoring when they view their requests as extortionary.
Globalization has shown that foreign workers are capable of producing high-quality goods for much less, which left a lot of overpriced American workers out of jobs unless they decided to retrain. Too bad for them. They had it good for too long and now the chickens have come home to roost!
, and when Americans do not overprice themselves, we have US mfg, and it does still exist. But many unions effectively wrote pink slips for their members.
I agree, both business and consumer in your example made the correct decision.
In the short-term, it may appear as though the consumer is making a wise decision by choosing the less-expensive brand. However, he or she fails to consider the long-lasting implications of this consumer decision.
And you realize that one of the articles that you posted only proves my point, right?
From the second article you posted:
Like I said before, American consumers don't buy American and then wonder where all the factory jobs have gone.
No, all that proves is that Americans can't spend much more money for domestic products at this point in history. It doesn't mean they don't WANT to, nor does it mean that they didn't buy American in the past. You need to factor in the current economic reality vs. making assumptions about their motivations.
I don't deny that American consumers bear part of the blame - off course they do! - but they are doing the EXACT same thing that big business is doing - reducing costs regardless of the harm done. In the case of big business, it's about getting rid of good jobs. In the case of consumers, it's about buying the cheapest product that will get the job done. If you want to blame both business and consumers and say "people are too cheap these days," be my guest since there is truth in that.
But it is the height of hypocrisy to claim on the one hand cutting good jobs is just fine because, "If we choose to farm our work out to someone willing to work for less, that's a sensible business decision," but then to blast consumers for doing the SAME thing by saying, "The American consumer has only himself to blame for selling out in order to save a few cents."
You continue to apply double standards to try to excuse any and all corporate behavior while blasting consumers for doing the SAME THING and then, on top of that, you simply pretend that job cuts had nothing to do with this race to the bottom, even while eagerly supporting job and wage cuts as "sensible business decisions."
The fact that consumers are clamoring for American goods means they WANT to support this nation. The fact that they can't afford to pay much more for them illustrates the damage done by your corporate buddies while making those "sensible business decisions."
No, all that proves is that Americans can't spend much more money for domestic products at this point in history.
LOL! Our local WM is within 2 miles of lakefront homes worth close to a million, and I see folks from that section of town shopping there all the time.
I also know these same people regularly shop for vacation discounts.
We are a nation of "Why pay More"? and that includes millions who could pay more, but why would they ever choose to?
The illegal workers like the minimum wage laws because they know
legal workers will not do the job even if they are payed more. ...
The supply is their ( fruit vegetables, nuts, cheap labor jobs )
and the illegal workers work hard to fill the demand. ...
If the wages were raise high enough to attract legal workers to fill the jobs required, we could not afford to pay the high cost that would be put on fruits, vegetables, etc. ... ...
.
Ah.. Another comment about how we somehow NEED the illegal brown man and how inherently hard working he is and how without him we'd all starve. You just forgot to remind us how lazy we Americans are.
LOL! Our local WM is within 2 miles of lakefront homes worth close to a million, and I see folks from that section of town shopping there all the time.
I also know these same people regularly shop for vacation discounts.
We are a nation of "Why pay More"? and that includes millions who could pay more, but why would they ever choose to?
Oh, we are cheap as a nation - I never disagreed with that - and it does need to change or the whole nation death-spirals.
But I am damn tired of corporate apologists claiming that a company being cheap by outsourcing and cutting wages to workers is a "sensible business decisions" - with flags waving in the background - while ignoring the catastrophic economic effects, and then on the other hand blasting individuals for doing the same thing - being cheap - their personal lives.
Because we're to believe that a company that off-shores to China is "doing the right thing" if it's cheaper, but the now laid-off worker who buys Chinese goods is a "sell-out" Right...
Just more double-speak and hypocrisy from people who consider their fellow man infinitely less valuable than their stock portfolio.
Last edited by Rambler123; 05-04-2014 at 04:54 PM..
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