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Can we make everything we consume? I personally think we are capable of doing this, but what would we have to do to make this possible?
Would this make us a better nation? Personally I think so. We'd be stronger if we can rely on ourselves, not Saudi oil fields or Chinese sweatshops. I'd like to hear some opinions though.
No I do not think we can the way we are currently.
-All Vitamin C comes from China
-99.9% of wheat gluten comes from China (there is only 1 small niche mfg company left in America).
-most "parts", electronic, auto, etc. come from overseas
-most small appliances come from overseas - just try to find a US made toaster oven.
Those are what I know of. I'm sure there's many more but you have to take stock first before you can make that claim.
I'm not wondering if we can be self sustaining in our current way, but can we if we make some changes. Can we change our society so we aren't meddling in other countries at all. Is it possible for us to build everything we need here?
We may soon find out about American sustainability because the Chinese may now be responding to Obama's import tariff on tires by "dumping" American products. If things collapse under vicious trade wars, I don't won't my family to be anywhere around large urban areas. These places produce nothing but traffic, smog, misery and political strife and that will increase 100-fold in a collapse. I have farm acreage and equipment and could become quite self-sufficient if I had to.
If we made things as well as we did back in the old days, AND guaranteed repair shops to revamp when needed, that would help. I have an antique toaster, blender, fridge and iron that still work well, and have never been repaired. Cobblers used to repair our shoes that often lasted for years, too, simply because they could be fixed. My aunt has a tile bathroom that was put in in 1952. We need to get back to making stuff. So much of what we have is just awful. I stopped buying General Electric stuff when they started making weapons. Cottage Industries enabled a lot of women to work from home years ago. They sewed piece goods, and got paid when they returned them to the main factory.
If we made things as well as we did back in the old days, AND guaranteed repair shops to revamp when needed, that would help. I have an antique toaster, blender, fridge and iron that still work well, and have never been repaired. Cobblers used to repair our shoes that often lasted for years, too, simply because they could be fixed. My aunt has a tile bathroom that was put in in 1952. We need to get back to making stuff. So much of what we have is just awful. I stopped buying General Electric stuff when they started making weapons. Cottage Industries enabled a lot of women to work from home years ago. They sewed piece goods, and got paid when they returned them to the main factory.
Boy did that bring back memories of the shoe shop. Every August we brought our shoes to the shoe shop to get new heels and soles put on for school. We only got new shoes when we outgrew them. This was back in the 70's in NYC.
I don't think there are anymore of those shoe shops around. I vividly remember the smell of that place.
Boy did that bring back memories of the shoe shop. Every August we brought our shoes to the shoe shop to get new heels and soles put on for school. We only got new shoes when we outgrew them. This was back in the 70's in NYC.
I don't think there are anymore of those shoe shops around. I vividly remember the smell of that place.
I love nostalgia. The shoe shops smelled of leather, and glue. The cobblers seemed pretty mellow, or high. And they were reasonable, price wise.
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