Shopsmith Forums

In a nut shell: There is no way that attempting to buy only US made goods will harm our country. On the other hand, by knot trying to do so, you may...or may knot...be causing our country harm. I prefer to do my best for my country. If this means going out of my way to buy American, so be it. If I can buy it made in America, for me, it is better to do so. "What harm is there in buying Bud Light?", you ask. The answer might knot be important to some, most, or all of you, but sending American money out of the country, as profits for goods sold here, weakens our dollar. Since there are American breweries, that also provide Americans jobs, and keep the profits here, I will choose to buy that product. As I have stated before, if I can knot find a product that I need/want/can knot live without, that is made in America, I will buy it regardless of its origin; however, I will avoid China made, along with a few other countries, as best as I can.

Hi a1gutterman,

Tell me one thing though. I did bring up the fact that Budweiser has been purchased by a foreign company. But the catch is, it is still being made here. Soooo, it's still "Made in America". The name hasn't or won't be changing that I know of.

So, what do you do?

I'm sure there are many other companies operating this way.

Curious to read your answer to this one.

Tim, et al

I admire your fortitude and your stubborn stick-to-it attitude on the subject of buy American. This whole thing was started by a discussion of low grade plywood believed to be manufactured in China and now includes a brewery in the US but owned by foreign (European) money.

Foreign money, is there much of that here in the good old USA?

If there is, do we think we know where it is at? Is it US money that owns all those companies that you believe in? I'm not sure!

If we could boycott all the companies that are "foreign held".......well, I just don't know what might happen. I don't think we have any idea just how many of the places that we each frequent belongs to a foreign interest.

Those foreign purse strings might be French, British, Korean, Canadian, Malaysian, .....who knows, might even be Chinese and we don't even know.

One of the first rules of engagement...Know Your Enemy. IMO, We don't.

woodburner wrote:Hi a1gutterman,

Tell me one thing though. I did bring up the fact that Budweiser has been purchased by a foreign company. But the catch is, it is still being made here. Soooo, it's still "Made in America". The name hasn't or won't be changing that I know of.

So, what do you do?

I'm sure there are many other companies operating this way.

Curious to read your answer to this one.

The name will change in Dec to Anheuser-Busch-Inbev and the profits will go overseas.

woodburner wrote:Hi a1gutterman,

Tell me one thing though. I did bring up the fact that Budweiser has been purchased by a foreign company. But the catch is, it is still being made here. Soooo, it's still "Made in America". The name hasn't or won't be changing that I know of.

So, what do you do?

I'm sure there are many other companies operating this way.

Curious to read your answer to this one.

Well, I kind of think that I have already answered the question, "So, what do you do?" in previous posts to this thread, especially post 6, 21 and 30. About the way other companies operate: I can only do my best to do what I think is the right thing to do. I am knot perfect (see, I can knot even spell good:D ), but I TRY.

I think we need to know our enemy as Dusty said.

I appreciate the fact that we are part of a world economy.

I have nothing against foreign products made in other countries (with the exception of China(an actual enemy of the USA)) if they are fairly competing with US products. However many times we see severe inequality in import and export tarriffs that make the competition less than equal. Also I try to avoid any country cited for human rights violations where sweat shops are being used to overcome competition.

I also undestand made in USA helps American workers but when profits, disposable income, goes to foreign economy I also know that, that really effects our countries industry's ability to grow.

I understand GNP and how it can be manipulated but I also know if a country isn't producing anything it is similar to a parasite living off others and eventually the others will rid themselves of that parasite. Most countires tolerated the US doing this because we had untold wealth and natural resources, but those things are running out as evidenced by our soaring nation debt that we are trying to ignore and our dependancy on oil and other resouces.

I very much know our skilled trades have suffered what many believe to be insurrmountable setbacks as skilled trades are left to wither and die. I have friends in various trades/businesses that would kill for "skilled" help. They simply can't find it and all efforts to train are usually meet with discouragement. I also know of products that simply no longer exist because no one knows how or possesses the skill to make them anymore.

I know the idea of "don't work harder work smarter" has been translated into "Find a way, any way to get out of actual work." or put more simply "Don't do manual labor."

I know the common idea of increasing prices without added value, or increasing wages without increased production has put many many businesses out of business and many US Companies out of "world" competition.

I also know what made this country great was: first off, "integrity" that was found in majority of the population. People who sold the best product they could make, and people that gave 8 hours work for 8 hours pay.
Second, people that looked for ways to increase production or cut cost as a way to increase profitability. Thirdly it was the American spirit of pulling together, putting your nose to the grindstone and coming out ahead of the rest of the world.

The real enemy is false belief that you can get something for nothing or that you won't have to pay for it sooner or later. Buying cheap gives you the immediate reward of having more money in your pocket but the price you pay will show up later in lost jobs, soaring inflation, increased landfill sizes.

Wake up!

[quote="charlese"]...At a relative recent international meeting in France, a conference attendee stood up and complained, "We always speak English at these meetings" ..."Why can't we sometimes use another language?"
An American answered, " With thanks to Americans, Canadians, Aussies and Brits, we all aren't speaking German."

I Love it!
Signed]Hi Chuck,
I remember when that was being passed around, and I agree with the truthfulness of it, but unfortunately, these kinds of things are what helps perpetuate the resentment that peoples of the world feel toward Americans. I do knot see what we can do to improve that situation.
[quote="charlese"]...Also Gotta remember that as time passes, the world economy and world politics also change. Those who were once our sworn enemies are now our allies. eg]I have been thinking about what you said here, and I still do knot see the situation we have with China as being comparable. Each of those allies, yet former sworn enemies, that you list, at one time or another, fought a decisive war with us. Wars that came to conclusions that were ended by agreement and documents that were signed to end them.

Not so with China. We simply had a cease fire. Technically, we are still at war with them. To my knowledge, we do not share with China, a peace agreement; they still have "Nukes" aimed at us; and their "trade" with us is on an unequal footing. If it is our governments plan to overwhelm them with American money, in order to create a "friendship" without hostilities, all I can say is this: Countries can knot buy friendships any more then individuals can. Bad things will happen, when China no longer sees the current situation is to their benefit.

a1gutterman wrote: . . . Wars that came to conclusions that were ended by agreement and documents that were signed to end them.

Not so with China. We simply had a cease fire. Technically, we are still at war with them. . .

Tim,
I agree with your basic thesis, but, it was the UN Police Action, in which we took part, that ultimately brought China into the Korean Conflict. We had not been, and are not, technically at war with China although we were signatories to the UN cease fire. China came to the aid of North Korea when UN forces (US Marines) were at the Yalu River and the Koreans were on the verge of total defeat. We did violate Chinese airspace on a number of occasions however, and China did protest our transgressions.
Dick

dickg1 wrote:Tim,
I agree with your basic thesis, but, it was the UN Police Action, in which we took part, that ultimately brought China into the Korean Conflict. We had not been, and are not, technically at war with China although we were signatories to the UN cease fire. China came to the aid of North Korea when UN forces (US Marines) were at the Yalu River and the Koreans were on the verge of total defeat. We did violate Chinese airspace on a number of occasions however, and China did protest our transgressions.
Dick

Hi Dick,
Thank you for your clarification; however, I simply do knot recognize "Police Action" as being any different then being at war. Call it what you will, it was warfare and as you pointed out, we currently have a cease fire agreement in effect, not an end to hostilities.

[quote="a1gutterman"]Hi Dick,
Thank you for your clarification] Tim,
If your premise is accepted, then we have to agree that the nations comprising the UN (excepting the USSR - now Russia, et al) at the time of the Korean Conflict are still at war with China. We also are "at war" with France (the Vichy French - north Africa), Austria (as a consequence of Germany's annexation), Panama, Cuba, etc.
I guess that my definition of "war" is not that of armed hostilities but a declaration of a "state of war". We obviously differ on this point, but if we consider "economic war" maybe we are both on the same side of the argument.
Dick