Diary of an Average Joe looking for a job in America

diesel96

Well-Known Member
Joe S started the day early having set his alarm clock(MADE IN JAPAN ) for 6am . While his coffeepot ( MADE IN CHINA ) was perking, he shaved with his electric razor ( MADE IN HONG KONG ). He put on a dress shirt ( MADE IN SRI LANKA ), designer jeans ( MADE IN SINGAPORE ) and tennis shoes( MADE IN KOREA ). After cooking his breakfast in his new electric skillet (MADE IN INDIA ) he sat down with his calculator( MADE IN MEXICO ) to see how much he could spend today. After setting his watch ( MADE INTAIWAN ) to the radio (MADE IN INDIA ) he got in his car ( MADE IN GERMANY ) filled it with GAS from Saudi Arabia and continued his search for a good paying AMERICAN JOB At the end of yet another discouraging and fruitless day checking his Computer (Made In Malaysia ), Joe decided to relax for a while. He put on his sandals ( MADE IN BRAZIL ) poured himself a glass of wine (MADE IN FRANCE) and turned on his TV (MADE IN INDONESIA ), and then wondered why he can't find a good paying job in AMERICA ....

 

wkmac

Well-Known Member
How many of those products made in other countries came as a result of treaties pushed and signed by democrat adminstrations and gov't officials?

As Homer would say:


DOOO!
:lol:

Plenty of blame to go around on this, plenty!
 

wkmac

Well-Known Member
Hey wait, tell the democrat Congress to cut spending and cut taxes so we can afford those same items but American made!

:wink:

Republicans sure did a losey job of it. Their spending habits made Ted Kennedy look like a spin thrift. It was so bad that I even heard Ted himself talking ont the floor of the Senate about the need for fiscal responsibility and control. Folks aways said they wanted to force Ted into being a fiscal conservative but I don't think they had in mind of voting in liberal republicans to do that!
:lol::lol::lol:
 

Sammie

Well-Known Member
I remember one Christmas when everybody was opening gifts and somebody called out the manufacturer of a gift he/she was opening. Then we all joined in. 99% of what we were looking at was made in China. That's when the light bulb came on - China has obviously become the manufacturing leader of the world.

I try to make a point of buying American but even that can be deceiving. A label may read "Made in America" but later on you read about the label's company who's goods are made overseas but assembled here, so buyer beware.:mad:

As long as U.S. companies strive to make money with cheap labor, these corporations don't care who brings in the profits, just as long as somebody does. And after this latest Mattel toy deal, what a horrible example of what outsourcing can do.

And recalls have become a fact of life. It's either something on your car, or your lawn mower, or one of your tools. What a great time for the smart entrepreneur to promote his American made products for Christmas!!!!

But one of the worst things about it - it's all cheap junk. Remember when your folks bought a toaster, a phone or a washer/dryer? Hell, those things lasted 30 years! Now every year or two I'm replacing everything from the electric can opener to the lawn edger!

This country is going to hell in a (leaky) basket... :sad:
 

wkmac

Well-Known Member
Interesting point you're trying to make to all of us who found good paying jobs in america.

And who ships that merchandise from all those points?

Now let me see, I know it's someone, I had it on the tip of my tongue, can I buy a vowel? Uh what about a U!

:wink:

Sammie,

Very good points. My 13 year old daughter is a percussionist and she plays in a symphony orchestra. She also performs with a percussion ensemble and the director is also the percussion professor at a nearby university. Recently the university had a special guest for their percussion students of a Ugandan Drum Master from Africa and my daughter was invited by this professor to attend and it also helps that her drum teacher is a graduate percussion student at this college.

The drum master brought a handmade African tribal drum to give to the college and the students also gave him a drum. What was funny was during the exchange, the drum master of course explained his desire to give something from his people to the college and then the students went up with a snare drum and the exchange went something like this.

"It is an honor on behalf of the students to present something made in America....(a pause while the presenting student flipped over the drum to read something on the backside and then with red face).....orat least the idea to make it came from America" and of course the whole place just erupted in laughter. The snare drum was of course "made in China".

Diesel has a valid point (although his motive was more an attempt to slam Repubs and Bush and they do deserve that) and your's about the poor quality is also valid but I don't blame the foreign made part as the root cause because it's sadly proven IMO that many of the Japanese made cars are of better quality and durability than many of the American made. Many of these cheap foreign made products have American company lables on them. Last time I looked Mattel, started in America in 1945' is headquartered in El Segundo California not Bejing China or even Hong Kong.

At one time in America we weren't driven by consumerism and we bought products that lasted. I'm not picking on Wal-Mart but one of the key factors of their success is you buy a much cheaper price toaster and they know within 2 years you'll be back for another. Sure, you could buy a higher end model at another store and maybe over the span of time you'll pay the same amount of money (you buy 1 high cost toaster to the 3 low dollar jobs over 10 years, maybe even 4 or 5) but over that 10 years you won't enjoy the latest bells and whistles to come out with the lone high dollar job like the latest cheap toaster that also brews your coffee, walks your dog and warms up the car on cold mornings. Next year's model will have HDTV on board! I know I'm going overboard with toaster features but we are driven today by looks, appearances and gimmicks not just so much of what really works and it's lasting quality. Wonder how many low buck toasters end up in landfills compared to the number of high dollar jobs? Just looking from the enviro side of the picture. Hey Al, where are you?:wink:

Besides, if people took that approach of quality over price in a serious way, I'd imagine UPS would have to downsize as they've geared themselves to this throw away world and it's shipping habits we now live in.
 

moreluck

golden ticket member
Some of the China stuff is coming back to bite us.....toothpaste with lead, children's toy recall, dead pets from weird pet food from China....

I think the list will grow.

My granddaughters love the 99 Cent store. They always head to that candy aisle. When they ask, Can I have this?" I tell them to find the maker of the candy on the label. If it's an American company OK, if it says China or Mexico, then it's NO!
 

Sammie

Well-Known Member
Sammie,

Very good points. My 13 year old daughter is a percussionist and she plays in a symphony orchestra. She also performs with a percussion ensemble and the director is also the percussion professor at a nearby university. Recently the university had a special guest for their percussion students of a Ugandan Drum Master from Africa and my daughter was invited by this professor to attend and it also helps that her drum teacher is a graduate percussion student at this college.

Small world, wkmac. Sounds like your girl is really into her music! Good for her! What great experiences. My 16 year old is also a percussionist (snare) in the H.S. marching band and their symphony orchestra. The traveling and the competitions are so exciting for them. And one thing I've noticed about the music is how the discipline and respect spills over into their homework and the home life. When I see the band instructor act like a drill sergeant, I know they'd pitch a fit if we parents tore into them like that, but they take it from the instructors. In fact, I've watched the band practice out in the parking lot and have seen kids drop to the pavement and do 10 or 20 on their own because they made a mistake.

And BTW, I agree with your comments. Have a great weekend!!:laugh:
 

Pollocknbrown

Well-Known Member
Damn it i cant find the link for my source of an article i read a while back, but the gist of it was, adjusting for inflation etc etc, Americans would not be paying much more if at all for the same product to be made in this country, but these shrewd college educated (but since they are college educated that means they know whats good for the American people) CEOs who just want a fatter wallet. And about Wal-mart, Watch the movie "Wal-mart:high cost of low prices" scared the crap out of me, especially the part about how their associates are treated, and to imagine a guy at the HUB i work with quit UPS to go there....

Sorry if i offended anyone that has a college degree or is attaining one....just my personal feeling that the downfall of this country started when America's greatest generations children decided to draft dodge and go to school, and now are doing the same except in finances of their comapanys.
 

diesel96

Well-Known Member
Hey D,
Who do you blame.

wkmac said:
Diesel has a valid point (although his motive was more an attempt to slam Repubs and Bush and they do deserve that)

Kmac...Don't ASS-U-ME....You know, the "Bad News Bears"Coach favorite slogan...

I'm not signaling out a specific political party.... We as Americans as well as both parties thru the years are guilty of allowing the import ratios to exceed the export ratios....
Unfortunatly.... With Corperations outsourcesing now-a days and not willing to pay live-able wages, we as American Consumers need to ban together and buy American made products...E.G..I drive a ford p/u and a American Made Motorcylce...and as we purchase lower end items ,keep in mind to buy made in the USA.
 

Jones

fILE A GRIEVE!
Staff member
I've never been a big believer in buying American just because it's American. It seems to run counter to the whole idea of capitalism and free trade that our economic system is based on. Especially with big items like cars, HDTVs, home theatre receivers, etc, I do my research and try to buy the best product period. If it's american, that's great. If it's not, that's ok too. The point is to force companies to compete for your business by offering you the best product, and the way to do that is make sure they understand that the best is all you will buy.

When you guarantee a certain segment of the marketplace that they will get your money no matter what kind of inferior product they produce, you are also guaranteeing that you will continue to get an inferior product, and likely at an inflated price.

I firmly believe that American companies can compete with anyone, but if they are not forced to compete, then they won't. Why should they?
 

Overpaid Union Thug

Well-Known Member
I totally agree that relying on China for what seems like EVERYTHING is just rediculous. It'll come back to haunt us in the future. Possibly the near future. If you guys think bad tainted food and poisens in toothpaste are bad just wait until China finally decides to take over the world. It's all part of their long term goal to dominate the world and the first step will be to have the U.S. by the throat economicaly. The more products you see with "made in China" labels the tighter the grip.

What I don't agree with is the supposed inability for a U.S. citizen to find a job. Whether it be one good paying job or a couple of decent paying jobs. If millions of foreigners, legal AND illegal, can find jobs than their is no excuse for a U.S. citizen to not be able to find one.
 

JustTired

free at last.......
It's all part of their long term goal to dominate the world and the first step will be to have the U.S. by the throat economicaly. The more products you see with "made in China" labels the tighter the grip.

They already have us by the throat. They hold 800-900 billion dollars of our national debt. If (no...when) they call that debt in, our economy will tank. The only thing that keeps them from doing so at the moment is our insatiable appetite for their cheap products. We have to tread lightly when we complain about the quality of what they produce. if we go too far....they cash in their holdings. They've got us by the short hairs and they know it. It's pretty much "You'll buy our crap and like it."

Anybody that thinks that when they buy something that says "made in America", it actually is, better look at where the individual parts that make up that item comes from.

Oh don't worry. Some Americans will profit from all of these foolish decisions. But it won't be "average joe".
 

tieguy

Banned
its a nice thought that soothes the liberal mind but reality does not reflect this average joe. This average joe is working in america and the average joe enjoys having a variety of products from different countries to buy.

If you want to stop products from foriegn countries then you had better start by blocking all immigration. Diversity is what helps create the demand for foriegn products. Quality and sometimes price is what keeps the demand.
 

The-UK-Guy

Tea anyone ?
to stop the national debt all we have to do is print a few more $100.00s instead of $5.00s . Just leave the printer on all night by mistake and set it to 100 everything will be fine by the morning. just dont tell anyone !!!
 
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