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Dude, wake up. China and Japan are two of the most Protectionist countries in the world.
I'm talking about the attitude as it applies to consumers, not the government. People seem to think that American workers are entitled to wages far above the market rate simply because they're American. That's protectionism.
You guys just keep on wasting your money on overpriced commodities just because they have American flags on them. If the day comes when my job is outsourced, well at least I'll have a lot of money saved because I consumed low-cost goods for so many years.
From the "protectionist" point of view, I always thought that if the federal government was going to subsidize an auto maker, the company should be American, and the manufacturing of ALL cars should be performed in country.
The real issue with American cars was "mediocre" build quality and fit and finish that lasted for about 20 years. The world had moved on, and so had the automotive taste of many Americans. Detroit was left behind by many in Europe when it came to "fun to drive" and had been left by the Japanese when it came to "Reliability".
Now granted, I have an old Pontiac Firebird that survived 230,000 miles on the original drivetrain. About 20 years after it was produced, I gave a test drive to a new Pontiac Solstice, and while the car wasn't bad it was totally unrefined...and I think it had German roots, but i'm not 100% on that. The car was as rough as my old Firebird on uneven pavement, plowed into turns, and was all around "cheap" to the touch. US automakers have really been putting out better products over the last few years, and I think this could really help turn around the American auto industry...but the truth is, there were more factors hurting the American auto industry than the media's blaming of UAW salaries and benefits...but i'm willing to bet that the UAW isn't exactly helping matters either.
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