More China Toxins; U.S. Import Ban; China Mad

[Tom_H]

I know that for awhile, the FDA and EPA took a bad rap, but with all this poisionus stuff coming from China, I, for one, am glad we have the protections we do in our country.

The FDA has just blocked import of several fish and seafoods from China due to toxins. China is mad about it and so trumped up some counter charges re. food imports from the U.S.

Who'da thought we need to import CATFISH from China? What's next, dirt?

China protests U.S. block on Chinese seafood - CNN.com

 

[Birdhunter1]

I don't see why this country would ever have a need to import any food product from anywhere much less China. Most any meat product or fish can be grown in the US and every vegetable and all but maybe a few fruits can be grown here.... so why are we importing food from China? Isn't the US the world largest food producer?

 

[Kendall69]

Bottom line, like everything else - MONEY

Even if both countries ,the US and China catch the same fish, China can bring the fish to market cheaper. Sure when you have prisoners that work for five cents a day.

Same reason Levis Strauss went to Mexico, after making Levis here in the US since 1853. They had no choice, the imported Jeans were killing them.
Heck I can buy jeans cheaper today than in 1969.

Seems like we will never wake up, we produce less and less, grow less and less, and are more dependent on other countries.

Look what’s happening with wheat - we are growing wheat for ethanol so the price goes up, when the price of corn goes up, feed goes up, then mile goes up , then beef goes up etc.etc.

 

[mjncad]

I don't have anything against quality made imports; but I have yet to see anything from China I would call a quality made product.

What ticks me off is the USA is foolishly giving up basic industries to the Chinese in exchange for low cost shoddy junk made at slave labor wages in lousy working conditions.

A buddy of mine is building a wood fence and needed new fence posts...the 8' cedar fence posts Despot & Doh's (Home Depot & Lowe's) sells were from China. Seems to me that we have plenty of wood too. Why are we importing fence posts along with food? Oh that's right...it's cheaper.

I was down to installing the last flue pipe fitting on our new water heater after 5:00 in the afternoon, when the day-old 3" Chinese elbow blew apart at the seams. Off to Home Despot (AGAIN!) for another Chinese elbow, and I hope it holds up.

So what happens when China decides withhold the basics they are exporting to the USA? Good question and I hope we don't find out the hard way.

Remember folks, the noise you hear coming from Chairman Mao's grave is not him rolling over in it; but him laughing his butt off that he couldn't beat the USA with a failed political philosophy...but with addicting Americans with cheap merchandise. Of course I blame our government for not being tougher on the Chinese for dumping their products on the world market. A N.Y. Times article on anti-freeze toothpaste mentioned that South Carolina prisons were getting tubes of Chinese toothpaste for 9-cents a tube. You want to tell me how anyone can make a profit on that? If that isn't product dumping, I don't know what is. Even if the US government were to impose a 100% tariff of Chinese junk, it would still be cheaper than quality made products from the USA, Europe, Japan and elsewhere.

Of course American and other countries' business leaders are hellbent to make more money for executive management at the cost of the average working stiff.

Two different TV stations had a story on the Chinese tire scandal, and they both mentioned that 60% of all products being recalled in the USA were made in China. I would like to know what the country breakdown is for the remaining 40%.

Also, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines are to China what Mexico is to the USA.

To paraphrase Nancy Reagan, "Whenever possible, just say NO to Chinese made crap!"

 

[DieselPower]

To paraphrase Nancy Reagan, "Whenever possible, just say NO to Chinese made crap!"

Amen brothers and sisters. I say NO as often as I can. I don't mind paying more for something made in my back yard.

 

[cp1969]

... Home Despot ...

Brought a smile to me, as that's what I've been calling them for years.

Excellent post. I've been ranting the same rant, but no one's listening.

The worst part is that Karl Marx predicted over a hundred years ago that something like this was gong to happen. The fact that we, as individuals, and companies as well, will always act in our own economic self-interest coupled with the fact that profit can only be derived from surplus labor, led him to his conclusion, namely that companies derive their profits from the surplus labor of their workers but must replace the workers with automation to stay abreast of competition. Machines (automation) generate no such surplus labor because they are available to all competitors. Any machine Company A buys to lower costs below that of its competitors can be purchased by those competitors and the cycle starts over again, but with less margin than before.

Company A, after moving offshore, is hoping against hope that their competitors will remain in business in the USA and continue to pay high enough wages that the competitors employees can buy the products that Company A now produces elsewhere.

I'm not saying Marx was right or that I agree with him, but it sure looks to me like it's playing out pretty much as he said it would. Some things, like labor unions, forestall the inevitable but with the wholesale exodus of manufacturing (both jobs and firms) from our shores, I have to think our days as a premier world power are numbered.

 

[YanmarFever]

This is a subject that greatly interests me a lot, as I see our country being sold out to the rest of the world. As we become one country with Mexico & canada (borderless) , immigrants and imports pouring in, all we can say is
welcome to the new world (odor).

This is part of the reason my wife & I have become cavers (stay at home)

It seems that the government does what it wants anyway, so why bother worrying about anything except your own land.

The only chinese thing thats any good is a plastic funnel for draining oil.

OK you can have it back now

Ern.

 

[waynokakid]

Anybody remember what Henry Kissinger said about the Chinese when he left office? "Beware of the Chinese, they like to work."

 

[mjncad]

Quote:
Originally Posted by mjncad
... Home Despot ...


Brought a smile to me, as that's what I've been calling them for years.

To honor Homer Simpson, I renamed Lowe's to Doh's. Doh's - Let's botch something together.

 

[mjncad]

This is a subject that greatly interests me a lot, as I see our country being sold out to the rest of the world. As we become one country with Mexico & canada (borderless) , immigrants and imports pouring in, all we can say is
welcome to the new world (odor).

Ern.

New World Odor...I love it!

I'm 50, and I would like to get at least 30 more healthy years before checkout occurs; but I wonder if there will be any semblance of the America I grew up with left when it's time to turn off the lights. In some cases, I can see a merger of the USA and Canada making sense as both countries are first world countries; but the concept of Amexida (AMerica-mEXIco-canaDA) just chaps my hide no end.

Unfortunately both major political parties, unscrupulous businesses, certain labor unions, and some religious denominations have and are selling out this country and its people to further their respective agendas. Unfortunately academia and the news media in their efforts to portray themselves as enlightened individuals have become spokes-stooges for those in power who are hellbent at wrecking the USA. Whether through coincidence, a loose confederation, or a downright coordinated conspiracy that can be debated ad infinitum; the real losers will be the middle class Americans who are literally being squeezed between a rock and a hard place.

OK...enough ranting...thank you for listening.