American business at work.

[rabbi]

I`ll try to make this as brief as possible. Proctor and Gamble buys a product from us that goes into their Mr. Clean Carwash. From here it is shipped to Viet Nam. From there the Mr. Clean Carwash is manufactured and sent back to the U.S.

[Poorboy]

shipping mass quantities is obviously cheaper than labor:dunno

[denverdetail]

That`s the way the world works brotha.
My wife works for a shipping company (ocean freight) she says the US`s no 1 export is garbage. Paper, scrap metal, plastic. We ship it to Asia, they recycle it and make it into the stuff that fills 90% of the shelves at Walmart.

[JaredPointer]

It kinda sucks, but sometimes we bring it on ourselves. We will buy the cheaper products, even if they are made elsewhere. We want $20 an hour for a job that doesn`t merit that much. I am not complaining...I want to buy things at a reasonable price, but that`s just the way it is I guess.

[freedre]

I`ve spent quite a few hours debating this issue with friends and colleagues. My opinion is that we, in the Western World, have got to get over the fact that we can`t have it all to ourselves and ignore the third world countries where the average Joe is just trying to feed his family while we are figuring out how to spoil ourselves rotten.

The kids of these families (overseas) are becoming able to live in decent houses, go to school and not have to worry about dying from things we take an aspirin for.

IMHO, if these kids (overseas) can`t grow up in an environment that is, at least, livable, they are going to be attracted to evil elements and tempted to learn to fly airplanes into buildings. We all have to give up something, and if it`s a $5/hour job, I`m all for it. It`s a win-win situation if we just stop being so greedy.

Geez, do I sound political??!!

[JaredPointer]

I understand your point, but is it ethical for US companies to take advantage of these same people by paying them near `slave` wages. I understand businesses are there to make a profit, but some of the practices businesses use are not very friendly. I do, however, agree that we (the U.S. especially) are a very greedy and selfish society, but I wouldn`t want to live anywhere else. We do have it very well here.

[Bob]

I love how some idiot with an "American Car" assembled in the US with 90% Mexican parts gets on my case for buying a Honda with 98% US parts built in Liberty Ohio. Drives me nuts! Cause you know, "The money still goes to Japan." Yes, and all of those American`s in Liberty Ohio in the Honda plant with jobs are all figments of my imagination. Really Honda flys Japanese workers over every day and they work, get paid, and fly back home and spend all of their cash home in Japan. :rolleyes:

[freedre]

"Greedy" was a bit more harsh than I had intended. I think that we are a kind and generous society and we don`t get enough credit for that.

What we consider `slave wages` tho, can be a `king`s ransom` for someone who has nothing and is often the difference between life and death. Believe it or not, a third world factory worker, getting paid what we consider `peanuts` is often `upper middle class` in his environment. I don`t think that they are (necessarily) always being `exploited`, far from it.

I`be been there and seen it.

[Poorboy]

:yeah

I can`t get an illegal South American to help unload a shipment for less than $10 an hour...in their native country that would be a whole days work...so as freede said it`s not slave labor at all...2cents

[shotime]

Also when you factor in the insurance for employees and taxes you can`t blame the companies for going overseas. Thank the government and lawyers for that.

[Lwnwookie]

2001civicex, I hear ya brotha. At our plant we have basically been told that from now on we will turn in to a development center. We will set the lines up, start production, then when we get products running the way they are supposed to be we tear the line down and ship it off to Mexico. Also in last year`s business report like the top 4 or 5 auto parts suppliers (except Delphi, I think they are American, they were the #1) are German based companies. There are very few American companies that can afford to keep pace with the big German companies and usually get bought out.

[keeotee]

I usually try not to weigh in on a thread that has anything political in nature in it, but I am going to this time.

Ok, well, I just wrote a nice long piece and deleted it. I`ll just say this... we are not a greedy and/or selfish nation. This is more than easily proven. Simply stop, look around you, see what we do for our own less fortunate and for others in other countries - which by the way - we are not under any obligation to do for them! Then ask yourselves - if we are now greedy and selfish, then what would we be if we did not do as much as we do for others! Also ask yourselves if any other country in the world does as much as we do for others outside our own borders!

I`m glad I was born here far more than I can even say. :)

[freedre]

I knew I shouldn`t have pressed that `Submit` button.

You are 100% correct keeotee. I have been saying that for years and will continue to do so.

God bless America

[rabbi]

I`m staying out of it!

[Poorboy]

ad campaign here in NY against spending 600million to build a new stadium vs keep firehouses open and revamp the school buildings that are falling apart and have asbestos....many pros and cons on any topic ...:dunno